LA Immigration Court

The second internship I had this summer was at the LA Immigration Court. My aunt and uncle, who live in the LA area, graciously let me stay with them to help cut living costs.

I really enjoyed working in the immigration field, mostly because it is always changing and there always new problems presented that haven't been addressed before. Each case can be substantially different, which makes the work more interesting. While I haven't decided yet what I want to do with my degree, I certainly enjoyed my learning experience in LA.

Things I would recommend doing during your internship (if possible):
- Take a trip to the Mexican/ US border. We were able to go down and see the inner workings of the point of entry by Tijuana. I learned a lot, especially with the new systems they've put in to help them detect smugglers (basically they are safe drive through car x-rays). I also learned about a "frequent flier" plan they have where people pay to be in the program and agree to have a background check at any time and then they can go through an "express" line at the border.
- Observe court! I know I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I really felt like I learned a lot through my court observations. I was able to see a wide variety of attorneys and how they practiced immigration law. Also, if you have the chance to speak with the judge afterwards, DO IT! It was great to ask the judges all the questions I had about what I saw and learn more about immigration law.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah