Recently, I attended several immigration court hearings with OCSILiO. While I have visited court during other internship experiences, I had not attended an immigration hearing before working with OCSILiO. One of the most discernible differences between immigration and other courts is the value of community presence.

  I began working with Brian Hoffman the summer after my sophomore year of high school, and since then I have helped OCSILiO on and off consistently for over two years.  OCSILiO introduced me to the bleak reality faced by those seeking asylum here in the United States. Even more than that, though, it showed me how unfair the entire immigration system was here in our country. At OCSILiO, I have worked mostly with people who have almost nothing either in their home countries or here in the United States, yet were given no resources to help make their case for protection. Not only are almost no resources available for desperate asylum-seekers who need legal help, but often their asylum cases were  matters of life and death. 

We had the privilege of attending a trial with the OCSILiO team. Our client for this case was a man who escaped slavery and was seeking asylum in the United States. The trial was ultimately pushed back due to the court-issued interpreter's poor interpretation. This highlights a shortcoming in the federal system.

My first time entering a courtroom was an event of special significance. As an intern, I had the opportunity to accompany the team to Cleveland to attend a court hearing regarding the termination of a client’s case. The client had been in prison for minor driving penalties. The client’s child had been living in foster care during the time she was in prison, ripping this family apart. 

On the way to court, we were told other people would be there in support of the client. I thought it would be a handful of supporters. When we arrived, over 20 people were present in support of our client. 

Today, for the first time after starting as a legal assistant at OCSILiO, I went to visit asylum seekers at the Seneca County Jail in Tiffin, Ohio, to talk with them and learn about their cases. Upon arriving at the jail, I immediately felt as though I was being watched. From the moment I entered through the moment I left, there was a clear sense of surveillance. A reception desk was hidden behind one-way mirrors. Cameras were visibly scattered across the ceiling. Everything was seen by faceless observers.