22nd ANNUAL IMMIGRATION LAW
AND POLICY CONFERENCE

Expanding Access: Scaling Immigration Legal Services for Communities and the Nation

Moderator:  Anna Gallagher, Executive Director, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)

Speakers:   Jojo Annobil, CEO, Immigrant Justice Corps
Luis Guerra, Director of Field Engagement, CLINIC
Homero López, Legal Director, Immigration Services & Legal Advocacy, New Orleans, LA

Access to immigration legal services is critical — not only for the individuals who rely on them to navigate complex systems, but also for the health of communities and the strength of the country as a whole. Yet current statistics show that far too many immigrants remain without the legal support they need, leaving communities and families vulnerable. This panel will explain why full access is critical given the set of actions taken by this administration, which include ending prosecutorial discretion, maximizing the use of expedited removal, arresting immigrants at immigration court hearings, the return of family detention and family separation, leaving unaccompanied minors without access to legal counsel, and terminating Department of Justice (DOJ) legal orientation programs. Panelists will explore the impact of full access to immigration legal services, examining what it would mean for beneficiaries, local communities, and our country. Experts will discuss the workforce development and infrastructure needed to scale such legal services, as well as innovative approaches to delivering services that expand reach and efficiency.

A New Era: Immigration Enforcement Above All Else

Moderator: Muzaffar Chishti, Senior Fellow, MPI

Speakers:  Hamed Aleaziz, Reporter, The New York Times
Tanya Broder, Senior Counsel, Health and Economic Justice Policy, National Immigration Law Center 
R. Gil Kerlikowske, Former Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Former Chief of Police, Seattle, WA and Buffalo, NY

The Trump administration has deployed an unprecedented, whole-of-government campaign in pursuit of its mass deportations agenda. Beyond tapping Congress for an unparalleled level of federal spending on immigration enforcement, the administration has reached deep into myriad government agencies to redeploy civilian and military manpower, connect databases, recruit state and local law enforcement, and move to cut off access to safety net services and benefits to identify removable noncitizens for arrest or encourage them to "self-deport." Over several months, the country has witnessed:

• Intense, sweeping enforcement operations by ICE and other DHS, State, and Justice Department personnel, as well as enhanced vetting of already present and prospective legal immigrants
• Passage of the Big Beautiful Bill, with a record $170 billion for immigration enforcement, and the increased cooperation of state and local law enforcement through 287(g) agreements and other arrangements
• The identification of removable noncitizens through unprecedented sifting of IRS, Social Security, Medicaid, and other records
• The first-ever deployment since the Jim Crow era of the National Guard over a governor's objections, as well as unprecedented use of the military for immigration enforcement.
• The methodical creation of a climate of fear through messaging, recruitment of third countries as destinations for deportees, harsh detention conditions in places such as Alligator Alcatraz, and efforts to cut off access to public benefits for immigrants, including lawfully present ones, and in some cases their U.S.-born family members.

Amid this flood of developments to immigration enforcement practices and policies, as well as broader government engagement with immigrants, this panel will seek to identify the most significant and long-lasting actions and the deeper trendlines.

A Keynote Conversation with Fareed Zakaria

Moderator: Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow and Director, U.S. Immigration Policy Program, MPI

Speaker: Fareed Zakaria, Host of Fareed Zakaria GPS, CNN; Columnist, The Washington Post; and author of Age of Revolutions

Do the Courts Matter? The Trump Administration Tests the Limits of Immigration Law

Moderator: Andrew I. Schoenholtz, Professor from Practice and Faculty Director, Human Rights Institute and Center for Applied Legal Studies, Georgetown Law

Speakers:  Breanne Deppisch, National Politics Reporter, Fox News Digital
Omar Jadwat, Director, Immigrant’s Rights Project, American Civil Liberties Union 
Ilya Somin, Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

On day one of his second term, President Donald Trump issued an executive order seeking to overturn a Supreme Court precedent established in 1898 granting automatic birthright citizenship to virtually every baby born on U.S. soil. Two months later, he invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to quickly deport some 250 men, mostly Venezuelans, to a high-security prison in El Salvador. In June, the president sent Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to protests over roving patrols stopping and detaining people on the basis of race alone. These and many other major policies unveiled during the administration's first several months were swiftly challenged in court, some finding their way almost immediately to the Supreme Court while others grind their way through the system. Panelists will discuss how federal judges have responded to these extraordinary attempts to expand the power of the executive branch over immigration and citizenship law, and to limit due process and access to courts.

Register now for virtual attendance.  In-person tickets are sold out. 

Complimentary registration is offered to accredited journalists. Media seeking registration should contact Jeremy Weitz at [email protected].

If you are a Georgetown student wishing to register, please email [email protected]. Limited in-person complimentary registration is available to Georgetown students using their student email and a valid student ID. Complimentary registration does not include lunch.

Email [email protected] with any questions.