CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly attributed the organization of this event solely to the Undocumented Student Club.
LBCC alumnus and attorney Nicholas Mireles spoke as a guest for the Undocumented Student Club at LAC to discuss immigration stories and politics that have affected lawmaking.
The History and Political Science Student Association (HPSSA) organized this event in collaboration with the Undocumented Students Club.
Students were able to hear Mireles’ perspective as an attorney with years of experience and got some of their questions answered.
Mireles said immigration law is complicated due to government terms having various ideas and the continuous change in laws depending on who is in office.
Mireles further explained that the current socioeconomic situation of the U.S. makes it difficult for families and individuals to go through the immigration process.
“My cousin’s wife immigration process has taken over five years and about $30,000 in expenses,” LBCC student Adrian Motley said.
Mireles also encouraged students to work hard even if the path to a green card or naturalization isn’t clear.
“When you do more and achieve more it gets addicting to do more, but it’s the same for doing nothing. It also gets addicting to do nothing,” Mireles said.
Mireles noted that each immigration case is unique and must be evaluated individually, but shared several potential pathways that may assist in the process, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED).
“One of the most important things anyone could have to go through this process is patience. For some people it could be quite long,” Mireles said.
Mireles assured that under constitutional law, everyone in the United States is entitled to due process, regardless of immigrant status and anything beyond that is a violation of the Constitution.
“I always wanted to study law but I don’t know what branch, but after hearing Attorney Mireles I might be leaning toward immigration law,” LBCC student Katherine Williams said.
Mireles encouraged students to persevere, stating that while some changes to immigration laws are unprecedented, hard work and serving as positive contributors to society can support their path toward legal documentation.