Immigration / Human Rights Policy Clinic

Recent Research & Reports

UNC Immigration/Human Rights Policy Clinic Releases New Study That Finds Dramatic Problems with the 287(g) Immigration Program

A federal law granting local police and sheriffs the power to act as immigration officials when faced with dangerous criminals or terrorists has instead created a climate of racial profiling and community insecurity, according to researchers at the UNC School of Law. A team of law students, led by Deborah Weissman, Reef C. Ivey II Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of Clinical Programs at UNC School of Law, and Katherine Parker and Rebecca Headen, lawyers with the ACLU in North Carolina Legal Foundation, released a report on the 287(g) Program in North Carolina titled, "The Policies and Politics of Local Immigration Enforcement Law". The report found that the agencies most closely reviewed have failed to comply with contracts governing the program, and proposes solutions, including greater transparency and a functional system for complaints or appeals.

Read UNC IHRP clinic's report (coauthored with the NC ACLU) on local enforcement of immigration laws in North Carolina:

Reply to U.S. Response to Specific Recommendations Identified By the CERD: The Rise of Racial Profiling, Discrimination and Abuse in Immigrant Communities as a Result of Local Enforcement of Immigration Laws

The Immigration/Human Rights Policy clinic contributed to the written response to the Oversight Committee for International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination on THE RISE OF RACIAL PROFILING, DISCRIMINATION AND ABUSE IN IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES AS A RESULT OF LOCAL ENFORCEMENT OF IMMIGRATION LAWS.

Interrogation & Detention Reform Act of 2008: A Critical Analysis

This report demonstrates the critical need for legislation that will fully foreclose the possibility of torture and extraordinary rendition from occurring in the future. One such effort is the Interrogation and Detention Reform Act of 2008 (IDRA), H.R. 591, introduced by Representative David Price of North Carolina. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the gaps in the existing legal framework that this legislation seeks to fill. Additionally, it provides suggestions on issues not addressed by this legislation relating to the treatment and detention of terror suspects that must be addressed, including a more explicitly defined prohibition on torture and a prohibition of extraordinary rendition. Finally, it addresses the issue of accountability for human rights violations that have occurred in recent years.

Read UNC IHRP clinic's report on proposed legislation on Interrogation and Detention:

DANGEROUS DETENTION: Human Rights Standards & Enforcement in Immigration Detention

Across North Carolina, increasing numbers of immigrants are being apprehended and locked up in county jails for months or even years pending the final outcome of their immigration cases. In response to increased detention, this report aims to provide advocates with the knowledge and tools to hold government authorities accountable for violations of immigrant detainee rights.

Read UNC IHRP clinic's report on Human Rights Standards and Enforcement in Immigration:

UN Oversight Committee (ICCPR) on Protecting the Rights of Domestic Workers in the United States Interrogation & Detention Reform Act of 2008: A Critical Analysis

The Cost of ICE's Policies and Practices

Read UNC IHRP clinic's report on the cost of ICE's policies and practices:

About the Clinic

The Immigration/Human Rights Policy Clinic is a two-semester clinic that provides students with an opportunity to represent clients in immigration cases and work on legal projects addressing human rights initiatives. Students work in teams of two or three, depending on the case or project, and consult with each other before and during weekly team meetings with their faculty supervisor. Students prepare claims and advocate on behalf of immigrant clients, including:

  • refugees applying for asylum
  • battered immigrants applying for VAWA relief
  • immigrants eligible for U (crime victim) Visas
  • immigrants eligible for T (trafficking) Visas
  • immigrants with claims to U.S. citizenship
  • other claims for permanent residency status

There may be opportunities for ancillary state court representation related to immigration cases, depending on the needs of the client.

