Rachel joined the ILRC in 2014 to focus on the growing need for legal representation for the unaccompanied minor population. Prior to the ILRC, she represented detained and released unaccompanied minors in removal defense and led a project focusing on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status at Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project in Los Angeles. While at Esperanza, Rachel also performed "Know Your Rights" work in southern California immigration detention centers for minors. Prior to joining Esperanza, Rachel worked as an associate at Paul Hastings, LLP and volunteered as a Child Advocate for unaccompanied minors. Rachel is a graduate of UC Davis School of Law, where she was a member of the Immigration Law Clinic and was fortunate to work on complex deportation defense cases and detention issues. Rachel is conversant in Spanish.
This webinar will provide an overview of the law and procedure that governs T nonimmigrant status, with a special focus on common claims for immigrant youth. It will also cover best practices for working with youth survivors of trafficking.
Presenters:
Rachel Prandini, ILRC Unaccompanied Minor Law Fellow
Lynette M. Parker, Clinical Faculty (Immigration Practice Area) - Alexander Community Law Center, Santa Clara University Law School
Lynette has been teaching and supervising law students handling immigration cases since March 2000. Ms. Parker teaches Advanced Immigration Law. She provides technical support to attorneys on political asylum, VAWA, U visa and T Visa cases. She has co-authored “Representing Survivors of Human Trafficking: A Promising Practices Handbook,” 1st edition published in 2010 and 2nd edition in 2014 by Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), and has authored a Georgetown Immigration Law Journal article titled “Increasing Law Students Effectiveness When Representing Traumatized Clients: A Case Study of the Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center.” Ms. Parker has been a member of the Executive Committee of the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking since 2005, and a commission member of the Santa Clara County Human Trafficking Commission since 2014.
Sara Van Hofwegen,Staff Attorney - Public Counsel (Immigrant’s Rights Project)
Sara has represented more than 250 survivors of human trafficking and is an expert on human trafficking and the legal remedies available to immigrant survivors, including T Visa petitions. At Public Counsel, Sara defends unaccompanied immigrant youth, many of whom are survivors of human trafficking, from removal from the United States, representing them in removal proceedings, state court, and before the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Prior to joining Public Counsel, Sara was the Managing Attorney at the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking, where she worked collaboratively with law enforcement and community partners and provided holistic legal services to survivors of human trafficking, including criminal victim-witness, civil, and immigration advocacy. Sara also regularly provides training and technical assistance on human trafficking and immigration issues in California and throughout the country. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law.