Job Talk: A brief look into the life of an immigration lawyer

By Geraldine Nunez

Staff Reporter

March 2022

Xavier Borjas is an attorney specializing in the field of U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law who highlights the importance of family and the necessity of keeping a family together. Borjas shares his insight on the law field with an emphasis on his expertise in immigration law.

What made you choose this job?

“For me particularly, it was something that I think was not necessarily forced upon, but more so I kind of walked into it. I couldn’t get away from it. What I mean by that is, when I went into law school, I went in with the anticipation of not working in that field. For some reason, I had experiences with immigration attorneys and I just didn’t think they were very good, and as a result that left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I just so happened to mentor with a fantastic immigration attorney and I kind of got a feel for the field itself and a different perspective, and from that point forward the doors kept opening up for me when it came to immigration.

How has your background culturally or personally influenced your choice of career?

“I think that has given me a completely different perspective. When growing up, I realized—and you know these are things that you look at now as an adult—that I didn’t necessarily have that perspective growing up and in high school. Realize that I went to a school that was predominantly, 99% maybe 98% Mexican. The community itself was all Mexican as well. I thought that this was just the norm, that this is okay and this is just kind of what everybody goes through. Now, being exposed to so many different things and different cultures, as well as being an adult living in different communities, and seeing what my children experience, I realize that it’s not the norm. We as Hispanics, and just people that come from different countries, do not always have the advantage of knowing what it is to live in a good community, what it is to get a good education, what it is to make a good living, so my career impacted me in that sense in that it has given me a wide range of perspectives from different cultures different communities, different countries to see how they were raised and their mentalities from their home countries in comparison to how it ties here in the US and the impact that it has and I think a lot of times it becomes difficult and people struggle which is why they often resort to alcohol and drugs because it’s such a different lifestyle here in the US and without the proper guidance it makes it very difficult for people to adapt.”

Do you think that the professional expectations you had for yourself in high school are accurate today? (Did it take as long as you thought? Did it work out the way you expected?)

“Yes and no. This might be a little funny but when I was in high school I used to think that I wanted to be a doctor and not an attorney. It was not realistic, I was no good at science. I had the proper background, I did not have the proper education, and the same could have been said as an attorney. I was not prepped and primed to become an attorney coming from where I came from and the education I received. I think my education was very poor and as a result, I struggled and had to work that much harder to make it to where I did. I laugh because I kind of feel like I was just a little bit delusional. For some reason, I thought that I would be successful. I do think that I am successful and I’m happy where I’m at but I think I was delusional back then to think that I would have been that successful because I think that the vast majority of the people from my community did not have that so I would say that -and this is in no way boasting but I think that I would say that I’m an outlier as opposed to the norm.”

What advice would you give students who are interested in this career?

Don’t let money be the driving factor or at least one of the main driving factors. Let the career itself be the driving factor and just trust that if you have that mindset you will be good enough to earn a sufficient amount of money to support yourself and your family. Don’t let it be the driving factor because I think you’ll be very unhappy.

What physical toll (if any) has this job had on your body?

Being an attorney I think is the same as anything that requires passion and hard work. I used to be an athlete, especially when I was in high school and my early twenties, I had a huge passion for soccer and I wanted to become a professional soccer player too and I worked daily. Daily on perfecting my craft and working out and being in shape and different types of drills so on and so forth and you know no one is going to tell you to do these things and no one is going to tell you to make these sacrifices but if you hear about other people who made the professional league or made it into that caliber or that stage, that’s what they did. You hear about Kevin Durant or Kobe Bryant who woke up at 4 in the morning and were the first to practice and the last ones to leave, they were successful right? And it took a toll on their body. I think the same is true when it comes to this profession. Does it take a toll? Sure. I think you have to have the proper balance because it’s more mental, so mentally you are constantly being challenged and your brain is constantly being used which is a muscle and it does strain you physically. So you do have to care for yourself the same way as you would (I think) as an athlete. You have to sleep properly, you have to exercise regularly and so on, the same way as you would as an athlete. So it does take a toll but in the same respect as an athlete, you kind of get what you put into it. It doesn’t have to be that straining on you, but I think that if you want to be a good attorney and you want to be as successful as you want to be then sure, you’re going to need that passion and that sacrifice to be successful.

