Alison Foley has helped coordinate defenses for undocumented workers caught up in U.S. immigration crackdowns focusing on immigrants from Mexico, South and Central America. Recent raids and mass arrests in Southern New England have caused “devastating effects on the families involved” while diverting resources from “people who are real security risks,” Foley says.

For her efforts, she was named a 2009 Lawyer of the Year by Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly. “Going to a law school so supportive of what I wanted to do made a big impact on my career,” says Foley, who – like many RWU Law public interest alumni – now mentors and works with current students looking to go into public interest work. “I was able to get real-life, on-the-ground experience even while I was still a student.”