Author Archives: Madison Allman

NILC Welcomes Eric Ha to its Board of Directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 26, 2023

CONTACT
Email: [email protected]
Madison Allman, 202-384-1279
Emily Morris, 213-457-7458

NILC Welcomes Eric Ha to its Board of Directors 

WASHINGTON — The National Immigration Law Center today announced the addition of Eric Ha, the Chief Administrative Officer at the International Justice Mission, to the NILC board of directors. 

“NILC is honored to welcome Eric Ha to its board,” said Kica Matos, NILC’s president. “Eric’s commitment to protecting communities from violence and abuses of power is harmonious with NILC’s work to ensure that we build a 21st century immigration system where all of us, no matter how much money we have, what we look like, or where we were born, have the freedom to thrive.”  

“NILC’s work to advance equity and dignity for all, regardless of immigration status, has long been an inspiration,” said Eric Ha. “As a member of NILC’s board, I look forward to continuing to advocate for and advance the rights of the millions of immigrants and their loved ones who call the U.S. home.”  

Eric Ha serves as International Justice Mission’s Chief Administrative Officer and is responsible for ensuring strong, effective executive leadership and strategic management of the IJM global enterprise. Ha leads the Executive Office and manages the operations of IJM’s Global Leadership Team. Prior to this role, he served in several other executive leadership positions at IJM, including as Chief Risk Officer and General Counsel. 

Before joining IJM, Ha spent nearly a decade at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago where he managed large-scale commercial litigation, provided regulatory and strategic counseling, and conducted internal investigations. Prior to joining Sidley, he served as Advisory Counsel in IJM’s Chennai field office where he worked on cases to rescue victims of forced labor slavery and human trafficking. He also taught constitutional law at the University of Miami School of Law and served as a federal law clerk to the Honorable Jorge A. Solis, Chief Judge of the Northern District of Texas. 

Ha earned a B.A. with honors from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was a Public Interest Law Initiative Fellow.  

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NILC Welcomes New Board Member

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2023

CONTACT
Email: [email protected]
Madison Allman, 202-384-1279
Emily Morris, 213-457-7458

NILC Welcomes New Board Member

WASHINGTON — The National Immigration Law Center today announced the addition of Pedro Gerson, associate professor of law at California Western School of Law in San Diego, to the NILC board of directors.

“NILC is thrilled to welcome Pedro Gerson to its board,” said Sara K. Gould, NILC’s interim executive director. “Pedro’s expertise at the intersection of criminal law and immigration will be vital to our work as we continue to advocate for a 21st century immigration system that recognizes the humanity inherent in each of us.”

“I have long admired NILC’s dedication to advancing the rights of low-income immigrants in the United States,” said Pedro Gerson. “The road toward equity and dignity for all people – regardless of immigration status – is long. I look forward to continuing to fight for justice for the millions of immigrants who call the U.S. home, as well as making it easier for those who wish to come here, as a member of NILC’s board.”

Pedro Gerson is an Associate Professor of Law at California Western School of Law in San Diego, California. He writes and teaches in the areas of criminal law and immigration law. Prior to joining California Western, Gerson directed the Louisiana State University Immigration Clinic. The clinic provides immigration services for people in Louisiana, handling a wide range of immigration matters, from naturalization and asylum petitions to removal defense. Before joining the LSU Law Center faculty, Gerson served as an immigration staff attorney at The Bronx Defenders in New York City, a public defender nonprofit.

Gerson previously held several positions in Mexico City, including as a researcher and project manager at the Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad (IMCO), a think tank. He also worked in government, in the National Digital Strategy Unit of the Office of the President of Mexico. While in Mexico, he was an adjunct professor in the economics and law departments at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México and Universidad Iberoamericana.

Gerson is a regular contributor to diverse media outlets in both Mexico and the U.S., such as Slate and Animal Político.

