Texas Border Business
The laws by which we are governed can sometimes be complicated to interpret correctly. Fortunately, individuals who wished to brush up on their understanding were in luck, as local legal experts were on hand to share their knowledge as part of the Law 101 series held at the TSC Legal Center on Saturday, September 21, 2024.
Last held in 2019, the recently revived Law 101 is a series of free and open-to-the-public seminars that bring in local legal experts to raise awareness and promote a greater understanding of certain areas of the law.
Immigration law was the main topic of the Saturday morning session, led by attorneys Rodrigo Vallejo and Sarah Guevara of the Diez & Crane Texas Immigration Law Firm. The two gave a detailed presentation covering various relevant topics related to the laws that directly affect immigrants, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the Parole in Place (PIP) program, residency, naturalization, midwife cases, and more.
“There are a lot of immigration issues that could affect certain people, but there are also benefits that people may qualify for but aren’t aware of, so events like these are a great way to help spread the word as to what is out there and inform people of the different benefits that they can potentially receive,” said Vallejo
Attendees were also encouraged to ask questions, most of whom obliged and made the most of the occasion by picking the brains of the experts, both of whom willingly answered and provided hypothetical examples to help illustrate their answers. It was a golden opportunity for them to be able to help share knowledge and awareness of topics that mainly affect people in our community.
“Outreach programs like this are important because they often provide the community with additional information that maybe they didn’t previously have, or at least give them the opportunity to realize what resources are available to them,” said Guevara.
Overall, both feel strongly about wanting people to have a greater understanding of these laws and the changes that are made. In some cases, persistence can often lead to finding the right program for the right individuals.
“It’s hard for people to be aware of everything out there. Immigration law changes, so it’s good to keep getting immigration advice now and then to see if there are any changes that can work to their benefit and really make a big difference in their cases,” Vallejo stated.
This year’s Law 101 series will continue to run with two more sessions at the Legal Center scheduled for October and November:
Family Law with Chester Gonzalez, Attorney at Law
October 19, 2024
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Business Law with Dr. Kevin O’Malley, Director of Paralegal Studies and Attorney at Law
November 16, 2024
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
For more information on the seminars, please visit the Law 101 website or contact TSC Interim Dean of Arts & Sciences Dr. Christopher Alves at christopher.alves@tsc.edu or at (956) 295-3714.