What emotional toll does this career have on you?

I take every single case seriously and I have a connection to all my clients. Yes, you’re going to have a professional relationship though so there are limitations. I think at the beginning it can be a little bit straining, especially when you do come across those difficult cases that unfortunately no matter what you do you just know that there’s nothing that you can do for that person because legally they won’t qualify for whatever reason and so those cases can be a little bit draining and a little bit emotionally straining as well just because you wish you can keep a family together but unfortunately there’s just nothing you can do legally but I think also as time has gone by and with more experience, I wouldn’t say I’m desensitized from it because that is not true, I still get emotional about certain things and I still feel for my clients when I see them hurting because they are human beings and I’m a human being too but I think that I have also learned to accept some of those things better as well. Like if someone commits a crime and that’s the reason for their ineligibility, I can’t carry that burden for them. Or if someone just doesn’t qualify legally it’s not my place to carry that burden for them. It can take a toll but I think that you have to learn to know when to carry that burden and when it’s just not a burden for you to carry. I think once you learn that skill (I think it’s a skill) you can be a little happier as a result too.

What would an average day look like for you?

Every day is kind of different and I try to take it that way. Most of my days consist of waking up early in the morning, having my breakfast, and then consultations. So I will normally schedule my consultations in the morning and try to get basically from 9 to 12, sometimes 1 or 1:30, nothing but consultations, thirty-minute increments. So I’m speaking to a lot of people hearing different cases and it’s the business aspect of it so I have to bring in clientele to keep the business running. And then spend the afternoon reviewing cases and preparing files to submit either to the court or whatever immigration agency I might be working with. And then after that, I’ll go home and have dinner and spend time with my family.

What hidden variables would you say are a part of this job?

I think the biggest thing to be honest with you, probably the biggest surprise for me was that this particular field is a lot harder and more nuanced than it looks like on the surface. On the surface, I think that people kind of take it for granted which is why a lot of people, or at least some people have no problem filing these things on their own because it looks easy on the surface and I think that the vast majority that does that are taking it for granted and are not respecting the field as they should. So I think that’s the biggest hidden variable, I think I did that too, I made that mistake coming into it but quickly found out that it’s a very complex and nuanced field. You can focus on the easy if you wanted to, but if you want to get better at your craft and be more valuable to the community then your going to have to step away from your comfort zone and learn different things and learn more complex issues to succeed and to be more valuable to the community. I see that from a lot of new attorneys too, I think they take it for granted where they come in and think oh this seems pretty easy, pretty straightforward and then they fairly quickly realize that it’s not that easy.

How do you deal with the stress of having to go into court and have to represent others? [How do you not cry in the courtroom?]

I think that the number one way to deal with that is preparation. Preparation is the only way in my opinion and anyone can deal with it. I think that it is unrealistic to think and believe that you’re not going to be nervous about anything that you do. You could be an athlete, an attorney, or whatever it is you’re going to be but no matter what it is that you’re going into your going to have that feeling of being nervous, I still have that feeling of being nervous and I have little mini rituals that I have before I go to court or before I go to an interview but what I realize is that the time that I feel the most confident in myself is when I’m the most prepared. That’s the only way really that I have been able to overcome that shyness and overcome those fears and everything with feeling nervous. That’s how I’ve been able to overcome it. I still go into it nervous but I know that I’m prepared so I know whatever comes my way I should know the answer to and if I don’t I should know how to deal with it if something unexpected comes. Preparation and experience at the end of the day helps you overcome that and I think that’s the key

What education and preparation do you need for this job?

