Long undocumented immigrant becomes attorney

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Juventino Meza is one of just a handful of undocumented immigrants to earn a law degree in Minnesota. Now, he has been sworn in as an attorney.

This moment is, of course, the product of Meza’s work. But thinking about the moment makes Meza emotional because it began with the decision his parents made 22 years ago to come to the United States.

Meza arrived in Minnesota from Mexico when he was 15 years old. His parents worked construction and packaged newspapers. At first, Meza had negative feelings about the law.

“I always just felt negativity surrounding laws,” Meza said. “I always thought that the law was against me, in a way. When I say ‘me,’ I mean undocumented people in general,” Meza said.

Meza attended Arlington High School in St. Paul. It was there that he became involved in advocating for the Minnesota Dream Act. It passed in 2013. Under the act, undocumented students can qualify for in-state tuition and state financial aid.

“I started realizing that laws could be changed for good,” Meza explained. “Becoming a lawyer felt like a natural progression of that belief.”

From there, Meza attended Augsburg University in Minneapolis—on a full-scholarship. His sights were then set on law school. “I can become a lawyer and use the law for good,” Meza said he realized.

Meza enrolled at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in 2016. It took Meza seven years to finish. Twice, Meza had to withdraw due to financial constraints. He was paying his tuition semester by semester as he did not have access to federal loans. Meza worked during law school; this was challenging because it took away a lot of his time to study.

“When you don’t have time to focus on being a student, it makes everything more difficult,” Meza said.

And the money he made did not go far enough after paying for basic expenses. Meza made only $25,000 annually. “It wasn’t going to work,” Meza said.

After he withdrew for the second time, Meza left Minnesota for California, where he worked as a paralegal. Meza decided that he was “done” with law school. “I was pretty depressed about the situation and really embarrassed of being so poor. I was done,” Meza attested.

But while he was working, he received a call. It was a Mitchell Hamline dean, who cheered Meza on and ultimately got him to finish. Meza moved back to Minnesota, got a higher paying job, and graduated in spring 2023.

Then, it was time to take the bar. He failed. Meza attributed this to time and financial constraints. He was able to take time off of work, and this time around, passed with many points to spare.

Meza was sworn in as an attorney on Friday, May 9. “I am so excited,” Meza exclaimed.

While he is cognizant of what he accomplished, his thoughts are with his parents. “I just keep going back to the love my family had for me to risk everything. They set me on this path many years ago,” Meza said.

He is also thinking about teachers, interpreters, professors, and attorney mentors. “There are all these people that are part of my journey that, without them, I wouldn’t be here,” Meza explained.

Lots of changes are on the horizon for Meza. He revealed that he received his green card this past week after 22 years in the United States, news that he is still “processing.” He also received a job offer with the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.

Meza planned to attend the swearing-in ceremony with two guests, and then have a party elsewhere afterward. He has undocumented family members that he does not want to put in danger. A judge planned to perform a ceremonial swearing-in so that his family could experience the moment.

“It’s this little way of honoring them without risking anyone. It’s a testament about people who care about me, care about my family, or care about undocumented people around me. It’s super sweet,” Meza observed.