Legal Internship at BPSOS

During my time at Boat People SOS, I have had a glimpse into the world of immigration law. To work in the area of immigration law was my dream before coming to law school, and I am glad to say that it still is. However, I now have a much more clear understanding of the challenges and rewards I will face in that practice.
The mission of Boat People is “To assist Vietnamese refugees and immigrants in their search for a life in liberty and dignity; by empowering, equipping and organizing Vietnamese American communities in their progress toward self-sufficiency.” This mission of empowerment is what attracted me to Boat People. While the organization itself offers a wide range of services, the legal department focuses on legal services to victims of human trafficking”. Human trafficking occurs when a person is tricked or forced into the country and held under the control of the trafficker, often through debt bondage. In the case of our clients at Boat People, the traffickers used the economic vulnerability of the women to convince them to incur a debt to come to the United States, by convincing them they could work legally once they arrived. Once in Houston, the traffickers forced the women to work in a bar and constantly added to their debt. Trafficking varies from smuggling in that the victim does not pay to cross the border, and they are not turned free once they arrive here.
Although Boat People primarily serves the Vietnamese-American community, we also accepted clients from other countries. The clients I worked with were trafficked from Central America and speak only Spanish. After being freed from their bondage, these women face cultural and linguistic barriers, but they are determined to make new lives. Our job is to help them obtain a T-visa, which allows them to stay in the United States. The T-visa application requires proof that the applicant is a victim of human trafficking, they are in the United States as a result of that trafficking, they have complied with reasonable requests from law enforcement, and return to their country would cause extreme hardship. During my time at Boat People, I helped complete a T-visa application by compiling the necessary documents and drafting the cover letter to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
After obtaining a visa, a human trafficking victim may petition for a derivative T-visa for their immediately family members. Two of our clients had children in their home countries, which they had left behind in order to find work in the United States. Even after derivative visas are approved, the facilitation of bringing their children here involves a slow process of coordination between the family members, the United States Consulate, and the foreign government. Specifically, the children must attend a visa interview at the Consulate, and obtain passports, which can be complicated when they no longer reside with one or both of their parents. These technicalities taught me how slow the immigration process can be, which is especially frustrating when families are waiting to be rejoined. There are valid reasons for the delay, including United States policy concerns of national security and foreign governments’ sovereignty over their nationals.
However, once the children finally do make it to the United States, the process will pay off. Our clients are dedicated to working hard to make a better life for the children than they had in their home countries. Their dedication to their families is inspiring, and their patience encouraging. Helping trafficking victims restart their lives fulfills the mission of empowerment, because once on their feet they will make significant contributions to the community. More broadly, my work at Boat People has taught me that immigration law is an area that requires commitment, but that commitment to the immigration process benefits society in a significant way. I am still excitement to work within this area of the