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NILC Statement on President Biden’s Speech Announcing Expansion of Title 42 Expulsions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 5, 2023

CONTACT
Email: [email protected]
Madison Allman, 202-384-1279
Emily Morris, 213-457-7458

NILC Statement on President Biden’s Speech Announcing Expansion of Title 42 Expulsions

WASHINGTON — Lisa Graybill, vice president of law and policy at the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement in response to President Biden’s announcement of several initiatives at the U.S.-Mexico border, which include planned expansion of Title 42 expulsions, increased use and expansion of expedited removal, the revival of a Trump-era-like transit ban previously struck down by two federal courts, a cost-prohibitive and inadequate parole program for those fleeing from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and other harmful policies:

“For nearly three years, presidents of both parties have used the false pretext of public health to essentially cut off access to asylum in the United States under Title 42. While the recent Supreme Court ruling has temporarily forced the continuation of Title 42 expulsions, the Biden administration is choosing to expand Title 42 to Nicaraguans, Cubans, and Haitians, and introduce additional policies that further erode the legal right to seek asylum. The expanded expulsion policy is paired with new parole programs that will provide needed temporary relief to a small number of people. However, this relief should not come at the expense of more people being subjected to this cruel relic of the Trump administration that has immeasurably harmed thousands of people.

“With Republicans continuing to block any chance of Congressional action that would improve our outdated and broken immigration system, it is imperative that the Biden administration not embrace right-wing talking points by doubling down on failed deterrence practices. Instead, we urge the administration to follow through on its campaign promise to end Trump’s detrimental policies, commit to respecting our asylum laws, and build a 21st century immigration system that recognizes the dignity and humanity inherent in us all.”

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NILC Statement on Congress’ Failure to Pass a Pathway to Citizenship for Immigrant Youth 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2022

CONTACT
Email: [email protected]
Madison Allman, 202-384-1279
Emily Morris, 213-457-7458

NILC Statement on Congress’ Failure to Pass a Pathway to Citizenship for Immigrant Youth

WASHINGTON — Lisa Graybill, vice president of law and policy at the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement in response to Congress’ failure to include provisions for a pathway to citizenship in the end of year spending package:  

“This year’s omnibus spending bill was a critical opportunity to provide long-awaited stability for millions of DACA recipients and immigrant youth who call the U.S. home. With the writing on the wall that DACA may be nearing the end, it is unacceptable that once again Congress has failed to meet the urgency of the moment.  

“NILC proudly worked alongside the hundreds of immigrant youth and allies who traveled to Washington from all over the country to share their hopes and dreams with their elected representatives and convey their experiences living amid constant uncertainty. While we are disappointed by Congress’ failure to act, we continue to be inspired by our communities’ undeniable power and resilience. We remain as committed as ever to fighting for a permanent solution for immigrant youth and all who come to this country seeking safety and opportunity so that all of us, no matter where we were born or how much money we have, have the freedom to thrive.”  

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NILC Welcomes New Board Member

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2022

CONTACT
Email: [email protected]
Madison Allman, 202-384-1279
Emily Morris, 213-457-7458

NILC Welcomes New Board Member 

WASHINGTON — The National Immigration Law Center today announced the addition of Jennifer M. Chacón, the Bruce Tyson Mitchell Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, to the NILC board of directors. 

“NILC’s board welcomes Jennifer M. Chacón, whose breadth of experience at the intersection of immigration, criminal, and constitutional law will be a tremendous asset to us as we continue working toward remedying longstanding injustices and inequities in our immigration system,” said Sara K. Gould, NILC’s interim executive director. “Professor Chacón brings decades of legal expertise that will further ground our work in racial equity and justice. I’m excited and honored to work together with her to advance racial justice and civil rights so that all of us, regardless of immigration status, have the freedom to thrive.” 

“Throughout my professional career, I have admired the efforts of the brilliant and dedicated staff of NILC, which has worked tirelessly toward equity and dignity for all people, regardless of immigration or citizenship status,” said Professor Chacón. “I am honored to join the NILC board, and I look forward to working with this amazing team.” 

