Lawyer Who Defended Illegals Could Face Her Own Deportation

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2015, Esperanza Franco headed south to the border, where she worked defending immigrants who faced deportation. . .

Franco says her former employer’s mishandling of a work-visa application — she came here from Spain five years ago — has put her in danger of losing her legal status. She fears that in less than a month, she could end up being jailed in the same Arizona detention center where she has gone to visit clients. . .

The paradox of her situation is not lost on Franco, 28, who put her legal knowledge and Spanish-language skills to work in Tucson at the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, a nonprofit advocacy group. . .

“We were all disappointed, but the organization wasn’t at fault,” said executive director Lauren Dasse, who questioned whether Franco was making “false accusations” to hurt the agency.

“It’s really bizarre,” said Domenic Powell, a second-year Penn Law student and friend of Franco’s. “She’s really worried she’s going to be pulled away from the place where she can practice law, and from the mission she’s been on to get people out of detention.” (Read more from “Lawyer Who Defended Illegals Could Face Her Own Deportation” HERE)

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