Schuyler school district holds immigration clinic amid deportation fears

SCHUYLER, Neb. (KLKN) – As deportation fears swept through a small Nebraska town on Monday, an immigration law clinic offered advice to worried families.

The Nebraska College of Law’s Immigration Clinic set up shop in Schuyler, a city of about 6,000 people.

Lawyers provided free legal advice about what rights people have when interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other authorities.

Parents and students lined up to speak with immigration experts, many expressing relief at the opportunity to get answers about their status.

“The main concerns that I think we’re hearing are, ‘What’s going to happen to my kids? How am I going to manage my affairs? Will I be in detention? What’s going to happen?” Ruser said. “Just unfamiliarity with the process.”

Ruser said the most dangerous pitfall happens before people are even approached.

“I think that’s the biggest mistake they may make is to think that they can handle the process by themselves,” he said. “It’s complicated, and so not getting a lawyer is the biggest mistake.”

The school district promised to help any students or families at risk.

Superintendent Bret Schroder said if parents are detained by ICE, “we can shelter those kiddos, you know, temporarily help them out and make sure they’re safe.”

While some members of the community remain on edge, Schroder said this effort offers a glimpse of hope.

“There was a rumor that we had an employee picked up by ICE,” he said. “Well, that was false. I already checked on that. You know, addressing the misinformation that’s out there and just coming back to our mission, which is education and safety for our kids.”