FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT cilp@law.ucla.edu; Hayley Burgess, 626-497-2341; Lynn Tramonte, 202-255-0551

LOS ANGELES — The UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy is assembling some of the brightest minds and sharpest strategists in the immigration advocacy movement, on three consecutive Fridays, in a virtual conference discussing the Biden administration’s first 100 days of immigration policy and where to go from here. This first-ever conference for the new Center is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

• WHAT: “Immigration Policy in the Biden Administration: The First 100 Days and Beyond” - a three-day virtual conference with exciting panels and some of the nation’s top leaders on immigration law, policy, and activism
• WHO: Hosted by the UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy, led by immigrants’ rights scholars Ahilan Arulanantham and Hiroshi Motomura
• WHEN: Friday April 23, April 30, and May 7, 2021 from 9:30am-3:30pm PT (with breaks)
• WHERE More information and registration links for each day are available here: http://bit.ly/CILP100Days and below.

Members of the media, advocates, policymakers, and scholars will find the panels dynamic and thought-provoking. Read more about each day below, and register for one, or all, of the sessions.

Hiroshi Motomura, Susan Westerberg Prager Distinguished Professor of Law and Faculty Co-Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law, said: “The Center exists to generate innovative ideas at the intersection of immigration scholarship and practice, and transform those ideas into meaningful changes in policy.”

Added Ahilan Arulanantham, Professor from Practice and Faculty Co-Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law: “After four years of a repressive, anti-immigrant regime that had no apparent respect for immigrants, there is new leadership at DHS and the White House with a dynamically different vision. We look forward to bringing together many leaders and scholars for these forward-thinking, creative, and challenging discussions.”

Panel information and registration links follow.

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Founded in 2020, the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) at the UCLA School of Law expands the law school’s role as a national leader in immigration law and policy, generating innovative ideas at the intersection of immigration scholarship and practice and serving as a hub for transforming those ideas into meaningful changes in immigration policy.

Follow the Center on Twitter @UCLAImmigration

Virtual Conference: Immigration Policy in the Biden’s Administration’s First 100 Days – Three Day Overview

Day One (April 23): Activism; Litigation; Detention

Register bit.ly/DayOneCILP

Panels

Lessons from “The Infiltrators”

Hear from some of the people behind the award-winning documentary The Infiltrators, which tells the story of a small group of undocumented youth who infiltrated an immigration jail during the Obama era and organized from within. One of the film’s stars will appear from Argentina, because he was deported there by the Trump Administration after his efforts to promote the film. What happened to him and others offers important lessons for how advocates should think about immigrants’ rights work in the years to come. Conference registrants will receive a link to watch the film in advance.

Immigrants’ Rights Litigation in the Biden Administration: A Conversation with Cecillia Wang

Cecillia Wang, Deputy Director of the national American Civil Liberties Union and Director of the Center for Democracy, will discuss her experience leading national immigrants’ rights litigation and her perspective on how to construct a pro-immigrant litigation strategy in the Biden Administration.

Should Immigration Detention Be Abolished?

The Biden administration has signaled that there should be fewer people in immigration detention, but has also made clear that it does see a role for some incarceration. Many advocates are pushing for the total abolition of immigration detention. What is the way forward?

Day Two (April 30): Movement Lawyering; the Department of Homeland Security; Asylum

Register bit.ly/DayTwoCILP

Panels

Movement Lawyering During the Biden Administration

Movement-driven litigation has protected large groups of immigrants, including DACA recipients, people with TPS, and many others. but such collaborations can also lead to conflict. This panel will bring together top litigators, community lawyers, and movement leaders to discuss how stakeholders can work together to make lasting change.

The Biden Administration’s First 100 Days in Immigration: A Conversation With A Special Guest

Ahilan Arulanantham, Faculty Co-Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy, will interview a special guest and prominent public official (to be announced later) about progress the Biden Administration has made in revamping U.S. immigration policy in its first 100 days, and their goals for the months and years to come.

Asylum and Other Humanitarian Protections - The Short and Long Term

This panel will bring academics and leading immigrant and border advocates together in a conversation about the Biden Administration’s asylum policy so far; what a just and humane asylum system would look like; and how to create it.

Day Three (May 7): Inside vs. Outside Strategies; Congress vs. the Executive Branch

Register bit.ly/DayThreeCILP

Panels

Building Power During the Biden Administration -- Inside vs. Outside Advocacy

With so many movement leaders taking roles in the Biden Administration, how are advocates looking at inside/outside strategies to advance pro-immigrant policies? This panel will bring together leaders from across the country to discuss power dynamics and strategies to enact positive immigration change.

The Role of Congress in Shaping Pro-Immigrant Legislation: A Conversation With A Special Guest

Hiroshi Motomura, Faculty Co-Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy, will discuss a range of immigration issues with an important congressional leader whose name will be announced at a later date.

Congress, the President, and Legal Status – Who Should Do What, And When?

In this panel, we invite experienced advocates to share their thoughts on administrative relief as a path to legalization. How can calls for administrative relief support rather than undermine legislative efforts? They will discuss whether and how such efforts should be centered in immigrants’ rights advocacy going forward.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.