Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently upended decades of U.S. legal precedent by asserting that women fleeing domestic violence will not generally qualify for asylum. To do so, he challenged the principle that women victims of domestic violence are members of a “particular social group.” This phrase – “particular social group” – is critical to the work of immigration lawyers like myself.
Statement of Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program on Matter of A-B- issued by Attorney General Sessions on June 11 The June 11 decision issued by Attorney General Sessions in Matter of A-B- is deeply flawed and inconsistent with our domestic and international obligations under the 1980 Refugee Act and the 1967 Protocol to the…
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Leaders in the development of gender asylum jurisprudence challenge attempt to strip decades-old protections for women who fear persecution. Cambridge, MA – Today the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program (HIRC) joins the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Human Rights First (HRF) and Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) in filing a brief of amicus…
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On October 27th, in honor of the bicentennial celebration of the Harvard Law School, HIRC led a conversation on gender asylum titled “Women Refugees And Why Law Matters.” The session, which was organized and moderated by HIRC’s Sabi Ardalan (HLS’02), brought together a diverse group of speakers who offered unique perspectives on the state of…
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Check out HIRC’s press coverage from 2016: “Sanctuary cities stand strong against Trump” (Politico, 12/12/16) “Santa Fe mayor defends sanctuary cities, says studies don’t show increase in crime” (Politifact, 11/28/16) “Support for the undocumented” (Harvard Gazette, 11/28/16) “Harvard Law professors and scholars: state governors have no legal authority to block refugees” (Huffington Post, 11/18/16) “Sanctuary…
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Students enrolled in the Crimmigration Clinic at Harvard Law School engaged in cutting-edge research and immersed themselves in legal proceedings at the intersection of criminal and immigration law. The four students enrolled in this Clinic were constantly occupied in this evolving field, partaking in mock arguments of appellate court cases and going to immigration court to…
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Some nice infographics on the latest asylum figures in Europe via Thomson Reuters here. Interestingly, Germany received the largest number of applications – 75,000+! Additionally, Asylum Aid and ECRE published their latest report on asylum in Europe, filled with tons of important information and certainly worth reading if you are looking at asylum comparatively.
Social Worker (Part-Time) Job description – Conduct intake with clinical clients to assess mental health and service needs – Provide counseling and case management for survivors of torture, severe domestic violence and complex trauma – Work with city and state agencies and non-profit organizations that provide services and/or benefits to low-income, undocumented immigrants in order…
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In November 2012, the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic arranged for continuing clinical student Marisa Taney ’13 to work with the University of Buenos Aires and as well as two other amazing organizations, CELS and CAREF, doing great work in refugee law. Read about her experience in her own words below! “When I chose to…
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The following post was written by Mary Triick, a current 3L HLS student who worked with HIRC for multiple semesters. She writes here about the value of working with asylum-seekers at the Clinic: I started working with the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic at the beginning of my second year of law school. As I…
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