She began her work in immigration and human rights as a law student when she worked in two legal clinics where she was able to engage in advocacy on behalf of the Haitian community of South Florida. In 2013, Joseph contributed to an amicus curiae brief filed in the case of Benito Tide Méndez et al. v. Dominican Republic before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. This brief focused on human rights violations by the Dominican Republic in its process of carrying out mass deportations of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent without allowing them proper due process or taking into account humanitarian considerations. At that time, at the grassroots level, Joseph also helped the local Haitian activists of Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miami (FANM) organize a rally to protest the Dominican government’s actions and decision.