2020 Honors Program for College and Graduate Students

December 7, 2019

The Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (“DHS/ICE”) is currently seeking unpaid College/ Graduate Student interns for the 2020 Summer Honors Internship Program. Students must be currently enrolled in an accredited school on a part-time or full-time basis. The summer internship runs for a period of ten weeks. Students must commit to a weekly minimum of 40 hours for the Summer Internship. This internship can be completed for credit if your undergraduate or graduate institution allows. Some of our former interns have been able to secure funding from their respective schools for this summer position.

The positions are within the Litigation Unit of ICE, which is located, either in Newark, NJ and Elizabeth, NJ. The duties include researching various issues raised by aliens in removal and deportation proceedings such as the filing of asylum applications, cancellation of removal and other relief applications. Students will research a myriad of issues, e.g. issues pertaining to foreign countries’ political systems, human rights condition, religious freedom, status of women, educational conditions, health care options, etc. In addition, legal interns may be required to assist attorneys in preparing cases for court hearings by contacting local, state, and federal agencies to obtain criminal records; by preparing evidentiary materials for filing with the court; and, on occasion, route telephone calls and walk-in inquiries. 

Interns will be given extensive training on immigration and criminal law. Students will be taught how to conduct direct and cross examination. In addition, students will be asked to help research human rights cases, national security cases, marriage fraud, and other types of adjustment cases. Interns will be trained to review the “Notice to Appear”, our charging document for legal sufficiency. 

There will be at least two field trips: the Newark Airport to see the inner workings of how DHS operates at the airport and a trip to the Elizabeth Detention Facility. In addition, there will be weekly brown bag lunches where we invite speakers from other DHS/ICE components such as deport officers from Enforcement Removal Operations (“ERO”), Homeland Security Investigations Agents (“HSI”), Federal Protective Services (“FPS”), and outside speakers from private law firms and various district attorney’s office to come and speak to our interns. 

           We encourage students, who are interested in developing their litigation skills or interested in applying for law school, or working for the government to apply. All interns will have the opportunity to shadow the trial attorneys and to actively observe merits and master calendar hearings.

Please send all above-requested application items to either Handshake or you can send application materials directly to Linda Chan, (Assistant Chief Counsel/ Internship Coordinator) at the below-listed email address. 

 

If selected, you will get an e-mail or phone call to come into our offices for an interview. DHS is accepting applications until February 10, 2020, but interviews are conducted on a rolling basis, so it is better to submit your application materials as soon as possible. In person interviews will be conducted in late December 2019 to early January 2019 (during Winter Break) to accommodate students, who may attend schools around the country.