From Ellis Island to the Mexican border, the controversy over immigration law has only intensified and become more critical to U.S. policymakers. Virginia’s Immigration Law Program allows students to explore the key legal and public policy issues affecting this debate, including who should qualify for political asylum, the relationship between immigration and national security, and how globalization affects migration patterns.
Virginia is unusual among schools of its caliber in offering a program in Immigration Law. The program benefits students who are preparing for careers in the field as well as those who are pursuing careers in criminal law, business law, family law, administrative law, or public policy, or who simply have an interest in immigration issues. With opportunities to examine immigration law both in and outside the classroom, Virginia provides an ideal forum for considering philosophical and theoretical issues, including national and cultural identity, moral philosophy and the ethics of international relations, and the links between U.S. law and policy and international human rights. In addition, students may build practical skills through an Immigration Clinic and several pro bono programs offering aid to individual clients. The program frequently brings experts in immigration law—including leading attorneys and policy advocates, current and former government officials, immigration judges, and others—to campus for talks, panel lectures, and symposia.
Contact: David Martin, Program Director
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