STIVERS, NEMES, LOUISVILLE LEADERS ADDRESS SENATE A&R COMMITTEE
Proposal includes UofL Law Clinic for Legal Immigrants to Navigate Paperwork to Citizenship
FRANKFORT, KY. (Feb. 28, 2024) – Sen. Michael J. Nemes, R-Shepherdsville, was joined by Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, University of Louisville Law School Dean Melanie B. Jacobs, Luis David Fuentes, a business owner from the Louisville Cuban community, and Lisa Crutcher with Catholic Charities to present information on the University of Louisville Law Clinic to the Senate Appropriations & Revenue Committee today.
The proposal includes developing an immigration law clinic to provide critical legal services to the growing immigration population, teach law students necessary skills to successfully practice law, and develop a pipeline of immigration law attorneys.
UofL Brandeis School of Law students will represent clients who are authorized to be present in the United States and the Commonwealth of Kentucky but do not have the requisite documentation to prove it. This documentation often includes their Employment Authorization Documentation, or EAD. Many legal immigrants need the documents but lack legal assistance to obtain them. Law students, working under the supervision of a licensed, full-time attorney with extensive experience in immigration law, will take responsibility to represent clients and assist them in completing the required paperwork.
“We are excited about the possibility of providing our growing legal immigrant population assistance in completing the needed paperwork to reside and work in the United States and the commonwealth,” said Nemes. “This law clinic will remove the obstacles to lawful residence for a community with a strong work ethic to contribute to the overall economy in Kentucky.”
According to the United Nations, more than 21.5 million people were forcibly displaced in 2022 causing increased migration to the United States and other countries. This displacement is attributed to “human rights violations, persecution, violence, insecurity, and inequality, coupled with the economic consequences of COVID-19 and severe climate-related disasters.”
The New York Times reported that at least 30,000 Cubans live in Louisville and many have arrived within the last two years, many a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but other factors include economic difficulties and a lack of human rights protections.
“This law clinic is a tangible way to provide a pathway to naturalized citizenship and practical experience for UofL students in a demanding area, immigration law,” said Stivers. “It gets back to growing our state economy with a workforce generator that helps those who are here legally already to provide for their families in a country and state they have longed to be a part of.”
A Dec. 18, 2023, BBC News report highlights the critical need for immigration legal services in Louisville, especially for the Cuban population. That article noted, “In the last two years alone, more than 15,000 Cubans settled in Louisville and its surroundings, according to official data, although the real figure is estimated to be higher since it ignores secondary migration, that is, those who were already in the U.S. and moved here from other states such as Florida or Texas.”
The fiscal note attached to implementing this as part of the biennial budget is a nominal $225,000 and $228,000 beginning in academic year 2024-25 and 2026-27.
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Sen. Mike Nemes, R-Shepherdsville, represents the 38th Senate District in Bullitt County and part of southern Jefferson County. He serves as Senate Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government, Finance, and Public Protection chair, and is vice chair of the Senate Standing Committees on State and Local Government; vice chair of the Licensing and Occupations Committee. Nemes is a member of the Senate standing committees on Appropriations and Revenue, and a member of the Health Services Committee. Additionally, he is a member of the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Statutory Committee and the Public Pension Oversight Board. Finally, Nemes is a member of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Judiciary. Nemes recently served on the Benefits Cliff Task Force and the Executive Branch Efficiency Task Force during the 2022 Interim.
Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, represents the 25th Senate District, including Clay, Jackson, Knox, McCreary, Owsley, and Whitley Counties. As of January 1, 2023, Stivers will have served as Kentucky Senate president for nearly a decade, first assuming the position in 2013, succeeding former Senate President David Williams. As Senate president, Stivers chairs the Senate Committee on Committees and the Rules Committee, and is Legislative Research Commission co-chair. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Senate standing committees on Education and Judiciary.