Immigrants' Rights Policy Clinic

The Immigrants’ Rights Policy Clinic addresses broad-based, systemic issues of immigration law and immigrants’ rights in a practical setting that tests how rights are put into practice.

In prior semesters, IRPC students have worked with the Center for Immigration Law and Policy, community organizations and coalitions, as well as clients to advocate for universal representation for immigrants facing removal proceedings, develop a public education campaign related to prolonged immigration detention, and examine the operation of federal policies expediting asylum cases for families with young children. IRPC students have also worked with community activists and local officials and administrators to draft laws affecting immigrants and their families and communities, including on access to education, as well as local involvement with federal immigration enforcement. 

We will not generally represent individual clients directly, but we will work closely with people in immigrant communities to understand their needs and the solutions that the law may be able to provide.  We will collaborate with nonprofit organizations who are working on cutting-edge immigrants’ rights issues.  We should expect some of our projects to arise out of projects (possibly including litigation) undertaken by the law school's Center for Immigration Law and Policy, and we may have some projects arising out of the direct representation work of the law school’s Immigrant Family Legal Clinic.

The classroom component will meet for two hours weekly, to cover key aspects of the law defining the state and local role in immigrants’ rights, and to develop skills that Clinic projects will require. The other two hours will generally be devoted more directly to Clinic projects.

Students who will have taken Immigration Law (Law 331) or its equivalent will receive some preference in enrollment, but Immigration Law is not a prerequisite.

This is a graded four-unit course, by letter grade (A to F), with the grade based on a combination of classroom engagement and your work on Clinic projects, including meetings with collaborating attorneys and client organizations.

Schedule and logistics:
Much of the work on Clinic projects can be done on campus, but students will need to travel inside Los Angeles County to meet with collaborating attorneys, clients, and other stakeholders.  

Work on Clinic projects, in addition to preparing for and attending classroom sessions, will require a substantial time commitment — ten hours per week, or more, depending the timing and urgency of particular matters.

Unavoidable client and stakeholder needs may require you to miss a few sessions of other courses.

Readings:
Course readings, both substantive and skills-focused, will depend on Clinic projects and be available on the MyLaw course website and/or Teams.