Jennifer M. Chacón is the Bruce Tyson Mitchell Professor of Law at Stanford Law School. Her research focuses on the nexus of immigration law, constitutional law, and criminal law and procedure. Her writings elucidate how immigration and criminal law shape individual and collective understandings of racial and ethnic identity, citizenship, civic engagement, and social belonging. She has written dozens of articles, book chapters, and essays on immigration, criminal law, constitutional law, and citizenship issues.  

Professor Chacón is a past Chair of the American Association of Law School’s Section on Immigration, and a member of the American Law Institute. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (ABF) and currently serves on the ABF Board of Directors. She has served on the Advisory Committee of the American Bar Foundation’s “Future of Latinos in the U.S.” project and on the University of Oxford Border Criminologies Advisory Group, and as the chair of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Rules Committee. She was a co-convenor of the Immigration Policy Advisory Committee to then-Senator Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign, and an outside advisor to the Immigration Transition Team of President-Elect Barack Obama from November 2008 through January 2009.  

Professor Chacόn was an associate at the New York law firm of Davis Polk and Wardwell after clerking for the Honorable Sidney R. Thomas of the Ninth Circuit (1998-1999). She has also held appointments as a Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, the UCLA School of Law, and the UC Davis King Hall School of Law, and as a Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Senior Associate Dean for Administration at the University of California, Irvine, School of Law. She was a Visiting Professor of Law at Stanford Law School (2015-2016) and Harvard Law School (2014-2015).  

She holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and an A.B. in International Relations from Stanford University.  

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NILC Statement on Potential Bipartisan Deal for Immigrant Youth Protections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 6, 2022

CONTACT
Email: [email protected]
Madison Allman, 202-384-1279
Emily Morris, 213-457-7458

NILC Statement on Potential Bipartisan Deal for Immigrant Youth Protections

WASHINGTON — Raha Wala, vice president of strategic partnerships and advocacy at the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement in response to reports that senators are working on a bipartisan immigration proposal: 

“While we are encouraged to see members of Congress from both parties coming together to discuss passing a long-overdue pathway to citizenship for immigrant youth, this reported deal falls woefully short of meeting the needs and urgency of this moment. 

“Over the past ten years, the Republican list of border demands has become more extreme, while the fraction of people in need who would gain protections shrinks. This reported deal would accelerate that trend and could gravely compromise our future ability to welcome people seeking safety and opportunity in our country. We urge Democrats to step up their demands and lead courageously as negotiations continue. 

“With a limited and critically important window for progress in the lame duck, we urge lawmakers engaged in good-faith discussion to pass a pathway to citizenship for immigrant youth by the end of the year.” 

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National Immigration Law Center and More Than 330 Organizations Call on Biden Administration to Release Guidance that Enables Workers Involved in Labor Disputes to Apply for Deferred Action

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2022

CONTACT
Email: [email protected]
Madison Allman, 202-384-1279
Emily Morris, 213-457-7458

National Immigration Law Center and More Than 330 Organizations Call on Biden Administration to Release Guidance that Enables Workers Involved in Labor Disputes to Apply for Deferred Action

WASHINGTON — The National Immigration Law Center and over 330 immigrants’, civil, and labor rights organizations sent a letter calling on U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to follow through on the agency’s commitment to clarify the process for workers asserting their workplace rights against abusive employers to access temporary protections, including protection from deportation and work authorization.

More than a year after DHS stated its commitment to protect workers through deferred action in its memo on worksite enforcement, the letter published today by NILC underscores the urgency for DHS to release its guidance. The letter also includes key recommendations for an effective and equitable process, such as recognition of state and local labor agencies’ investigations, and joint filing of deferred action and work authorization requests.

“We have long seen how workers’ vulnerability to deportation impedes their ability to speak out about labor violations and build power on the job, which in turn drives down wages and working conditions and undermines the enforcement of our country’s core labor standards to the detriment of all workers,” the letter said.

“This guidance is urgently needed, as every day that goes by without it, unscrupulous employers exploit workers and cheat the system in order to turn a profit,” the letter continued. “These employers must be held accountable, and workers must see a clear commitment from DHS so that they can indeed be “unafraid to cooperate” with labor agencies. We work directly with many workers who are unwilling to come forward without clear guidance from DHS.”

