As one of two newly hired immigration attorneys, Kaite Hogan joined the Wasatch Immigration Project this summer, expanding the nonprofit’s capacity to provide legal services and outreach in the Wasatch Back.
For Hogan, the path to law was fueled by an unwavering commitment to fighting for justice. She described herself as a determined and outspoken child with a lot of fury and rage — emotions that, she joked, her parents had to handle first. Over time, that intensity turned into a sense of purpose: She learned to direct that same persistence toward standing up for others and finding ways to create change when she saw something unjust.
Hogan grew up in Utah after moving from Washington state during her teenage years. By her junior year of high school, she was drawn to debate and inspired by her grandfather, a respected attorney who had worked on the Ted Bundy and Mark Hofmann cases. Hearing about his career and the impact he had on his community helped shape her view of what a lawyer could do for others, she said, and solidified law as a career path.
“I think being able to be a lawyer gives you the opportunity to help almost any community,” she said. “Once you have your law degree, you can really work in any area of access to justice.”
At Utah State University Hogan studied technical and professional writing, a program that taught her how to write clearly and make sense of dense material. She said those skills provided a strong foundation for a career in law, where precision and structure matter.
While in Logan, she volunteered through Utah State University’s service center, helping with food access programs and tutoring English learners and during the summers, she volunteered at Guadalupe Elementary School in Salt Lake City.
“That was also a really pivotal moment,” she said. “I love working with kids so that work really pushed me towards immigration.”
The moment that solidified Hogan’s interest in immigration law came while listening to a Pulitzer Prize–winning episode of This American Life podcast about the U.S.–Mexico border. The story, she said, opened her eyes to how complex and broken the system can be. After that, she began volunteering with more English-language programs and sought out more ways to support immigrant families.
“I loved meeting people from all around the world, and through that work I was able to see how beneficial a global community is,” she said, “and how beneficial it is to learn from everybody all over the world.”
Law school gave Hogan hands-on experience across several areas of immigration, from volunteer work with organizations like the No More A Stranger Foundation to private practice and business cases, as well as an externship at Catholic Community Services, where she helped prepare an asylum case for a 13-year-old from Afghanistan. In her first year, she also worked at a preschool funded by a grant for migrant agricultural workers, caring for children while their parents were on the job.
Hogan said working through every step of the process confirmed that it was the right path for her — that she enjoyed the research, the applications, and especially connecting with clients.
At the Wasatch Immigration Project, Hogan and fellow new attorney Jessica Hamilton are focusing on family-based immigration while continuing to build a broader foundation.
“As new attorneys we’re trying to do a lot so we can learn the basics,” Hogan said. “We might narrow down in the future, but for now we’re expanding our focus.”
In line with her love of working with kids, Hogan is particularly drawn to cases involving unaccompanied minors and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, as well as U visas, nonimmigrant visas, for crime victims and asylum.
“As a kid, these traumatic experiences really stick with you,” she said. “Having someone else in the community who’s there for them and showing that they care for them and their well being can hopefully, at least somewhat, limit the traumatic experience.”
She said she enjoys working on U visa cases for their structure and clear process, while asylum work offers broader perspective on global issues and the lives of people seeking safety — both through her clients’ experiences and the research involved.
“Asylum applications make me a better global citizen,” she said, adding that helping people in vulnerable situations allows her to show them that others care about their safety and want them to feel welcome here.
“There’s a huge need in Wasatch and Summit County,” she said. “It’s really cool to see people take their connection to immigration and build something from nothing, and then see the community come to help.”
Although the work can be emotionally heavy, Hogan said it’s deeply fulfilling.
“I get angry about the hard things going on,” she said. “But I can go to my nine-to-five and do something about it. Even if it’s just one person, I can make a difference.”
For those who could benefit from legal help but are hesitant to reach out, Hogan emphasized that the Wasatch Immigration Project is a safe, welcoming place.
The Wasatch Immigration Project prioritizes residents of Summit and Wasatch counties, but offers referrals when it can’t take a case.
For more information or to schedule a meeting, contact the Wasatch Immigration Project at 801-683-9613 or visit wasatchimmigrationproject.org.