Many immigration clients, advocates, pundits, and commentators often overlook the little things that can make a big difference in court cases.
Like translators.
The role of interpreters seems a given to those who infrequently step into a courtroom. But those of us who live within those four walls day in and day out know the reality.
Good interpreters make a hugh difference.
Good interpreters ensure a modicum of due process.
That’s how much time, on the average, an immigration judge had to dedicate to an immigrant’s case at the Los Angeles immigration court per year.
If you’re one of the thousands of Angelinos, who has been summoned to 606 South Olive, in overcrowded Los Angeles, to an overcrowded court, consider yourself lucky.
Immigration judges nationwide get less time to review similar matters.
A great teacher affects eternity; no one knows where his or her influence stops.
Larry Schwartz, my college history instructor, was that type of educator.
Outside my parents, Professor Schwartz was the most influential person in my life. As an educator, he guided my studies of social, racial, and political injustices. As a mentor, he inspired me to become a professional dedicated to helping the downtrodden and disadvantaged.
He taught me, above all else, that law is the ultimate instrument of political power.
“Imagine a legal proceeding where the judge is hired by the chief prosecutor, the defendant is charged with an unintelligible offense, he has no lawyer to defend him, the proceedings are conducted in a language he does not understand, and the punishment is banishment from his home, his livelihood, and his family for the rest of his life.”
The immigration prosecutorial discretion circus is coming to a city near you. But it’s unclear which performers are arriving and what acts will be carried out.