This summer, third-year human rights major Eva Fajardo engaged with human rights practice at the Texas-Mexico border, gaining firsthand experience with the intersection of criminal and immigration law.
Supported by a $5,000 grant from the Pozen Center Human Rights Internship Program, Fajardo worked at Texas RioGrande Public Defender, an organization that provides free legal representation to residents near the border.
(Interested in a Summer 2025 internship? Applications are due October 27.)
Going into the internship, Fajardo – who hails from Texas – already knew she wanted to work in immigration law. Her hope for the summer was to find out what it was like to work with incarcerated individuals and to learn more about the area called “Crimmigration,” which focuses on the intersection of immigration law and criminal law.
The position at Texas RioGrande Public Defender fit the bill perfectly. Fajardo's duties included everything from observing pre-trial or arraignment hearings, helping attorneys with administrative tasks, and reviewing and transcribing bodycam and dashcam footage. Multiple times, her work was referenced in court hearings where attorneys argued that traffic stops had been illegal and, therefore, that evidence found during them was inadmissible. She observed how immigration status is affected by criminal charges and vice versa and how this relationship creates special considerations for clients and lawyers.
As she enters her third year, Fajardo now knows that she wants to seek career opportunities where she can further apply the Crimmigration lens.
As a human rights ambassador, Fajardo recorded and edited multiple videos about her experience. Posted to the Pozen Center’s Instagram page, these videos introduced Fajardo to the Pozen Community, explained TRLA’s mission, and gave an intimate sense of what a “day in the life” of a Texas RioGrande Public Defender intern might look like.
- Summer '25 internship applications are due October 27.
- Browse more intern profiles.