The Valerie Zukin Memorial Fellowship proudly welcomed and trained two more summer fellows in 2024: Dalia Blevins at Northwest Immigrant Rights project (NWIRP) and Dania Polanco Rojas at Immigrant Legal Defense (ILD). Please read below for reflections from Dalia and Dania, and click here to support future fellows!
Dalia Blevins, 2024 Valerie Zukin Memorial Fellow, NWIRP
Dalia Blevins (she/hers/ella), a current third year law student at the University of San Francisco School of Law, spent the summer with the Detained Immigrant Advocates (DIA) team at NWIRP. She had the privilege of being mentored by one of Valerie's closest friends from when Valerie started her own legal career at NWIRP. Throughout the summer, Dalia fought for the liberation and safety of a detained community member who has spent nearly 7 years away from their loved ones. She appeared in two merits hearings for this client. In September 2024, Dalia and her supervisor secured deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture for this client, who otherwise would have been deported to imminent death.
Dalia's time at NWIRP, as she describes it, was "transformational" in her development as an immigrants' rights advocate. In her 5+ years in the immigrants' rights space, collaborating on this case is something she will never forget and as she reports, "it was the toughest case I've ever done, but it forced me to grow and dig in deep- it made me have to channel Valerie's relentlessly fierce advocacy." Physically meeting with clients in detention and collaborating with them on their cases has affirmed Dalia’s commitment to detention work. She has endless gratitude for the mentorship she received at NWIRP and looks forward to what's next!
Dania Polanco Rojas, 2024 Valerie Zukin Memorial Fellow, ILD
“The opportunity to be a Valerie Zukin Fellow at ILD this summer has completely shifted my legal career. I am deeply grateful to have been granted the opportunity.
When I first read the description and stories of who Valerie was and the impactful work she engaged in, I saw myself reflected in her legacy. I knew in my heart that I would be a continuation of Valerie’s fierce advocacy, passion and deep commitments to creating a different reality for the immigrants of our country that is rooted in justice and liberation.
During the fellowship application process, I remember deeply thinking about the gap between the high rates of Caribbean and black immigrants that are detained and deported and the lack of representation of lawyers with shared identities and experiences. As a Dominican and formerly undocumented immigrant growing up in Providence, Rhode Island, I have witnessed the cruel realities that play out at the intersection of immigration law and the criminal justice system. Racial justice continues to be at the center of my interests and goals related to defending immigrant rights. When I learned that my client this summer would be a Jamaican national, I knew that there would be great value in considering and understanding the complexities of being a Black detained immigrant in the American legal system.
During my time at ILD, I had the opportunity to work on my very first detained removal defense case. Despite not having any prior experience in this field of immigration law, ILD provided me with the necessary support, trust, and mentorship that significantly prepared me to take on any and every task in preparation for our Deferral of Removal under CAT case, including representing the client in immigration court. Post-fellowship, I will continue to work on the case to the extent possible given the connection I have developed to the work and client.
The work I completed this summer has truly reminded me of my why. It is now very clear to me that removal defense is the work I will be fiercely taking on. I’m excited to continue the work and develop the legal knowledge and skills gained at ILD at the Immigrant and Non-Citizen Rights Clinic at CUNY School of Law. As part of the clinic, I will also be working on a project with Black Alliance for Just Immigration, an experience that will further prepare me to advocate for Black detained clients like the Jamaican national I defended at ILD.
ILD truly embodied not just the importance and impact of well-trained attorneys but the value of community care. This level of care and support within the organization and towards clients and their families reminded me that community care is such an essential aspect in the quest for justice and collective liberation.
I know that there is still so much legal knowledge and skills I will continue to develop but one thing that is certain is that being a Valerie Zukin Fellow at ILD greatly influenced the trajectory of my career. I am deeply honored and thankful to ILD, the fellowship committee, the donors, and to the family and friends of Valerie that have ensured that her legacy continues to be honored in such a beautiful way.”
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