Controversy at Notre Dame Law Over Immigration Clinic

Because of a change at Notre Dame, people seeking immigration and asylum services there will not be able to obtain them this year. The university’s immigration clinic, which offers free legal advice and services, is not accepting any new cases during for the 2006-7 academic year, according to law school faculty. The two supervising attorneys in charge of Notre Dame’s immigration clinic, Barbara Szweda and Lisa Koop, will be working elsewhere. Koop left to work at an immigration clinic in Chicago. Szweda is leaving this week for a similar job in Salt Lake City.  For the full story, click here.  A petition is on-line expressing concern.  the petition reads as follows:

We, the undersigned students, faculty and staff of Notre Dame Law School, believe that the Immigration Clinic is an indispensable part of our law school. We believe that the Immigration Clinic provides essential services to immigrant members of our community and are troubled by its temporary closing, particularly in light of the fact that the Immigration Clinic is the only free legal services clinic in the state of Indiana that assists refugees seeking asylum. We recognize that serving the migrant poor is an essential part of our faith and we affirm the statement of Pope John Paul II, who said, “Catholics who place themselves at the service of migrants and of refugees cannot forget that they are the disciples of Him who is recognized by the attributes of the Good Samaritan and who himself affirms to us that He identifies himself with the poor and the stranger.”* In light of the above, we respectfully make the following requests: -That the law school administration publicly recognize that serving the migrant population is an essential element of Catholic Social Teaching and therefore that the Immigration Clinic is an essential part of our law school’s Catholic mission -That the law school administration take immediate steps to ensure that the Immigration Clinic will re-open in 2007 and remain open for the foreseeable future -That two full-time clinical specialists in immigration be hired to replace the outgoing faculty, Barbara Szweda and Lisa Koop, taking the form of either two faculty positions or one faculty and one fellowship position -That the law school administration guarantee indefinite funding for these clinical specialists -That the law school administration make information on the status of the Immigration Clinic available to the student body and ensure that interested students are involved in the process of re-opening the Immigration Clinic. *Speech of John Paul II to the General Assembly of the International Catholic Migration Commission (July 5, 1990) Sincerely,

The petition is at here.

KJ