Week 5:
Expanding My Ideas of Immigration

July 12, 2020

Hi there, hope all are well and staying safe. This week was a lot about learning how to file different forms and also attending virtual panels that deal with African immigration. Starting off with the work I did this week, I learned about how to file new immigration court work, which has been very interesting getting a handle of immigration software, as well as looking through files to get the correct information for each client. One reason I really like filling out paperwork for others is I get to look through their files and I get to learn a bit more about the client I am filing this paperwork for and their story. I find I enjoy the work a lot more when it is more personal and I understand others’ stories, giving me more meaning to filing the paperwork. I also got to start doing more research for an upcoming case. I really love finding facts and resources to support our case. When I am doing my research it feels a lot like debate research that I did in high school which is funny to me that doing debate has come in handy!

Besides working at the firm I was able to attend some virtual panels this week; both panels that I attended focused on African immigration and the black lives matter movement. The first panel I attended was called, “Value Our Families- Dismantling Racism in the Fight for Family Immigration.” This panel hosted four black women, one from the United Arab Emirates and came to the US as a student, one woman from Honduras, and the other two black Americans that work with African immigrants. I really enjoyed attending the panel and would not have been able to do it if I did not have my internship. One big takeaway from this panel was the importance of translation into other languages for immigrants. The panelist spoke about how often Africans are forgotten in the immigration process and African languages are not as accessible for immigration documents. This point was really profound to me because I have never thought about it. 

The other panel I attended was titled “Anti-Blackness and Immigration: A Conversation About Intersecting Systems of Oppression and the Fight for Justice.” This panel had one mediator and asked questions to a Cameroonian-American woman. This panel focused more on racism in the immigration system and how being black can affect someone’s personal immigration process. This panel also focused on the lack of conversation of immigration within African communities. Both of these panels brought ideas to live in my mind I had not thought about before and are helping me be more conscious about all immigrants into the US. 

Besides all the learning I did this week I have been watching a new show on Netflix, studying for the LSAT (which I took a practice test today for and my score went up 3 points woo hoo), playing board games with my roommate and attending my virtual Spanish classes. I want to elaborate on my Spanish class a bit that I am taking. It is through the school SISAI in Guatemala that Cornell has a great relationship with. I was lucky enough to go there this past December and have continued taking classes online with my professor Fernando. Taking classes has been a great addition to my internship for speaking Spanish with clients and getting a worldly view of what is happening with COIVD-19. 

Muchas Gracias a SISAI, mi maestro Fernando, y todos quienes están leyendo. 

Thank you so much to SISAI, my teacher Fernando, and everyone reading.