In one of a series of court cases this year, the Immigration Clinic stopped the deportation of a detained woman facing removal to the Bahamas. The client is a single mother of a young teen who has ADHD and autism. The Court found that the discretionary factors in her case—including hardship to her son—outweighed her criminal history.
In preparing the case, third-year student Krishtine Loaiza and second-year students Andy Co and Kira Mikes developed the factual record by interviewing multiple witnesses, obtaining hundreds of pages of medical records, and facilitating a mental health evaluation. The students traveled to the jail where their client was detained—Baker County Detention Center near Jacksonville—four times to interview their client.
The case went to a final bench trial before an immigration judge in Orlando on April 5, 2024. After a three-hour hearing in which the students presented their client's case, the judge granted their client relief under the Immigration and Nationality Act called cancellation of removal.
"It was an honor and a joy to represent our client in this case," said Mikes. "Successfully defending her from deportation was a transformative experience for everyone involved – the client, her family members, and our team. I am proud of how we put trauma-informed lawyering skills into practice to ensure that our client felt comfortable and safe with us. I believe that the trust we were able to build with her was integral to the positive outcome we achieved."
The client was released the same day, allowing her to reunite with her son and other family members.
"I couldn't have asked for a better way to end my law school career than working on this case," said Loaiza. "The long nights brief writing, impromptu trips to visit our client, and countless calls were all worth it to stop her deportation. Working on this case reminded me that I came to law school to represent those that need it the most, and it showed me the importance that legal representation has on a case. I am so proud of the result, and grateful to have been a part of the team that made it a reality."
Elated by the victory secured by the clinic, family members expressed their profound gratitude to the students. Having previously lost another family member to deportation, the family understood all too well the difference that top-notch legal representation makes in a case.
"Having the opportunity to manage the case from client intake through the in-person individual hearing was extremely rewarding and an amazing learning experience," said Co. "Representing an individual in detention presented unique challenges for our team, and I'm very proud to have changed not only our client's life, but also the lives of her entire family."
Established in the fall of 2009, the Immigration Clinic offers a challenging opportunity for students to advocate for immigrants in various complex immigration proceedings. In addition to helping individual clients, students collaborate with other immigrant rights groups on projects that reform the law and advance the cause of social justice for immigrants.
Read more about Miami Law’s clinics.
