Now in her final year of study at the she is one of three students taking their passion for advocacy to a new level at UofL’s newly launched immigration law clinic. Housed in the Legal Aid Society building downtown, the clinic will serve clients who are authorized to be in the United States and the commonwealth of Kentucky but do not have the requisite documentation to prove it.

UofL law students, working under the supervision of former U.S. immigration judge and clinic director , will represent clients and assist them in completing the required paperwork to attain legal status and a path to citizenship.

Immigrants represent the fastest growing population in Louisville. Louisville Metro Government estimates the immigrant share of Jefferson County residents could exceed 18% by 2040. While this clinic will help immigrants from all countries, the more than 30,000 Cubans who call Louisville home have the potential to benefit most, as U.S. immigration laws expedite the process for Cuban immigrants.

According to Kozoll, much of the foreign-born population who are eligible to apply for work permits or permanent status lack access to legal representation. He said this makes it difficult for them to join the workforce and hampers employers’ attempts to fulfill their workforce needs.

Supported , and UofL received $1.5 million in funding during the 2024 legislative session for the new clinic to help eligible immigrants move through the process and transition into the workforce.

“This is the type of collaboration and synergy that has a long-lasting impact for the commonwealth. This funding represents a win-win for University of Louisville law students who will gain valuable experience as they develop into the next generation of immigration law attorneys, and for immigrants in the community to legally enter the workforce and become significant contributors to the local economy,” said Sen. Stivers.

The new clinic is the sixth offered at Brandeis School of Law, joining others in domestic violence, mediation, eviction defense, elder law and entrepreneurship. The clinics provide critical legal services to the Louisville community, teach law students necessary skills to successfully practice law, and develop a pipeline to train successive generations of attorneys. 

“Our clinics provide experiential learning opportunities that extend students’ understanding of the legal profession beyond the classroom,” said Brandeis School of Law Dean Melanie B. Jacobs. “These hands-on upper-level educational experiences give students the ability to engage with the community, widen their professional networks and practice essential legal skills in a supportive and collaborative environment, preparing them to be effective and engaged members of the legal community after graduation.”

In addition, UofL law students will reap benefits from Kozoll’s 20-plus years of experience.

“As an immigration judge, I have been able to see the practice from many different perspectives and witness law trends,” he said. “I’m eager to pass along my knowledge to students and bring others into what has been an incredible practice for me.”

The trek in between has been filled with hard work and dreams fulfilled for these immigrants who arrived in Louisville at age 16 in 2015 knowing little English. Their path has been an education that went beyond the walls of their UofL classrooms.

Their journey started with their mother, Ilsa Brunelis, who wanted a better future for her sons than they might have had under the . Her sister was living in Louisville and sung its praises. With a vibrant Cuban community to be their support system, the family could still become immersed in the American experience.

Through Louisville’s Kentucky Refugee Ministries (KRM), the twins entered Jefferson County Public Schools’ for English language learners in middle and high school. They met other students also new to the United States. They later attended Academy at Shawnee and, after a meeting with UofL Admissions Executive Director Jenny Sawyer, they started taking dual-credit courses at UofL in 2017.

Both will graduate Saturday with degrees in chemical engineering. Dariel has accepted a job in Houston with his dream company, ExxonMobil, one of the companies where he worked as part of Speed’s co-op program. Damian is also moving to Texas; he will work in Dallas for Amazon as an operations manager.

Seven years after landing in Louisville, Ilsa Brunelis is seeing her American dream realized. 

“She thinks she’s the one graduating,” joked Dariel. 

The brothers have high praise for UofL’s professors and give back by volunteering as tutors to their fellow students. It is their mother who was the foundation of it all, they said.

“I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to leave a whole life, you know, 50 years in one country and go to another country where you don’t even know the language,” Damian added, “all to seek a better future for your kids.”

Both brothers spend their free time studying finance and investing to learn more about the U.S. economy. Damian also has a passion for dancing, while Dariel is into running and fitness.

“I never really felt like I was not going to make it. I always remained positive and I was like, you know, I’ll get through this,” Dariel said. 

Louisville has the third largest Cuban population the country after Miami and Houston, according to KRM’s Adrienne Eisenmenger, who is the nonprofit’s family and youth services manager. She called the brothers “rock stars.”

“They got into Speed School and both just excelled,” Eisenmenger said. “It’s been a joy just working with them and watching them.”

More about Dariel and Damian below: