MLA is dedicated to protecting the basic needs and human rights of clients, particularly as they navigate the justice system. Members of Parliament staff, volunteer lawyers, community partners and general supporters all have an important role to play in ensuring that the legal playing field is level so that those who need it most have equal access to justice. With this diverse support, MLA is able to amplify the voices of tens of thousands of economically disadvantaged and vulnerable Marylanders each year. [Read more: UMD PLUMAS will raise funds for legal fees for undocumented students] Maryland Legal Aid (MLA) provides life-changing civil legal assistance for eligible residents throughout the state. Since 1911, MLA has been providing quality legal services to marginalized and low-income individuals and communities, helping them resolve their civil law problems and become self-reliant to overcome challenges, achieve stability and independence, and a better life overall. The clinic reviews all requests for assistance on a case-by-case basis. Aside from their time in the clinical law program, students at the University of Maryland`s Carey School of Law are not licensed attorneys and cannot be assigned to represent you in any legal matter. If we are unable to assist you with your case, please refer to the following public resources: The university`s undergraduate legal aid office has hired an immigration attorney who comes every 45 days for four hours to attend to the needs of undocumented students, Fuentes said. Currently, the clinic does not have any type of walk-in counselling facilities and we do not provide legal advice over the phone.
Since our lawyers are also students, our availability for assistance depends on the academic calendar. The organization`s goal was to create a reserve of money for undocumented students or students whose family members are not citizens, not only as a resource for “the next four years,” but as a sustainable resource for those in need in the future, said Erica Fuentes, president of Political Latinx United for Movement and Action in Society. When the need for funds decreases, all money is donated to the Terp DREAM scholarship, which is provided to first-generation students. “We`ve made progress at the University of Maryland,” Wong said. “We asked the university for more resources and support. We have tried to educate and we have tried to find our way to improve legal support. Students, as this event shows, are leading the way. In response to concerns from many non-citizens about their future in a Trump administration, PLUMAS raised more than $1,000 to provide legal aid to undocumented students and their families at its dream gala Monday night. Evelyn Canabal-Torres, a professor in the Spanish and Portuguese departments, said it was important for the faculty to stand in solidarity with its undocumented students. But the lawyer can only give advice and cannot represent the student in court. Non-civic students need better access to legal resources, “especially given the political climate,” the government and policy major added.
This month, Immigration and Customs carried out a series of raids that resulted in the arrest of more than 600 people in a week, leaving many undocumented students worried that someone they know might be next. The university`s Office of Multicultural Participation and Community Advocacy will help PLUMAS assess the validity of each student`s application and determine an appropriate amount of funding, Fuentes said. Trump has promised to crack down on illegal immigration throughout his campaign. He has repeatedly called on the government to “build a wall” along the U.S.-Mexico border, saying in June 2015 that Mexican immigrants “bring drugs.” They bring crime. They are rapists. And some, I suppose, are good people. Our student lawyers work under the direct supervision of faculty members and only in cases assigned to them by the faculty member. We receive many of our cases from organizations such as Legal Aid and Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service. The professor at each clinic makes the decision to take charge of a case based on the students` enrollment and the number of cases they already have in their account for the semester. “I love the unity we felt among ourselves,” said Sarah Eshera, president of the Muslim Political Association and a math and philosophy student.