Since attending law school at the University of Minnesota, Associate Professor Mackenzie Heinrichs has worked within immigration law. She is excited to bring this background to Utah Law as director of the asylum/refugee clinic.
“I look forward to getting to know the community and being a recognizable face for people in the immigration law world in Salt Lake City. I want this clinic to be an asset to the legal community,” she says. “I also hope students will be interested in serving different clients and learning about this aspect of law.”
While still a law student, Heinrichs worked as a student attorney and director of the James H. Binger Center for New Americans Detainee Rights Clinic, which allowed her to represent non-citizens detained at Minnesota Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. She then worked as an attorney advisor at the Otay Mesa Immigration Court in San Diego from 2018-2020 before serving as an Equal Justice Works fellow in Minnesota.
“I worked with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and undocumented folks—mainly high school students and college-age adults—with visas and DACA applications. Then in 2022, I got my most recent job at the University of Minnesota as an immigration and human rights fellow and visiting assistant clinical professor of law,” she recalls. “I was excited to get into academia and always wanted to work in the clinical space. It’s a dream job because you get to do a little bit of everything: teach, work on cases, and do research.”
Utah Law stood out to Heinrichs because of its small size, which she says allows everyone to get to know each other.
“It feels like an intentionally curated environment of camaraderie. Everyone I’ve met so far is very friendly, and the people have an ease about them. It seems to be a close-knit community,” she says. “I also like that there’s not a lot of division between different types of faculty. Sometimes in the clinical space there’s a hard difference between podium faculty and clinical faculty. Everybody has been welcoming and kind and genuinely wants you to do a good job and have a good experience.”
Heinrichs also likes the vibe of Salt Lake City and that so many people from different backgrounds have come together.
“I love how the community is welcoming of refugees and immigrants and people of diverse cultural backgrounds. It’s a vibrant community and an exciting place to be, especially in this moment of growth,” she says.
As there is currently a lot of confusion about immigration law, Heinrichs wants to bridge the information gap in her new role and allow students to direct the conversations about immigration in her clinic and classes through projects and presentations.
“I want to work with students on immigration law issues and do more research. I know people are overwhelmed because every day there’s a new article about something happening in immigration. They want to know how it affects them and how it affects immigrants,” Heinrichs says. “I’m looking forward to getting to know the local immigrant support networks and integrate into that community to make sure the clinic is well-equipped to address their needs.”
In her free time, Heinrichs enjoys running and is excited to check out jogging paths around campus. She also enjoys reading fantasy and wants to connect with a favorite local author.
“I’m hoping I could organically meet Brandon Sanderson, because I’m reading the Stormlight Archive series right now. He seems like he’d be an interesting person to grab a soda with,” she says. “I’m also interested in the history of Utah, and one of my ongoing projects is looking at the early emigrants who came to Utah and California. It’d be cool to do some primary source research and see if I can check out some diaries.”