Penn Law to host immigration clinics to address concerns over immigration ban

Penn Law School will host three immigration information and referral clinics over the course of the spring semester.

In the clinics, attorneys and students will address the concerns of members of the Penn community regarding immigration and travel. They will not only provide information and advice but also give referrals to other attorneys when individuals’ situations require more intensive representation. Representatives from Penn International Student and Scholar Services will also be present at the clinics.

The first clinic takes place on Friday, Feb. 10 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Perry World House. The other two are slated for March 24 and April 8. On the registration form, students, faculty and staff members can indicate whether they need an interpreter for the clinic. They are also asked to indicate the types of questions and concerns they would like addressed.

After President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration, Penn President Amy Gutmann condemned the action as “inimical to our values” in a statement emailed to the Penn community thatshe later read aloud at a protest on College Green.

Other administrators and faculty members have also reached out to indicate their solidarity with students, particularly those affected by the order. The Department of Philosophy released a statement calling the immigration action “antithetical to our values as philosophers, scholars and human beings.”

An open letter criticizing the ban, addressed to public officials from “students, faculty, scientists, administrators, and alumni” of Penn, has accumulated 3,000 signatures since Jan. 31. The letter states that Trump’s policies will “displace our classmates and separate us from our teachers and friends.”

Students and faculty affected by the executive order have expressed concern and uneasiness about their future at Penn and in the United States in general. Students voiced their concerns at the University Council meeting on Feb. 1 but acknowledged their appreciation of Penn’s faculty and administration speaking out against the immigration ban.