An Omaha-based nonprofit is launching a new externship program for future immigration lawyers following the closure of the University of Nebraska’s College of Law Immigration Clinic.
The Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement, or CIRA, will offer University of Nebraska-Lincoln law students paid, semester-long placements working 15 to 20 hours a week on real immigration cases while earning three to six credit hours.
CIRA Senior Attorney Luciano Ramirez Guerra, who trained through the recently closed UNL clinic, said the nonprofit program will attempt to fill in the gaps left by the closure by providing practical experience.
“The Immigration Clinic was extremely valuable to my career, and it’s incredibly meaningful to now help carry that work forward,” said Ramirez Guerra. “This program gives students the practical experience they need while making sure our community continues to have access to quality legal support. It’s about building the next generation of attorneys while meeting real, immediate needs of our immigrant neighbors.”
The immigration clinic, which has operated for 28 years, is shutting down at the end of the current semester because Director Kevin Ruser decided to step away from the clinic to focus on classroom teaching, and there are currently no faculty members willing to take his place.
CIRA serves clients across Nebraska from offices stretching from Council Bluffs to Scottsbluff and doesn’t turn away families that are unable to pay. The organization says demand for pro bono immigration legal services has grown since the clinic closed.
In the first 10 months of 2025, there was a 329% increase in arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Nebraska, compared with the same period in 2024.
Also, the number of wrongful detention petitions, called petitions for a writ of habeas corpus, has increased. There were more than 60 of them filed in the state from September through February, with 36 of those coming in the first two months of this year.
Applications for the first fall cohort are open through July.