Jose Salcedo was nine years old when he departed his native Colombia. His parents – understandably – shielded him from the harrowing story of why he had to leave.
Now, more than two decades later, Salcedo, 32, is an American success story … even though he does not yet have USA citizenship.
Salcedo, a third-year student at St. Thomas University Benjamin L. Crump College of Law, is set to graduate in May, and he is well on his way toward his goal of becoming an immigration attorney.
He works for STU’s Immigration Clinic, which is supervised by adjunct professor Nadine Gedeon.
“We represent low-income clients who don’t have the money to pay for a lawyer,” Professor Gedeon said. “I supervise students, but they do all the work.”
Salcedo is no stranger to hard work.
After earning his bachelor’s degree from STU in 2013, Salcedo started working as a paralegal for the Pedro L. Salim Law Firm, located in the Pinecrest section of Miami.
Salcedo’s back story was nearly tragic. His parents, Luz and Jose, owned a small café in Bogota.
At some point, they began to be extorted by a terrorist group known as M-19. The Salcedo family initially complied, but when they could no longer pay the extortion money, they stopped.
Salcedo did not know it at the time, but – years later — he found out in court papers that M-19 threatened to kidnap him if the extortion payments did not continue.
“They knew when and where I went to school,” Salcedo said. “They knew when I walked the dog.”
Facing that threat, Luz took her son, and they flew to Miami on a travel visa, never planning to return.
Luz, who spoke no English, sought out attorneys and tried to apply for asylum. It was not easy, as she had to fight a deportation order.
As for Salcedo, even though he was undocumented, he excelled in school, becoming the President of the Student Government Association at Miami Dade College’s Padron Campus. Later, he held the same title at STU.
In 2010, his story was detailed on the front page of the El Nuevo Herald, and he also did a televised interview on Fox News.
“I did it on Skype,” Salcedo said of the Fox interview. “I was afraid that if I set foot in their studio, they would have me deported.”
These days, Salcedo – through the Immigration Clinic – helps other families going through similar difficulties.
“I’ve been there,” Salcedo said. “I know what it’s like. I want to help people who were in our situation, needing help and not knowing English.
“To be a great immigration attorney, you need empathy and knowledge, and that’s what I hope to bring to this profession.
“I believe you should never look down on someone unless you plan to bring them up.”
Immigration is clearly personal to Salcedo.
But it is also personal for Lauren Azurin and Victoria Ojeda Hernandez, both of whom are foreign born.
Azurin, born in the Philippines, graduated from STU in May and is awaiting results from the bar exam to become an immigration attorney.
“It was a great experience working at the Immigration Clinic last year,” said Azurin, 24. “Immigration law is complicated. There are a lot of nuances.
“But the bottom line is that there are valid reasons why some people seek to remain in the U.S. They could be victims of human trafficking and/or violence, for example.”
Azurin said Professor Gedeon has a “hands-off approach” with students.
“She steers us in the right direction, and she opens us up to alternative solutions that were not thought of previously,” Azurin said. “But she wants us to explore our own knowledge.”
Ojeda Hernandez, who was born in Venezuela but raised in Colombia, is a third-year law STUdent who is set to graduate in May.
She started working at the Immigration Clinic last year.
Now 29 years old, Ojeda Hernandez was 17 when she came to the U.S. By that time, she had lost both her parents, and she came to Miami to live with her siblings.
“It was hard to find someone who would take our case for political asylum,” Ojeda Hernandez said.
“I want to become an immigration attorney so I can help as many people as I can. It is work that needs to be done, and it makes me feel good.”
Like Salcedo, Azurin and Ojeda Hernandez, Professor Gedeon was also born abroad.
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A native of Haiti, Gedeon graduated from STU in May of 2014. Five months later, she and her law partner, Cristina Morales, started their own firm. The Gedeon & Morales Law Group specializes – of course – in immigration issues.
Professor Gedeon has come full circle as she once worked at the Immigration Clinic – way back in the fall of 2013.
“Oh my God – that’s what made me want to become an immigration attorney,” Gedeon said. “I knew I loved immigration law, but I didn’t know how much until I started doing the work at STU.”
Gedeon strongly credits Yanick Laroche, the coordinator of the Immigration Clinic.
“For nearly three decades at the Immigration Clinic, she has played a role in supporting a diverse group of students, clients and faculty,” Gedeon said. “She has guided students as they transition from novices to skilled advocates.
“The clinic offers the students hands-on experience in representing clients before the Immigration Courts and the Departure of Homeland Security.
“Our work is transformative, equipping students with the skills to be compassionate, competent lawyers while making a meaningful impact in the lives of those seeking justice.”
AT STU, Professor Gedeon supervises seven students: Salcedo; Hernandez; Melissa Rodriguez; Michael Tefel; Ashley Gonzalez; Laura Rodriguez; and Amy Cadena.
“When I was in law school, I was only responsible for my own case or cases,” Gedeon said. “Now, I see everything. I tell my students what to do, and I’m supervising everybody’s cases.”
Despite all the hard work and time spent away from her own law firm, Gedeon enjoys giving back to her alma mater. She knows the importance of assisting the community, and she is often amazed by what her students have accomplished.
“My students are talented, sympathetic, driven,” Gedeon said. “I don’t even know if I was that committed when I was in law school.”
For more information on the Immigration Clinic, please call 305 623-2309 or visit immigrationclinic@stu.edu.
