What is the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)?

Embracing the Gospel value of welcoming the stranger, CLINIC promotes the dignity and protected the rights of immigrants in partnership with a dedicated network of Catholic and community legal immigration programs. Founded in 1988, CLINIC has been on the cutting edge of training nonprofit immigration legal service providers to provide affordable, quality legal representation to immigrants. CLINIC’s network, originally comprised of 17 programs has now increased to close to 400 diocesan and community-based programs in almost every state and the District of Columbia. The network employs roughly 2,300 people who, in turn, serve over 400,000 low-income immigrants each year. CLINIC and its affiliate agencies represent low-income immigrants without regard for their race, religion, gender, ethnic group, sexual orientation or gender identity, or other distinguishing characteristics. For more information on CLINIC’s work, visit www.cliniclegal.org.

What is the Defending Vulnerable Populations Program (DVP)?

As it has throughout its history, CLINIC continues to respond adeptly to rapid changes in the world of immigration law and policy. In January 2017, CLINIC launched the DVP Program in response to growing anti-immigrant measures that hurt immigrants. Changes in federal policies since January 2017 have included: targeting millions of immigrants for deportation by ending or limiting avenues to a legal status; separating children from their asylum-seeking parents at the border; barring people from certain majority-Muslim countries; slashing the number of refugees admitted to the United States; forcing asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico while they apply for protection; eroding due process in immigration court proceedings, and much more.

The DVP Program’s areas of expertise include removal defense, appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), petitions for review before the U.S. courts of appeals, asylum, Special Immigration Juvenile Status, unaccompanied children, consequences of criminal conduct on immigration status analysis, trial skills, and legal writing.

The DVP Program has the following objectives (examples of each objective included as well):

• engage in strategic impact litigation that furthers the interests of our nationwide non-profit network
  • CLINIC’s Litigation Program Scores Victories for Immigrants
• increase the number of competent and zealous non-profit, fully accredited representatives and attorneys available to represent immigrants in immigration court, on appeals to the BIA, and petitions for review before U.S. courts of appeals
  • Partial to Full Accredited Representative Initiative 2020
  • DVP Resources on Removal Proceedings
  • Partnership with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA)
• increase representation for detained immigrants appealing to the BIA and the U.S. Courts of Appeals
  • BIA Pro Bono Project
• establish innovative remote legal representation and mentorship models to increase pro and low bono legal representation capacity
  • Mississippi Raid Remote Bond Project Debrief: Lessons Learned and Improving Responses
  • Denied a Day in Court: The Government’s Use of In Absentia Removal Orders Against Families Seeking Asylum
  • Multi-Faceted Response to the Family Separation Crisis
• seek transparency through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests
  • Lawsuit challenges government’s failure to provide reunited families with their documents
  • CLINIC Obtains FOIA Disclosures on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Policies After Bringing Lawsuit, CLINIC v. USCIS
  • FOIA Disclosures on In Absentia Removal Numbers Based on Legal Representation
• advocate on behalf of vulnerable populations through comments on proposed regulations, amici briefings, reports, and media
  • CLINIC Submits Comments in Opposition to Proposed EOIR Fee Rule, Urges the Justice Department to Rescind
  • CLINIC and Other Faith-Based Organizations File Amicus Brief in Supreme Court DACA Case
  • Presumed Dangerous: Bond, Representation, and Detention in the Baltimore Immigration Court
  • ICE is holding $204 million in bond money, and some immigrants might never get it back (Washington Post)

Internship Details

The DVP Program interns will support these objectives. The DVP Program interns will have the opportunity to cultivate a number of valuable skills, including honing advocacy skills, declaration drafting, and legal research, analysis, and writing. Spanish proficiency is helpful, but not required.

Interns must have their own funding or receive law school credit. The DVP Program is happy to assist with any necessary paperwork for funding or law school credits.

The DVP Program interns will work remotely or, safety precautions permitting, from our Silver Spring, Maryland headquarters office.

How do I apply for CLINIC’s DVP Summer Internship Program?

If interested, please email a detailed cover letter describing your interest in the position, résumé, a legal or non-legal writing sample (approximately 10 pages), and list of three references to mmendez@cliniclegal.org with the subject line “DVP Summer Internship.” We will conduct interviews on a rolling basis.