During Spring Break 2019, three University of Chicago law students traveled to Tijuana to assist asylum seekers at the U.S. – Mexico border.

By Morgan Daves-Gehrls, ’20

Over Spring Break in 2019, Jacob Hamburger, ’21, Anna Porter, ’20, and Mariah Garcia, ’19 travelled to Tijuana, Mexico to lend their support to migrants seeking asylum in the United States.  The trip was co-sponsored by National Lawyers Guild and the International Refugee Assistance Project.  “We were working with Al Otro Lado, a group that does daily border monitoring and know your rights presentations in Tijuana for those about to cross into the United States and seek asylum,” explains Garcia.   The three volunteers helped with Al Otro Lado’s daily workshops, which inform asylum-seekers about the asylum process.  They also helped conduct legal intake interviews, which allow volunteer attorneys to give advice to those seeking asylum.  “The organization tries to help people think about how to tell their story in a way that is accessible to an officer conducting a credible fear interview, which is the first step in the asylum process,” explains Porter.  In addition to these legal tasks, the volunteers also helped with routine work needed for the project, like cleaning, preparing food, and babysitting.  The project operates out of a borrowed community center in downtown Tijuana.

Al Otro Lado also does legal observations, where lawyers and law student volunteers observe the actions of United States and Mexico border officials to assess their compliance with international and domestic law.  It was during one of these legal observations that Garcia was most impacted.  Al Otro Lado volunteers were observing “La Lista,” a process in which asylum seekers gather in a plaza, sign up for the United States’ tedious numbering system, and wait to hear the numbers called for those who will be interviewed that day.  Mexican government officials removed all migrants from African countries (in this case, Cameroon), alleging that their papers were out of date.  The volunteers later learned that this is a well-known racist tactic that these Cameroonian individuals had experienced many times at other Latin American border crossings.  Al Otro Lado volunteers tried to intervene, but were met with hostility from border officials.  Garcia explains, “they even attempted to claim our simple act of standing near the border crossing was illegal, which is false, and threatened to deport several volunteers. This is apparently a frequent threat that volunteers with Al Otro Lado face.”

Like Garcia, Hamburger was deeply moved by what he experienced while volunteering.  After hearing of highly traumatic events in migrants’ past, Hamburger saw the terrible experience they had while trying to navigate the asylum process. “Regardless of how clearly someone meets the criteria for asylum, they still have to endure arbitrary waiting periods in Tijuana,” said Hamburger.  Migrants are also “subjected to inhumane conditions, family separation, and long detention at the hands of our own government. Seeing this up close is something I’ll never forget.”

Although their week of service illuminated the plight of asylum seekers at the border, the sense of cooperation among asylum-seekers provided a bit of optimism.  “One thing that struck me was the information sharing between the asylum seekers, some of whom had crossed and been returned under the Remain in Mexico program,” explains Porter. “Although the information they are sharing is often scary, it can be powerful. I saw a lot of solidarity between everyone crossing, which often reflects the journey many of them have had to travel to get to Tijuana. It can be dangerous, and the asylum seekers often look out for one another.”

These three volunteers pursued a broad range of professional opportunities after their service in Tijuana, but each is committed to serving those in need.  Hamburger worked at Larry Krasner’s District Attorney’s Office over the summer, in addition to Community Activism Law Alliance (now Beyond Legal Aid), which works extensively with immigrant community groups.   Over the summer, Porter worked at Katten in Chicago, working on a pro bono project with the Domestic Violence Legal Clinic.  She also worked in the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights over her 2L year, and has continued to work in a volunteer capacity.  Garcia is now a Justice Fellow at Loevy & Loevy, a firm that focuses on police brutality, wrongful conviction and prison litigation, and hopes to continue pro bono immigration work.

Joseph Ludmir, ’21, seeks to build understanding and promote empathy at the law school and in legal services.

By Faith Laken, ’20

Joseph Ludmir always enjoyed public speaking, but it was ultimately his desire to connect with clients one on one that led him to the law school. In undergrad, he served as a crisis counselor for survivors of sexual assault in the community. He appreciated his ability to connect with people in that setting, but wanted to be able to provide clients with legal resources to address their needs as well.

For Ludmir, public interest and direct legal aid felt like a natural fit. “I want to be able to make the biggest, most tangible impact on people,” he described. “You can really see the impact of your work when there’s a client sitting in front of you who feels supported because of your work. There’s a sense of accomplishment and feeling of fulfillment being on the front lines.”

During his 1L spring break, Ludmir participated in a pro bono service trip to St. Louis where he externed at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, a nonprofit legal aid organization that provides free legal help to low income individuals and families on civil issues including housing, public benefits, special education, and domestic violence. There, Ludmir worked on a study of the relationship between court proceedings and incidents of domestic violence and assault on clients. He explained how attorneys should be aware of the role that various stressors, including those stemming from the legal system, play in the cycle of violence and should pay careful attention to the needs of their clients during those times.

At the law school, Ludmir has his eye on the effects of stressors on the student body. He serves as the Vice President of Mental Wellness in the Law School’s student government and is dedicated to making the law school community more aware of mental health concerns and available resources. He also started a “Secret Pal” program to encourage more bonding and positivity at the school. Participating students get assigned another student who they leave little notes or small gifts for anonymously until a reveal later in the year. Students might leave each other compliments, words of encouragement, or candy. Ludmir hopes activities like these remind students to take time to check in with themselves, relax, and bond with their classmates.

Ludmir hopes to continue to find innovative ways to connect with classmates and clients during the remainder of his time at the law school and to bring his empathic approach into his future legal career.