Well obviously you have to go to college and graduate with your bachelor’s and then afterward you have to take the LSAT and then after that, you have to take law school and take the bar afterward but besides those things, I did a lot of internships. I think working one on one and working in the actual field is better than any education that one can receive. I think that’s the best education because you get that personalized preparation from an attorney, from a supervising attorney, or a supervising paralegal so you get someone that has experience and knowledge and is giving it to you, maybe for free or maybe you are even getting paid for it but at least you are getting it right there and then and I think that’s the most invaluable. I did that a lot and not only did it help me in preparation for my career but it’s also opened up a lot of doors. It exposed me to a lot of people and introduced me to the community and it opened different doors and options that people didn’t, my classmates that didn’t do that were left just hoping that someone would hire them even though they had zero experience and it didn’t matter whether or not they were straights students.

What qualities would you like to see in upcoming attorneys?

I think that what made me stand out in my career and my community was going back to the hard work. That sacrifice and putting in that time to educate me and prepare myself and expose myself in that way, I think people can see that and sense that in anyone, if you are well prepared, They can sense that and they can sense that in you. You can have someone that’s a smooth talker but that’s just talking and eventually, that will catch up to them. So I think what I would like to see in people in my community and even in new attorneys would be that. I think that the mindset has to be turned away from “I want everything to be easy”. I think that I went into that at one point hoping that things would be easier or smooth sailing and you have that desire sometimes or at least I know I did. You know I have kids and I have a daughter that’s 11 years old and I look at her and I talk to her and tell her, at the end of the day none of this is going to be easy. In my opinion, life is not easy and life is not destined to be easy or intended to be easy. If you wanted it to be easy then you’re going to struggle and I think it’s just a matter of changing your perspective. It’s not that it’s necessarily going to be difficult but it could be challenging and you can accept it as difficult or you can accept it as a positive thing which is an opportunity to grow and so I enjoy those challenges and sometimes I do struggle but I try to change my perspective and see something challenging as a positive thing and welcome it and say listen this is what you wanted, an opportunity to help a family, to help a person to, to affect life and this is your opportunity so either you take it or you back off. I think it’s all perspective and changing our perspective of what it is to work and kind of shying away from that expectation that things are going to be easy but not seeing that as a negative thing, I think it’s good, it’s a positive thing for it to be challenging I think that’s part of the blessing that one gets as an attorney.

What advice do you have for our undocumented students as an immigration attorney?

My advice would be to not get discouraged, you know if you went this far even though you might have barriers in your path because you’re limited in the things you can do it doesn’t make it an excuse to hinder the amount of success you can reach. I have met a lot of undocumented people and some have been fortunate enough to eventually change their status and some haven’t but those that have stayed clear of negativity and negative things are still very very successful and are still very very well off financially. So you can do one of two things, you can either say well this is it for me this country has nothing left to offer me and it’s unfair so I’m just going to have fun and waste my life or you can say ok this is one barrier but its not something I can’t jump over or something I can’t get across. Don’t use it as a crutch. I think many people want to do that and it’s easy to do that, to use it as an excuse, so my advice is, don’t use that as an excuse you can still be very successful, maybe even more successful than those that have status because sometimes too people who have status take that for granted. You’re a US citizen and you don’t realize how fortunate you are to be living in this country as a citizen.

What would be your second choice if you had not become an attorney?

Wow, I’ve never thought about that. It definitely wouldn’t be going into the medical field that’s for sure I think I would be extremely unhappy. To be honest with you I don’t know. I don’t have an answer off the bat. I think that this is my passion and I think that if I could do it all over again I would pick the same career so I don’t have a backup but I’m not sure, I think it would probably be something that could affect the community in some way.

How do you deal with the stress of having to go into court and have to represent others? [How do you not cry in the courtroom?]

I think that the number one way to deal with that is preparation. Preparation is the only way in my opinion and anyone can deal with it. I think that it is unrealistic to think and believe that you’re not going to be nervous about anything that you do. You could be an athlete, an attorney, or whatever it is you’re going to be but no matter what it is that you’re going into your going to have that feeling of being nervous, I still have that feeling of being nervous and I have little mini rituals that I have before I go to court or before I go to an interview but what I realize is that the time that I feel the most confident in myself is when I’m the most prepared. That’s the only way really that I have been able to overcome that shyness and overcome those fears and everything with feeling nervous. That’s how I’ve been able to overcome it. I still go into it nervous but I know that I’m prepared so I know whatever comes my way I should know the answer to and if I don’t I should know how to deal with it if something unexpected comes. Preparation and experience at the end of the day helps you overcome that and I think that’s the key

What education and preparation do you need for this job?

