The Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program seeks to advance immigrants’ rights through clinical education. Working closely with clinical supervisors, law students in the Program take the lead in representing low-income immigrants who are fighting deportation and seeking immigration status in the United States. Students utilize a range of legal advocacy tools on behalf of their clients, including direct representation, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community outreach.
The Program has four primary components. First, the Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Clinic represents individuals seeking humanitarian protection and advocates for immigrants’ rights. Second, the Crimmigration Clinic focuses on the intersection of criminal law and immigration law and advocates for the decriminalization of immigration status. Third, the HLS Immigration Project (“HIP”), a student-run practice organization that engages in limited direct representation, community outreach, and policy advocacy. Finally, the Harvard Representation Initiative (“HRI”) serves as an in-house counsel for members of the Harvard community whose immigration status is at risk.
Clinical supervisors and staff attorneys in the Program are established experts in immigration law. They regularly produce cutting-edge scholarship on a range of immigration-related topics, including gender-based persecution, using interdisciplinary forms of advocacy, immigration detention, and constitutional protections in removal proceedings. Clinical supervisors are also frequently invited to speak at conferences, symposia, and other events around the world and are often quoted in national, state, and local media.
Harvard Law School is committed to the full inclusion of students with disabilities in the life of the University. Students requesting accessibility resources or accommodations in any of HLS’s Clinical and Pro Bono Programs may work with Accessibility Services in the Dean of Students Office. If you are a student with a documented disability and you are requesting accommodations, please contact HLS Accessibility Services to discuss and register for accommodations.