Where Will Your Legal Education Take You?

Graphic by Alondra Pulido

The United States permits 1 million foreign nationals to become permanent legal residents every year and grants more visitor visas than any other country. Immigration lawyers deal with issues like green cards citizenship, naturalization, deportation, and employment for non-citizens. As of 2017, more than 44 million U.S. residents were born in another country, and immigrants accounted for about 13.6% of the entire U.S. population, which means that there exists the potential for many non-citizens to require legal assistance from immigration lawyers.

An important skill for immigration lawyers is to speak another language. Immigration lawyers frequently assist clients for whom English is not their first language. In addition, clear communication skills are important for connecting with clients from other cultures. In the United States, the most commonly spoken language among immigrants is Spanish (43% of immigrants speak it at home), followed by Chinese, Hindi, Filipino/Tagalog, and French.

Because police power is decentralized in the United States, some cities and counties are known as sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants because they don’t actively assist the federal government in enforcing immigration laws and deportation. In other cities and states, like Texas, authorities actively enforce immigration laws. In these areas, undocumented immigrants can be deported for reporting a crime if the officer suspects them of being undocumented and they fail to produce identification, which makes the role of immigration lawyers especially important in these areas.

Photo by Elias Castillo on Unsplash

Law students interested in pursuing a career as an immigration lawyer may consider taking part in the Immigration Clinic at the University of Washington School of Law. Participants in the clinic advocate for the rights of immigrants, and represent individuals who lack legal representation. This is important because immigrants do not have the right to government-appointed counsel in immigration court.

• Deportation Immigration Lawyers Explain U.S. Sanctuary Cities [Davis & Associates]

• Immigration Lawyer [Lawyer Education]

• Key Findings About U.S. Immigrants [Jynnah Radford, Pew Research Center]

• American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)

• Immigration Law Clinic [University of Washington School of Law]

• Links of Interest (Immigration Resources) [ABA]

• University of Washington School of Law Faculty:

  • Angélica Cházaro - UW Assistant Professor of Law

    Teaches immigration law at UW. Previously worked for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.

  • Christine N. Cimini - UW Associate Dean for Experiential Education

    Current research focuses on immigration law.