Loyola Immigration Politics Event to Advance Strategies to Insulate Clients from Uncertainty of Trump-Era Policies
The Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic (LIJC) and Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles will host the symposium “Immigration Politics: Shifting Norms, Policies & Practices” from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Friday, March 16, 2018 to examine ways for immigration law practitioners and professors to teach, interpret and advocate amid changing Trump Administration immigration policy measures.
The event will include a keynote lunch address by iconic labor leader and California State Senate candidate Maria Elena Durazo, as well as an award ceremony honoring Antonia Hernández, president of the California Community Foundation.
“Our hope is to open a dialogue to provide immigration advocates and teachers with an array of techniques to resist policies and practices that run counter to our clients’ interests,” said LIJC Co-Director Emily Robinson. “Our aim is for all attendees to come away with the strength, resilience and knowledge to protect immigrants in a time of shifting practices.”
The panel “Immigration Policy” will feature Felicia Escobar, special assistant for immigration policy to President Barack Obama and fellow, Welcoming America; Annie Lai, co-director, Immigrant Rights Clinic, University of California, Irvine School of Law; Hiroshi Motomura, Susan Westerberg Prager Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law; and Karen Tumlin, legal director, National Immigration Law Center. Loyola Law School Professor Kathleen Kim, LIJC faculty adviser, will moderate.
The lunch keynote will be delivered by iconic labor leader Maria Elena Durazo, vice president of Unite Here, a national union for service workers. The first woman to lead the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, Durazo is running for the California State Senate seat of President Pro Tem Kevin de León, who is termed out this year.
The panel “Clinical Perspectives on Changing Times” will feature Sameer Ashar, clinical professor of law and co-director, Immigrant Rights Clinic, University of California, Irvine School of Law; Caitlin Barry, assistant professor of law, Farmwork Legal Aid Clinic, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law; Evelyn Cruz, clinical professor of law, Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law; and Ingrid Eagly, professor of law, UCLA School of Law. LIJC Co-Directors and Loyola Clinical Professors Marissa Montes and Robinson will moderate.
With an eye toward how lawsuits can fuel a movement, “Impact Litigation” will feature panelists Matt Adams, legal director, Northwest Immigration Rights Project; Ahilan Aruthalan, director of advocacy & legal director, American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California; Raymond Audain, senior counsel, NAACP Legal Defense Fund; Michael Wishnie, William O. Douglas Clinical Professor of Law, Yale Law School. Loyola Law School Professor Kevin Lapp will moderate.
The day will conclude with the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic’s Annual Reception. This year’s award ceremony will honor Antonia Hernández, president of the California Community Foundation. As head of one of Southern California’s largest philanthropic organizations, Hernández has helped direct more than $2 billion to improve Southern California communities since 2004. The ceremony will also honor two clients: Scarleth Pacheco, for whom the LIJC secured Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) Status, and Veronica Torres, for whom the LIJC recently secured a Tvisa reserved for victims of human trafficking.
The event will be held on Loyola’s downtown L.A. campus at 919 Albany St., Los Angeles, CA 90015. Further information and a complete schedule are available at www.lls.edu/immigration-politics.