Students will also engage in non-litigation strategies and collaborate with state, national, and international human rights organizations on legislative and rule-making proposals, policy matters, research papers, and amicus briefs. Topics may include trafficking, domestic workers, police reform, and various human rights treaty obligations and compliance. Students will work with organizations that are currently seeking to reframe domestic issues as human rights issues, and will engage in various law-related campaigns aimed at addressing a range of economic, social, and cultural human rights violations. The final written policy work that students produce will be due in the Spring semester and will satisfy a Rigorous Writing Requirement in that semester.

Requirements & Registration

All students meet weekly at a regularly scheduled class time to review cases and projects. Students will work in teams and have weekly team meetings with their faculty supervisor. All students enrolled in the clinic must attend the mandatory Clinic Intensive Weekend held near the beginning of the fall semester.

Prerequisites

None. Immigration law, International Law, International Human Rights Law, Trial Advocacy, and Evidence highly recommended.

Registration for the Immigration-Human Rights policy clinic is limited to 3rd year students. A registration meeting for Externship and Clinical Programs is held approximately one month into the Spring semester. Notices are posted throughout the Law School and placed in 2nd year students' mailboxes. After the registration meeting, 2nd year students are given several days to return the completed registration form. Please note that students may not enroll in any externship programs while enrolled in any other clinic.

The Immigration-Human Rights Policy Clinic is 4 credits in the Fall (pass/fail) and 4 credits in the Spring (graded).

Immigration-Human Rights Policy Clinic Faculty

How We Get Our Cases

Many of the immigration cases handled by the UNC Immigration/Human Rights Policy (IHRP) Clinic are referred by the North Carolina Justice Center and Legal Aid of North Carolina. On occasion, some cases are referred by other community agencies with which we work. The IHRP clinic works on human rights cases and projects in collaboration with state and national human rights organizations and civil rights groups. The faculty supervisor assigns these cases to the students who work in teams.

Resources

UNC Resources

  • Center for Civil Rights 919-843-3921
  • Center on Poverty Work & Opportunity 919-843-8796
  • Student Legal Services (for UNC students only) 919-962-1303

Helpful Links

  • North Carolina Justice Center: http://www.ncjustice.org/
    Client intake for immigration law matters takes place on Tuesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. only, and "walk-in" clients are NOT accepted (Spanish welcome). Phone: 1-888-251-2776 (toll free) and/or 919-856-2159.
  • Immigrants Legal Assistance Project (Part of North Carolina Justice Center): http://ncjustice.org.temp.nuvox.net/ilap/
    Phone: 919-856-2144 and/or 1-888-251-2776 (toll free).
  • Legal Aid of North Carolina : http://www.legalaidnc.org/
    Phone: Pittsboro: 919-542-0475 and/or Durham: 919-688-6396
  • Battered Immigrant Project (Part of Legal Aid of NC's Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative)
    Phone: 1-800-672-9304, ext. 112 (toll free), Raleigh: 919-856-2564, or Charlotte: 704-971-2589
  • Farmworkers' Legal Assistance Project (Part of Legal Aid of NC)
    Phone: 919-856-2144, 1-866-415-1389 (in USA), or 001-866-237-6066 (collect from Mexico)
  • U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (site with official immigration forms): http://www.uscis.gov/
  • USDOJ Executive Office of Immigration Review: http://www.usdoj.gov/eoir/
  • En espanol (Informacion de la oficina del gobernador de Carolina del Norte): http://www.ncgov.com/1224,1224,Espanol_(Spanish),Espanol_(Spanish).html

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will the UNC Immigration/Human Rights Policy (IHRP) Clinic represent me in a matter?
A: The IHRP Clinic can only accept cases that are referred to us by an organization or agency with which we have a referral agreement. We do not handle any direct intake from clients who are seeking assistance.

Q: Will the IHRP Clinic give me legal advice?
A: The IHRP Clinic can only give legal advice to individuals and groups who are clients of the clinic.

Q: If the IHRP Clinic can not help me do you know of any other legal service resources that may be able to help me?
A: Yes. Please see our Resources & Helpful Links sections listed above.