Short-Term Internship, Long-Term Impact

Q&A with ILAP’s 2022 Summer Interns

ILAP welcomes undergraduate and law school students as interns each summer. Our internships provide opportunities for students to gain experience and build skills while helping Maine’s immigrant community.

In 2022, we were thrilled to welcome Izza Drury, Sahra Hassan, and Miki Rierson as ILAP interns. Izza completed a research project focused on firm resettlement issues among other work, Sahra supported our Immigrant Children’s Project, and Miki assisted ILAP’s Forms Program. Hear from each of them about their experiences:

What drew you to interning with ILAP?

Izza: I have long admired ILAP’s work, as a Mainer and aspiring immigration advocate I was interested in engaging with this work, something I had only done abroad in France and Greece, in my home state. As the global community engages with modern challenges including a warming planet and the legacies of colonialism I am sure that Maine can be a place that not only accepts people who have been displaced from their homes, but can provide the resources necessary for Mainers New and Old to lead dignified and empowered lives. I think ILAP is a key place to engage with this work.

Sahra: I wanted to work with ILAP because of the nature of the work they were partaking in. As an immigrant and refugee, I knew that I wanted to go into immigration law to dive deeper into the systems and institutions that allow people to come into this country and hinder those same opportunities for others. I knew that ILAP was doing very important work and I wanted nothing more than to be part of that process.

Miki: ILAP's work in supporting immigrant communities both in direct service and larger scale advocacy is what really drew me to ILAP. Not just acknowledging but working to dismantle the bigger power structures that harm immigrant communities alongside direct client work is what's necessary, and crucial in framing our clients' issues as symptomatic of a bigger failing in the immigration system.

What was the focus of your summer internship?  

Izza: As the General Legal Intern I worked on an array of projects including supporting the Afghan Project with intake assessments, working on a SIJS case, and conducting observations at the immigration court in Boston. However I think my largest project was a research project focused on firm resettlement issues for clients from Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo who have spent time in Brazil. This project culminated in a 1 hours continuing legal education on Firm Resettlement.

Sahra: I spent most of my summer working alongside some highly devoted attorneys on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status cases (SIJS). In doing these SIJS cases, I met and worked directly with clients. Being face to face with young people with such a great need and doing my part to advocate and support them in their process of gaining legal immigration status was by far one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Miki: I worked primarily in the Forms Assist Program to work with clients seeking Employment Authorization, Temporary Protected Status, DACA Renewals or Naturalization. Through this I was able to meet and engage directly with clients, which I really enjoyed.

What is something important or surprising you learned?

Izza: This experience provided valuable insights into the day to day activities of immigration attorneys. It was great to see the collaboration between advocates as they worked through issues on cases. It was challenging to see the outstanding need for representation in Maine and to know that many individuals are not able to get the support they need. It was also frustrating to see how harmful and racist immigration laws in this country are, as an example the differences in response for Ukrainians and Afghans.

Sahra: While working at ILAP I truly understood just how important human compassion and empathy are. Every time I met with a client I was confronted with unsettling and sad truths that my clients had. Although I have always known how important compassion and empathy are, I learned through my client interactions that compassion and empathy can be given silently and not necessarily in a big gesture. I was reminded that my clients didn’t need much from me in those moments of sadness and stress except to be acknowledged in their lived realities by showing presence and understanding.

Miki: Though I had some personal and professional experience in immigration applications, working with such a wide range of clients really elucidated the incredible number of barriers non-citizens face in the immigration system and how inaccessible it is.

How did this experience impact you, personally or professionally?

Izza: This experience confirmed my interest immigration and international human rights law, and underscored that immigration attorneys can change their clients lives, and advocacy at the national level is very important to change the systems within which immigration attorneys work as they are currently harmful, racist, and violent. I am interested in exploring the work of outreach and advocacy as Lisa has been focusing on and was grateful for the opportunity to learn more about that aspect of immigration law while at ILAP.

Sahra: Being at ILAP this summer reaffirmed my desire to work with young people within the immigration system. Although it was hard and challenging at times, I truly felt like I was making a difference and I want to have that feeling every day of my life.

Miki: My summer with ILAP really cemented my interest in a career in immigration advocacy. Of course, I had interest prior but working with clients and watching other ILAP staff in their commitment to their clients and the broader community really solidified it for me. Additionally, watching my supervisor do so much as a DOJ Accredited Rep definitely has given me more to consider for post-grad plans instead of law school exclusively!

What’s next for you?

Izza: I will be starting my 2L year a Harvard Law School as a transfer. At HLS I will be taking the immigration clinic Public International Law and Evidence alongside a reading group looking at comparative legal struggles for reproductive health and justice. I am hopeful that I will be able to continuing researching firm resettlement in the coming years!

Sahra: I am currently a second-year law student at the University of Maine School of law. I am taking a full course which consists of courses such as Immigration Law, Professional Responsibility, Legal Methods and Reasoning, Evidence, Trial Practice, and Racial Injustice in the Law. Additionally, in the summer of 2023, I will be working as a student attorney at the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic continuing my work and providing legal advocacy to members of refugees and asylum seekers here in Maine.

Miki: I'm finishing my senior year at Bowdoin College and will continue to volunteer in the Forms Assist program this fall! I'm hoping to receive language fellowship after graduation before pursuing a career in immigrant/ESL community advocacy!