The Penn State Dickinson School of Law's asylum clinic was the topic of discussion Thursday night when Won Kidane, a visiting assistant professor, spoke at a Multicultural & Minority Undergraduate Law Association meeting.

The asylum clinic represents immigrants ready to be deported, Kidane said. The clinic's services are limited to those who are detained.

"It provides representation to refugees who come to the United States to seek asylum," Kidane said. "Asylum is granted to those who can demonstrate that they have genuine fear of human rights violations in their countries of origins."

If a person is likely to be tormented or persecuted in his or her country, then by law, they cannot be sent back, he said.

The clinic opened in 2005 and is in its third semester, Kidane said, and law students get involved with real cases. Students interview 20 or more immigrants and screen clients for themselves. They ask the questions "What have you done?" and "Why are you here?" and if they have a legitimate case, the students represent them, he said.

"The law is very complex," Kidane said. "Those who are not represented rarely win their cases. Representation makes a huge difference; it could mean everything for the refugees."

Kidane said it is very difficult to teach students how to be lawyers without this interaction.

"Because immigration proceedings are almost like every other court proceeding, students learn trial skills using real cases, interviewing real people, collecting real evidence and arguing in a real courtroom," he said.

The asylum clinic gets its clients from the nonprofit organization Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center (PIRC).

Kidane said the law school works closely with the organization.

"Students go to the detention center and choose their own clients," he said.

This semester, Kidane's eight students are representing four clients. Overall, 11 students have participated so far.

Thursday's lecture was part of the Multicultural & Minority Undergraduate Law Association's (MULA) agenda, Troy Reyes, MULA president, said.

"He introduced legal issues and concepts to the group," Reyes said. "He's the peak of the agenda because the clinic is such an important part of the law school."

Reyes said he thought Kidane's lecture was very interesting and informative.

"Kidane clearly explained what the law clinic was and piqued a lot of people's interests," he said.

Dana Helsel (senior-English) said she thought the lecture was very educational.

"I'm impressed that the law school is reaching out to refugees in need," Helsel said.