Bill Ong Hing shares his experiences on running a law school deportation clinic in California. This article describes the large influx of minors and women with children from Central America in 2014 and the enforcement response of the Obama Administration. The influx met resistance from several parties within the U.S., including the Obama administration and thousands of children were apprehended at the border. In response to the dramatic increase in numbers of children apprehended by Customs and Border Patrol in 2014, ORR opened three large facilities housed on military bases. On top of this, the government detained families and opened facilities to house them as well. These facilities were of great concern to rights advocates.
Ong’s legal defense clinic conducted intensive training sessions on law, procedure, client counseling and interviewing, and case preparation. This article includes personal accounts of persons who were detained at the border and the students who were trained to defend them.
