Who is Rich Seckel?

Rich Seckel has worked at Kentucky Equal Justice Center since 1979. He often has served as an advocate on poverty law issues before state agencies and the Kentucky General Assembly. Today, he coordinates legal services task forces in consumer, family, housing and public benefits law. Mr. Seckel is co-chair of the Board of Kentucky Voices for Health and a board member of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. He holds a BA from Oberlin College (1974) and an MSW from West Virginia University (1979). Before graduate school, he volunteered as a boycott organizer for the United Farm Workers, AFL-CIO.

Tell me more about Maxwell Street Clinic?

Our immigration law progam at Maxwell Street Legal Clinic has been overflowing with applicants to a new program for immigrant youth who were brought here undocumented as children. It's called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA is mini-version of the proposed Dream Act, but more limited. It does not create a new legal immigration status or a path to citizenship. But it does something important: it lets immigrant youth with good school and military records know they won’t be deported in the next two years—and provides authorization to work. We began helping prepare DACA applications when the program began last June. Since then, we've helped more than 80 young people apply. Twenty-five have been approved—a success rate of 100% so far. We are excited for the 25 youth who now have temporary work authorization, can apply for social security numbers and will be free from deportation for at least two years.