Immigration Law Clinic Funding Renewed
Renewed support for the Immigration Law Clinic within The Justice Center at Albany Law School has come from New York State, allowing students, faculty, and staff attorneys to continue assisting the legal needs of immigrants statewide.
The clinic launched with funding from the New York State Legislature in the 2015-2016 Budget and has remained supported through various grants since.
At that time, Assemblyman Marcos Crespo (Bronx), recognized individuals with immigration issues live throughout New York State, and requested that the Assembly support the ILC with $150,000. This Assembly-supported funding has been renewed at each year.
“We are humbled that the New York Assembly Leadership including the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus continues to recognize the important services that we offer to immigrants and immigrant legal services organizations. In addition to funding secured by Senator Neil Breslin, this continued allocation will allow us to respond to emerging legal needs of immigrant New Yorkers in the Capital District and beyond,” said Professor Sarah Rogerson, director of The Justice Center and Immigration Law Clinic.
Most recently, the Clinic was provided an additional one-time $20,000 award in the SFY 2019-2020 budget supported by Senator Neil Breslin in recognition of leadership in the Capital District and beyond.
In February 2022, Albany County Legislature Chairman Andrew Joyce, Legislator Carolyn McLaughlin, and the County Executive’s Office presented $50,000 to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). The funding supported critical legal services provided by USCRI in conjunction with the Immigration Law Clinic to Afghan refugees resettling in Albany and Watervliet.
In Late 2020-early 2021, students worked with staff from The Justice Center’s Immigration Law Clinic alongside supervising attorneys at the law firm Ballard Spahr LLP (Ballard). The teams assisted asylum seekers with asylum applications as part of Project Corazon, which is an offshoot of Lawyers for Good Government.