A PDF of the full letter and signatories can be found here.

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226 Groups Demand Democrats Protect Immigrant Youth in End-of-Year Package

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 15, 2022

CONTACT
Email: [email protected]
Madison Allman, 202-384-1279
Emily Morris, 213-457-7458

226 Groups Demand Democrats Protect Immigrant Youth in End-of-Year Package

WASHINGTON — Today, as reported by POLITICO, a coalition of 226 organizations, representing many constituencies, urged Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer to prioritize protections for immigrant youth and DACA recipients by including permanent protections and a pathway to citizenship for the millions of immigrant youth in any end-of-year package.

In the following weeks, Congress has the opportunity to protect immigrant youth following the Fifth Circuit Court’s decision finding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy unlawful. DACA has protected more than 830,000 young people from deportation, allowing them to work, study, and contribute fully to American society. With voters, by a 2-to-1 margin, supporting Congress taking immediate action to provide permanent legal status to DACA recipients, the letter makes clear to Speaker Pelosi and Leaders Schumer that the time to act is now.

Excerpts of the letter, led by United We Dream, the Immigration Hub, UnidosUS, the National Immigration Law Center and other partners include:

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer,

The over 225 undersigned state, local, and national immigrant, labor, faith, civil, health, and human rights organizations write to urge you to take action to protect immigrant youth and DACA recipients. Immigrant youth across the country have been calling for permanent protections with a pathway to citizenship for decades. The implementation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2012 gave life-changing protection from deportation and the ability to work lawfully to hundreds of thousands of immigrant youth. But it has never been enough.

Early last month, DACA-eligible youth received the decision by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on the DACA policy and were once again left with uncertainty and a threat to their livelihood and ability to stay in the country they call home. The Fifth Circuit upheld a lower ruling finding the 2012 DACA memo to be unlawful and sent the case back to the lower court to consider the Biden administration’s new DACA regulation. Once again, immigrant youth have been left to anxiously await another court decision that will most likely upend their lives and futures. While this decision allowed for DACA renewals to continue temporarily, over 90,000 DACA-eligible youth continue to have their initial applications stalled. The writing on the wall is clear: DACA is dying. As Speaker of the House and Majority Leader of the Senate, we urge you to prioritize DACA protections in any end-of-year package.

The time to act is now, the potential incoming anti-immigrant majority in the House has been crystal clear in their opposition to providing protections for undocumented immigrants. Immigrant youth cannot continue to wait for Congress to act while the Fifth Circuit and the Supreme Court await the opportunity to terminate the program once and for all. In this time of deep urgency, we need your leadership to ensure Congress passes this long overdue and urgently needed legislation.

The full letter can be read here.

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NILC and SPLC Win Class Certification in Lawsuit Alleging ICE and IRS Agents Violated Workers’ Civil Rights During Workplace Raid

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 11, 2022

CONTACT
National Immigration Law Center, Emily Morris, [email protected], 213-457-7458
Southern Poverty Law Center, Anna Núñez, [email protected], 334-201-9236

NILC and SPLC Win Class Certification in Lawsuit Alleging ICE and IRS Agents Violated Workers’ Civil Rights During Workplace Raid

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal court in Tennessee has cleared the way for a collective federal civil rights action brought on behalf of over 100 Latino workers against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents involved in the planning and execution of a racially-motivated workplace raid at a Tennessee meat processing plant, on April 5, 2018.  Earlier this week, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee granted class certification in Isabel Zelaya, et al. v. Robert Hammer, et al, a lawsuit alleging ICE and IRS agents violated workers’ civil rights.

The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), along with their co-counsel, sought class certification on behalf of approximately 100 Latino workers who were unlawfully targeted for arrest on the basis of their race and ethnicity on April 5, 2018, in what was the largest workplace immigration raid in nearly a decade. Agents from ICE, the IRS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the Morristown Police Department carried out the raid. The federal lawsuit alleges claims of conspiracy to violate workers’ equal protection rights, excessive force, and false arrest.  

