Immigrants seeking asylum in the United States often spend years in immigrant detention facilities with living conditions similar to prisons.
Guest lecturer Ruthie Epstein encouraged a group of about 70 UNC law students to undertake these immigrants’ cases pro bono during a lecture on immigration policy Wednesday.
Epstein, a researcher and advocate for Human Rights First, spoke about the organization’s history and recent reforms in the quality of immigration detention centers.
Epstein emphasized that pro bono services provide the foundation of Human Rights First.
“You can do work assisting people in need,” she said. “It’s becoming more culturally required for the private firms to say they care about pro bono work.”
Deborah Weissman, a faculty member of the Immigration and Human Rights Policy Clinic and professor of law, said the law school’s students are likely to engage in public service.
“The students in this law school are very public service-minded. I think that desire to volunteer is absolutely there from the first day they walk into the building.”
Board of Trustees member Alston Gardner, who is also on the board of directors of Human Rights First, said guest lectures are an important complement to students’ academic courses.
“They are getting advice from practitioners and advocates who are dealing with day-to-day issues,” he said.