Conference: "Immigrant Detainees: Alone, Unrepresented, & Imprisoned"

Fri, 2012-03-23 08:30 - 18:00

Registration is now open for the conference: http://www.law.newark.rutgers.edu/immigrant-detention-registration

The itinerary may be viewed here: http://www.law.newark.rutgers.edu/files/ImmigrantDetaineesProgram.pdf
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8:00am – 8:45am -- Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:45am – 9:00am -- Welcome Remarks

• Amy Gottlieb, Esq., American Friends Service Committee

9:00am – 10:30am -- Immigration Incarceration

The jail-like and inhumane conditions of civil immigration detention run counter to the promises of immigration reform by the Obama Administration.  Panelists will present information about who is detained, where, and for how long, as well as the conditions of their confinement.

• Moderator: Prof. Alina Das, New York University School of Law
• Warren Joseph, Families for Freedom
• Lauren Major & Semuteh Freeman, NYU Immigrant Rights Clinic
• Annie Sovcik, Esq., Human Rights First
• Seth Freed Wessler, Colorlines.com

10:45am – 12:15pm -- Mandatory Detention: Impact, Alternatives & Paths to Reform

Panelists will speak about the legal landscape and effects of mandatory detention, as well as alternatives to detention. Panelists will also discuss legal and non-legal challenges to detention and the need to fight the synergistic relationship between mandatory detention and deportation.

• Moderator: Prof. Betsy Ginsberg, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
• Judy Rabinovitz, Esq., ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project
• Ravi Ragbir, New Sanctuary Movement
• Silky Shah, Detention Watch Network

12:30pm – 1:30pm -- Working Lunch: A Flawed Alternative?

A presentation by Rutgers–Newark Immigrant Rights Clinic students on their report examining conditions of post-detention orders of supervision and release on recognizance.

1:45pm – 3:15pm -- Access to Justice for Detainees in Immigration Proceedings

This panel will shift the focus from fairness in the conditions of and reasons behind detention to factors affecting the fair and effective administration of justice for detainees. Panelists will discuss issues such as the use of video hearings, lawyers’ restricted access to their clients, pro se individuals’ restricted access to a law library or computer technology, the agency’s transfer and removal procedures, difficulties faced by detainees with mental health issues, and other variables that impact the likelihood of success in immigration proceedings for detainees.

• Moderator: Prof. Anju Gupta, Rutgers School of Law–Newark
• Prof. Alice Clapman, University of Baltimore School of Law
• Hon. Robert A. Katzmann, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• Lawrence S. Lustberg, Esq., Gibbons PC
• Amelia Wilson, Esq., American Friends Service Committee

3:30pm – 5:00pm -- A Call to Action: Promoting Pro Bono Representation in Immigration Proceedings

This panel will focus on immigrant detainees' access to counsel and ways in which attorneys and law students can get involved. Panelists will discuss the need for greater pro bono representation in detained immigration cases and the right to counsel in immigration proceedings. Panelists also will discuss the importance of involvement from the private bar, NGOs, and law school clinics, and will explore resources for pro bono counsel.

• Moderator: Prof. Lori A. Nessel, Seton Hall University School of Law
• Hon. Michael A. Chagares, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• Lynn M. Kelly, Esq., City Bar Justice Center
• Catherine Weiss, Esq., Lowenstein Sandler PC

5:00pm – 5:30pm -- Keynote address

• U.S. Senator Robert Menendez