Two dedicated students in Catholic Law’s Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Clinic (IRAC)—Calypso Moschochoritis (3L) and Christian Trowbridge (3L)—recently helped an Afghan family secure asylum in the United States under the supervision of Clinical Assistant Professor Jocelyn Dyer.
The family had faced threats from the Taliban for years due to the wife’s profession and the husband’s religious beliefs. When the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, the family was in even greater danger. Fearing for their lives, they fled their home country. Undertaking a dangerous multi-month journey, the family arrived in the United States on foot at the Mexico border after traversing through much of Latin America.
Both Calypso and Christian noted that their clients taught them about resilience. Calypso said, “I learned so much from the family we worked with. I learned about Afghan culture and traditions, what it means to have to start your life over because of forced displacement, and what resilience truly looks like.” Christian added, “I am incredibly proud of the resilience of our clients.”
After preparing for months, the students had a contested trial before an immigration judge in Annandale, Virginia. During the trial, Calypso and Christian each conducted a direct examination of one of their clients. Having conducted mock hearings in advance, the students and clients were well-prepared. After the immigration judge reviewed the extensive legal brief and corroborating evidence the students had prepared, the granted the family asylum, ensuring their ability to stay safely in the United States and putting them on the pathway to obtaining a green card and U.S. citizenship in the future.
Practicing immigration law in the current climate can feel daunting, but this experience taught the students “that cases are still being won regardless of all the bad news we hear about in the immigration world. Immigration judges are still fulfilling their duties,” as Calypso noted.
The students also appreciated the oversight by their mentor. Calypso said, “Jocelyn guided us every step of the way, and her trust in our skills meant the world to me.” Christian disclosed, “I am very grateful for the hard work and dedication of my partner Calypso and the constant guidance of Jocelyn, our mentor.”
Participating in cases like this can be formational for law students about to embark on a legal career. Calypso mentioned, “I learned so much getting to work on a case from start to finish. I grew as a person and as a (future) legal professional…. My experience at the clinic has been unforgettable and confirmed my desire to work in the immigration field after law school. I am so proud of the work Christian and I did to win this case.” Christian added, “Representing [our clients] has been the highlight of my time in law school… My time in clinic gave me so much ‘real world’ experience that would not have been possible in a classroom setting. As a result, I feel infinitely more prepared for my future as a legal professional.”