The court, in granting the workers’ motion for class certification, ruled that Plaintiffs satisfied all class action requirements, and that the class action is likely the only way over one-hundred Latino workers impacted during the raid could bring these claims. The court found the Plaintiffs submitted evidence suggesting that each class member was allegedly harmed through the execution of a single plan orchestrated by the IRS and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Additionally, the court found that “in the run-up to the Raid, case agents frequently discussed arresting Hispanic workers and conflated Hispanic ethnicity with illegal status,” noting that ‘“the initial plan for the Raid indicated that ‘Hispanics’ will be processed through HSI/ERO procedures,” and that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) ‘anticipate[d] working late into the evening processing the Hispanics the day of the warrant.’” 

The court also noted that the evidence to date showed that “No white workers were arrested on the day of the Raid,” but that the “individuals arrested that day and transported to the Armory were uniformly Hispanic,” and that agents “detained the Latino employees — even those who asserted they had valid work authorizations — and transported them to the Morristown Armory on vans.”

The ruling means that over 100 Latino class members may now proceed collectively to prosecute this civil rights case against ICE and IRS agents as the case enters the summary judgment phase this fall.  

The following statements are provided by:

Michelle Lapointe, senior staff attorney, National Immigration Law Center

“This raid was conducted in an unnecessarily violent, humiliating and demeaning manner toward Latino workers. Plaintiffs seek justice on behalf of all Latino workers detained during the raid. We are pleased the court will allow the case to proceed as a class action, and look forward to proving our claims in court.”

Meredith Stewart, senior supervising attorney for the Immigrant Justice Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center

“As class counsel, we look forward to defending the constitutional rights of each class member whom the federal agents unlawfully targeted for enforcement during the Raid. The Constitution protects all people from law enforcement overreach, and the class members look forward to vindicating those rights in Court. This week’s ruling is a significant step in our fight for justice for our clients and their families.”

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BACKGROUND:

Zelaya et al. v. Miles et al. was filed on Feb. 21, 2019.  Plaintiffs are represented by the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), pro bono attorneys Eben P. Colby, Jeremy A. Berman, Arthur R. Bookout and the law firms of Sherrard, Roe, Voigt & Harbison and Sperling & Slater. On April 5, 2018, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Morristown Police Department, executed the largest workplace immigration raid in nearly a decade, detaining approximately 100 Latino workers at an east Tennessee meat processing plant, violating their civil rights. 

NILC Celebrates Senate Passage of Health and Climate Bill, Rejection of Anti-Immigrant Agenda

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2022

CONTACT
Email: [email protected]
Madison Allman, 202-384-1279
Emily Morris, 213-457-7458

NILC Celebrates Senate Passage of Health and Climate Bill, Rejection of Anti-Immigrant Agenda 

WASHINGTON — Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement upon Senate passage of the Inflation Reduction Act — landmark health and climate legislation: 

“Today is a historic day for our country and for our planet. While far from perfect, this bill promises to take major steps towards bolstering the health of our communities and ensuring that future generations will have a more sustainable world to live in. Importantly, the Senate sent a clear message that hate and xenophobia have no place in our society by voting down every anti-immigrant amendment, including amendments that would have codified the Trump administration’s Title 42 asylum ban. We commend Majority Leader Schumer for his leadership in keeping the Democratic caucus united around delivering this legislation. We are especially thankful to Senators Menendez and Padilla, who stood up as our champions to advocate boldly on behalf of asylum seekers and low-income immigrant communities throughout the process.

“We urge the House to move quickly to pass this legislation, and for President Biden to sign it into law. We stand ready to continue to support our partners and allies in the climate justice and healthcare sectors as they work to make our communities at home and abroad safer, healthier, and more sustainable. We look forward to partnering with the Biden administration, Congress, and stakeholders across civil society to take positive, constructive action on a host of immigration issues, including by passing legislation that would provide permanent protections for DACA recipients.”

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