SPRING 2008 INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
NOTICE TO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
Immigrants’ Rights Project, New York City and San Francisco

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Immigrant’s Rights Project seeks undergraduate interns for the Spring 2008 semester. Founded in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union is the foremost advocate of individual rights.

OVERVIEW:
The Immigrants’ Rights Project is a national project of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation with offices in New York and California. Using targeted impact litigation, advocacy and public outreach, the Project carries on the ACLU’s commitment to protecting the rights and liberties of immigrants. In federal district and appellate courts, including the Supreme Court, the Project conducts the nation’s largest impact litigation program dedicated to defending and expanding the rights of immigrants, enforcing the guarantees of the Constitution, and achieving equal justice under the law.

The Project has focused on challenging laws that deny immigrants access to the judicial system, impose indefinite and mandatory detention, and constitute discrimination on the basis of “alienage” by governmental and private entities. In addition, the Project has been challenging post-9/11 practices, including litigation against Secretary Rumsfeld and military commanders for torture and abuse of detainees in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan, FOIA litigation to disclose government documents about such torture, suits challenging selective enforcement and other forms of discrimination, and the use of “enemy combatant” and “material witness” designations to impose detention without trial.

Interns will have an opportunity to work with the attorneys and staff of the Immigrants’ Rights Project on a range of significant issues and projects. Projects will most likely involve factual research, organizational assistance, responding to letters from individuals in detention, and helping to produce complaints and briefs.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• An interest in social and legal issues, including immigrants’ rights.
• Excellent writing and communications skills.
• Initiative and drive to see projects through to completion.

The number of interns accepted varies, but is usually 2 per term. Our spring term internship requires a 10-14 week commitment. Hours are part-time and weekly schedules are negotiable. The undergraduate Spring IRP internship is for credit only.

HOW TO APPLY:
The spring application deadline is January 15, 2008. Submissions received after these dates are considered only if space is available. Please send cover letter, resume and non-fiction writing sample of no more than 5 pages to immjobs@aclu.org re: IRP Undergraduate Internship (indicate whether you are interested in interning in New York City or San Francisco).

Thank you for your interest in the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project. If you have additional questions, please call the Internship Coordinators, Pauline Nguyen, at (212) 549-2619 or pnguyen@aclu.org (for New York) or Jessica Pas-Cedillos (for San Francisco, California), at (415) 343-0772 or jpaz-cedillos@aclu.org.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.