The Expanding Mandate: Immigration and the Courts

About this event

Since the 1990s, in the face of Congress’ failure to act on immigration reform, courts have stepped in to fill the gaps and shape U.S. immigration policy. Though members of Congress have put forward immigration legislation, their efforts have largely been in vain, and the ‘vacuum’ of immigration reform has led many to turn to the federal courts to remake immigration policy.

This virtual discussion will examine how courts are shaping U.S. immigration policy, how we can expect the role of courts to play out in this policy space if Congress does not act, and what this means for immigration policy moving forward.

Featured Participants

Introduction by:

Theresa Cardinal Brown
Managing Director, Immigration and Cross-Border Policy, BPC

Panel discussion with:

Leon Fresco
Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Immigration Litigation, U.S. Department of Justice; Immigration Attorney, Holland & Knight

Ilya Somin
Professor of Law, George Mason University

Karen Tumlin
Founder and Director, Justice Action Center

Moderated by:

Ellen M. Gilmer
Senior Homeland Security Reporter, Bloomberg Government