The State Policy Advocacy Clinic provides undergraduate and master’s students with the opportunity to work with legislators, executive branch officials, academics, community members, local organizations, and national NGOs on state-level policy initiatives. The clinic prioritizes projects that advance rural equity and human rights, particularly for populations who traditionally have been underrepresented in the political process. In partnership with Project Lifeline, the clinic has drafted a toolkit of best practices for advocates interested in reforming state laws regarding access to the predicate orders necessary for unaccompanied minors to secure Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. In December 2023, the clinic published a white paper documenting the use of immigration detention in New York State and making the cases for New York’s proposed Dignity Not Detention legislation. In partnership with a New York union of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics, the clinic is designing a policy proposal to tackle two problems at once: the lack of sufficient ambulance service in many rural counties in upstate New York and the need for new migrant arrivals to earn money and integrate into their communities while they are waiting for work authorization from the federal government. In January 2025, we released a white paper on housing conditions for year-round dairy workers in New York State. While the clinic focuses on New York state, clinical partners in other states frequently look to the clinic for research regarding novel ideas and “best practices” adopted in New York that can be shared in other states.