Advanced Immigration Policy Reform

This is a seminar for students with some background and interest in immigration and administrative law based on prior coursework, clinic enrollment, academic study, or other experience who want to engage in an examination of the administrative process for pursuing reform. The course will examine some of the current contested immigration policy changes and consider the mechanisms for achieving positive reform in light of administrative law and practice. The goal is to identify strategies and mechanisms for future reform that would further the protections of non-citizens during a period of global hostility to migrants. One significant part of the course will be contributing to a project that tracks and catalogues all the immigration policy changes of the Trump administration. Students will also develop proposals for future non-legislative reform through administrative action. The seminar will examine the federal administrative process from a theoretical, doctrinal, and practical perspective based on selected readings, guest speakers, and the instructor's experience as senior immigration policy advisor in the Obama administration at the Department of Homeland Security and as founder and former director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project. Requirements: Some prior exposure to immigration law or practice in a work, clinical, professional, academic, or other setting. Elements used in grading: Grades will be based on class attendance, class participation, and either writing assignments (Section 01) or, with the instructor's permission, an independent research paper (Section 02). A very limited number of students may be permitted to write the long research paper for R credit but only with the prior specific approval of the instructor. Students accepted into the course may be eligible to transfer from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and submit a Consent Application Form available on the SLS website (Click Courses at the bottom of the homepage and then click Consent of Instructor Forms). See Consent Application Form for instructions and submission deadline.