Episode 4.3: Geoffrey Heeren — Immigration Law Clinic

“Immigrants are not only working in important sectors of the economy, but they’re also generating tax revenue. Immigrants paid about $221 million in state and local taxes in Idaho in 2018. So, I think the state owes something to this population that’s really doing so much for it. And my clinic is, of course, not even going to come close to meeting the need for immigrant legal services in the state of Idaho, because we have a small number of students and the students are learning. But the hope is that the students who graduate from my clinic are going to go out and be lawyers and some of them at least might be immigration lawyers in the state who are serving this really, really important population.” Meet Geoffrey Heeren (bit.ly/3rBcWhi), an associate professor of law (uidaho.edu/law) at the University of Idaho and director of the Immigration Litigation and Appellate Clinic (bit.ly/3rxsd2B). Going from books to the courtroom is a big step, and when U of I law students accept an immigration case as part of the law clinic, they become responsible for their client’s future. Each case offers unique challenges for the students and provides their clients opportunities for legal representation and advice. Visit our website go.uidaho.edu/thevandaltheory​. Email us at [email protected]. Learn about Idaho’s premier research university, University of Idaho, at uidaho.edu. More U of I Research: U of I water researchers mapped and analyzed climate change research in the Columbia River Basin headwaters. They suggest future international collaborations should focus on adaptation or mitigation to co-produce actionable science and effective responses to climate change. Read more (bit.ly/3ceWahC). In a recent article, philosophy’s Casey Johnson discusses mansplaining. In one type of mansplaining, the man incorrectly incorporates a woman’s gender into his perception of what the woman says. For example, the mansplainer may perceive her as asking, rather than telling, hence preventing her from sharing her knowledge. Read more (bit.ly/2OfURqN). A student team earned $10,000 for its first-place win during the 2020 Hacking for Homebuilding competition. The team worked with construction professionals to develop a steel frame that sits between the wall studs and floor joists of a structure and allows for easy utility access through a collapsible or detachable baseboard. Read more (bit.ly/3rBdHa8). Music: “Young Republicans” by Steve Combs (bit.ly/2PsMCpw) via freemusicarchive.org, not modified (bit.ly/2Ju7MQb). “Disguises” by Ketsa (bit.ly/3t2qnau) via freemusicarchive.org, not modified (bit.ly/3v8VJhn).