On March 30th, the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program (HIRC) submitted comments opposing the proposed rule of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) that would increase filing fees charged for certain EOIR forms. HIRC argues that these fee increases are excessive and unjust, and could ultimately deny many immigrants access to justice. In…
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Recently, the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program (HIRC) joined the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and Prisoners Legal Services of Massachusetts in submitting a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local county sheriffs/wardens of the jails that contract with ICE, urging them to release immigrants in ICE custody in light of the ongoing…
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The COVID-19 pandemic has put extraordinary strains on individuals across the Commonwealth. While this crisis has affected all members of our community in some capacity, it has created unique obstacles for immigrant families and workers. To that end, we have compiled a growing list of resources for those in need and those looking to help:…
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Though Massachusetts is far from the Southern border, many immigrants are still detained across the state. Until recently, one of those detainees was John*, a man who was tortured in his home country in East Africa. John ended up in detention because certain criminal convictions triggered the deportation process and eventually led his case to…
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On March 20th, immigration professors from across the country, including HIRC Director Sabi Ardalan and Managing Attorney Phil Torrey, submitted a joint letter to the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which urges EOIR to develop and enact policies that address the COVID-19 crisis and its possible effects on immigration court proceedings. The letter has…
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As the status of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to shift, many people across the United States are experiencing drastic changes in their day-to-day life. For the Harvard Law School community this has meant that all students are no longer on campus for the remainder of the semester and HLS staff has transitioned to remote work…
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The Clinic is thrilled to announce that we have a new faculty assistant joining our team! Sophie Jean will be working part-time as a faculty assistant for HIRC Founder Deborah Anker. Sophie is a recent graduate of McGill University (Montreal, QC) where she majored in Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience. Sophie previously worked as a research…
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On March 3rd and 5th from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m., HIRC will be having a series of mock client interviews with law students. We are currently looking to recruit volunteers to act as interpreters and clients. This is a one-time volunteer event and would greatly help law students practice how to interview clients with an…
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Asylum seekers continue to face legal hurdles in their pursuit of safety here in the U.S., and the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program (HIRC) has been busy working on litigation to protect their rights. Within the first month of 2020, HIRC submitted two amicus briefs regarding immigration and asylum law. The first brief, submitted…
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Our team at the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program (HIRC) continues to expand! We are currently seeking a staff attorney to join the Clinic. In addition to filing immigration petitions, such as asylum, DACA, and TPS applications, the Staff Attorney will also conduct outreach to the Harvard community. They will work as part of…
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