Well obviously you have to go to college and graduate with your bachelor’s and then afterward you have to take the LSAT and then after that, you have to take law school and take the bar afterward but besides those things, I did a lot of internships. I think working one on one and working in the actual field is better than any education that one can receive. I think that’s the best education because you get that personalized preparation from an attorney, from a supervising attorney, or a supervising paralegal so you get someone that has experience and knowledge and is giving it to you, maybe for free or maybe you are even getting paid for it but at least you are getting it right there and then and I think that’s the most invaluable. I did that a lot and not only did it help me in preparation for my career but it’s also opened up a lot of doors. It exposed me to a lot of people and introduced me to the community and it opened different doors and options that people didn’t, my classmates that didn’t do that were left just hoping that someone would hire them even though they had zero experience and it didn’t matter whether or not they were straights students.

What qualities would you like to see in upcoming attorneys?

I think that what made me stand out in my career and my community was going back to the hard work. That sacrifice and putting in that time to educate me and prepare myself and expose myself in that way, I think people can see that and sense that in anyone, if you are well prepared, They can sense that and they can sense that in you. You can have someone that’s a smooth talker but that’s just talking and eventually, that will catch up to them. So I think what I would like to see in people in my community and even in new attorneys would be that. I think that the mindset has to be turned away from “I want everything to be easy”. I think that I went into that at one point hoping that things would be easier or smooth sailing and you have that desire sometimes or at least I know I did. You know I have kids and I have a daughter that’s 11 years old and I look at her and I talk to her and tell her, at the end of the day none of this is going to be easy. In my opinion, life is not easy and life is not destined to be easy or intended to be easy. If you wanted it to be easy then you’re going to struggle and I think it’s just a matter of changing your perspective. It’s not that it’s necessarily going to be difficult but it could be challenging and you can accept it as difficult or you can accept it as a positive thing which is an opportunity to grow and so I enjoy those challenges and sometimes I do struggle but I try to change my perspective and see something challenging as a positive thing and welcome it and say listen this is what you wanted, an opportunity to help a family, to help a person, to affect life and this is your opportunity so either you take it or you back off. I think it’s all perspective and changing our perspective of what it is to work and kind of shying away from that expectation that things are going to be easy but not seeing that as a negative thing, I think it’s good, it’s a positive thing for it to be challenging I think that’s part of the blessing that one gets as an attorney.

What advice do you have for our undocumented students as an immigration attorney?

My advice would be to not get discouraged, you know if you went this far even though you might have barriers in your path because you’re limited in the things you can do it doesn’t make it an excuse to hinder the amount of success you can reach. I have met a lot of undocumented people and some have been fortunate enough to eventually change their status and some haven’t but those that have stayed clear of negativity and negative things are still very successful and are still very well off financially. So you can do one of two things, you can either say well this is it for me this country has nothing left to offer me and it’s unfair so I’m just going to have fun and waste my life or you can say “ok” this is one barrier but its not something I can’t jump over or something I can’t get across. Don’t use it as a crutch. I think many people want to do that and it’s easy to do that, to use it as an excuse, so my advice is, don’t use that as an excuse you can still be very successful, maybe even more successful than those that have status because sometimes too people who have status take that for granted. You’re a US citizen and you don’t realize how fortunate you are to be living in this country as a citizen.

What would be your second choice if you had not become an attorney?

Wow, I’ve never thought about that. It definitely wouldn’t be going into the medical field that’s for sure I think I would be extremely unhappy. To be honest with you I don’t know. I don’t have an answer off the bat. I think that this is my passion and I think that if I could do it all over again I would pick the same career so I don’t have a backup but I’m not sure, I think it would probably be something that could affect the community in some way.