As part of its ongoing focus on Immigration Law, the Center for Social Justice hosted an event on February 11 that highlighted recent developments in immigration law for immigrant rights supporters, advocates, and lawyers.
Titled "Immigration Law Update: in the Courts, at the Border, and in the Pioneer Valley," the event featured a plenary panel that shared news and insights on asylum and detentions at the border, major court cases impacting immigrant rights, and legislative initiatives at the state and local level. Speakers included Allegra Love of the Santa Fe Dreamers Project and the El Paso Immigration Collaborative; Dan McFadden of the ACLU of Massachusetts, counsel in a major recent immigration class action victory; Claudia Quintero L'17 and Hilary Thrasher of the Center West Justice Center; and Megan Kludt, partner in the immigration law firm of Curran, Berger and Kludt, LLC.
Breakout sessions explored the following topics: Humanitarian Issues: Asylum and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status; Pro Bono Assistance for Immigrants Locally and on the Border; and Immigrants and the Criminal Law/ICE in State Courts.
"At a time of extreme stress on immigrants and a rapidly evolving legal landscape, the Center for Social Justice is pleased to work with local partners to highlight current issues about migrants' rights as well as to provide targeted training to immigrant rights activists and lawyers," said Lauren Carasik, director of the Center for Social Justice.
The program was sponsored by Western New England School of Law Center for Social Justice; Central West Justice Center; Curran, Berger & Kludt, LLC; the Immigrant Protection Project of the ACLU of Massachusetts; and the Center for New Americans.
