Mobilizing Coherent Community Responses to Changing Immigration Policies | Detention and Deportation Defense

July 14, 2017

From June 7-9, 2017, scholars, researchers, community organizers, service providers, elected officials, leaders of faith communities, immigrant advocates, and others, joined together for a 3-day conference on how diverse communities are working together to protect, empower and meet the needs of immigrants and refugees in an era of heightened uncertainty. The conference examined “whole of community” responses to protecting and empowering immigrants and offered models and best practices for moving forward amidst numerous challenges.

The event was hosted by the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS), Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance of Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston, the Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative, and the South Texas College of Law Houston.

This panel covered the defense of persons in detention and in removal proceedings. Panelists discussed how organized communities can assert and defend their rights, how to establish coordinated removal defense projects, and whole-of-community responses to the threat of removal.

Moderator: Rosemary Vega, Supervising Clinical Attorney of the Immigration Clinic, University of Houston Law Center

Vanessa Esparza-López, Managing Attorney, National Immigrant Justice Center

Bob Libal, Executive Director, Grassroots Leadership

Randolph P. McGrorty, Executive Director, Catholic Legal Services, Archdiocese of Miami

Patricia Ortiz, Program Director, Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project

More information at https://cmsny.org/event/2017-due-process-conference/