Author: mhewey

As a Guatemala Asylum Agreement Fades, a New Trump Rule Threatens Migrants

“Deborah Anker, a professor at Harvard who specializes in asylum, said that what the Trump administration has been doing on asylum policy reflects ‘the dismantling of the whole refugee protection system that was established after World War II.’”

Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program Calls on Inter-American Human Rights Commission to Investigate Mexico for Rights Violations at Border

Last week, the Clinic and five other groups filed a request to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, demanding that they investigate the Mexican government’s complicity in the illegal practice of “metering,” under which thousands of individuals seeking asylum in the United States are forced to wait for prolonged periods in limbo in Mexico. This…
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HIRC Shares Resources for Immigrants Affected by ICE Raids

In anticipation of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE’s) plans to step up immigration enforcement beginning this weekend, the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program (HIRC) has posted a series of resources for affected Massachusetts residents. This includes information about immigrants’ legal rights, as well as resources for finding an attorney. “It’s important to remember…
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Intern Spotlight: Angelica

We all have heard the phrase that parents would do anything for their children, and my mom was no exception. When I was about eleven years old, my mom, my brother and I left El Salvador because of poverty, violence, and lack of opportunity. We packed our hopes and dreams, and our desire to stay,…
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Solitary Voices: A Series on the Solitary Confinement of Immigrants

“The investigation profiles immigrants held in solitary and a  whistleblower at DHS. The journalists analyzed and synthesized thousands of pages of records obtained on immigrants detained in solitary by ICE. The results of one of the clinic FOIAs are also cited).”

HIRC client wins asylum after eight years

Abraham* began his journey at the Harvard Immigration Clinic (HIRC) in 2011, when he first met Managing Attorney Phil Torrey. Abraham had suffered severe persecution at the hands of the government in his home country in East Africa and came to HIRC to help him build his case for asylum. Though Abraham had strong evidence…
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Refugee Protection at Risk: Remain in Mexico and Other Efforts to Undermine the U.S. Asylum System

HIRC Assistant Director Sabi Ardalan breaks down the harmful impacts the “Remain in Mexico” policy has on asylum seekers.

Meet the HIRC Summer 2019 Interns

Every summer, HIRC hosts students from across the country for internships at the Clinic. We are thrilled to welcome our latest group of interns who will be working with us for the next few months. Law students Sarah M. Deibler (Cleary Fellow) Sarah is a third-year S.J.D. student at Harvard Law School, where her research…
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HIRC wins case for Guatemalan family

On May 9th, Temporary Clinical Instructor Nate MacKenzie and clinical students Nora Picasso Uvalle LLM ’19 and Carolina Perez Feuerstein arrived at the Boston Immigration Court with their client and her family. They had submitted a massive, 650 page file that detailed how Isabel* and her children had faced severe persecution at the hands of…
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A Homeland Security Whistleblower Goes Public About ICE Abuse of Solitary Confinement

“One of the facilities covered in that report was the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility, which the inspector general visited in conjunction with the Buffalo Field Office, according to August 2016 emails obtained by Harvard Law School’s Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program and shared with The Intercept. A partially redacted write-up of the meeting at the…
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