On September 2nd, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. government’s practice of turning away asylum seekers at ports of entry is unconstitutional. This ruling indicates that the U.S. is required by law to inspect and process asylum seekers when they present themselves at ports of entry and condemns the practice of metering, which denies migrants…
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We are pleased to introduce Anna Weick, our new Program Administrator. Anna holds a BA in American Studies from Wellesley College and an MA in Social Innovation and Sustainability from Goddard College. Their research, writing, and organizing spans topics such as intergenerational LGBTQ+ community-building, zine-making and alternative media, and the history of radical social movements.…
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On June 23, 2021, Clinical Instructor Sameer Ahmed participated in an oral argument before the en banc court of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Diaz-Ortiz v. Garland. The Immigration Court had ordered Mr. Diaz Ortiz, a young Latino man living in East Boston, deported because he was allegedly a gang…
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Over the past week, we have witnessed growing humanitarian crises across the globe. In Afghanistan, the Taliban has taken control of all major cities and many Afghans are attempting to flee the country in search of safety. Meanwhile, in Haiti, citizens face both a political and environmental crisis. In July, president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated…
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We are pleased to introduce our 2021-2022 Albert M. Sacks Clinical Teaching and Advocacy Fellow, Tiffany Lieu. Prior to joining our Program, Tiffany clerked for the Honorable Allyson K. Duncan on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the Honorable Keith P. Ellison on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District…
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Philip Torrey is the Managing Attorney for the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program, the Director of the Harvard Crimmigration Clinic, and a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. Phil’s interest in immigration began when he worked at an immigration clinic in law school. There, he represented a woman from the Democratic Republic of…
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Tomorrow, we bid farewell to Zachary Albun, who has been the Albert M. Sacks Clinical Teaching and Advocacy Fellow for the past three years. Zack has been a passionate advocate for his clients and a steadfast mentor to students in both the classroom and clinics, and we will all miss him. Zack came to our…
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In June 2021, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the decision in Matter of K-S-E-, in which the Board of Immigration Appeals had ruled that Kesly Sylvestre, a Haitian man, was “firmly resettled” in Brazil and that the Haitian government was able and willing to control his persecutors. Mr. Sylvestre was represented by our…
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On July 16, a federal judge ruled that the Department of Homeland Security violated the law when it established and implemented Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”). We at the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program are deeply disappointed by this decision, which represents a continuation of the attacks on immigrant youth in the U.S.…
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Cindy Zapata is a Clinical Instructor at the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program. In this role, she supervises students on their cases and legal work and teaches classes, including a class on refugees and trauma that she co-teaches with Program Director Sabi Ardalan. Cindy was first drawn to immigration law because, as she explains,…
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