The immigration landscape is shifting rapidly. Recent federal actions have expanded detention authority, including mandatory detention without bond hearings for certain noncitizens already living in the U.S., imposed sweeping restrictions on asylum seekers, and sparked legal challenges in courts, including the Ninth Circuit. Reports of multiple deaths in immigration custody have intensified debate over enforcement and humanitarian protections, while cuts to food, housing, and health assistance have placed additional strain on refugee and noncitizen households nationwide.

On Tuesday, May 5, at 10 am PT, the Pacific Council and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) are hosting a webinar to examine the evolving landscape of refugee protection and immigration policy in the U.S. Against the backdrop of intense national debate over federal enforcement and asylum policy, including nationwide protests over ICE enforcement practices and ongoing litigation shaping asylum eligibility at the U.S.–Mexico border, this conversation will unpack how current policy shifts affect refugees and immigrants along with the legal frameworks intended to protect them. Members will hear from Courtney McCausland, Immigration Attorney and Managing Attorney at IRC, Manuel Orozco, Director of the Migration, Remittances, and Development Program at the Inter-American Dialogue, and Michelle Ortiz, Director of US Legal Services at IRC. 

Why it's important:

• The administration reinterpreted immigration law to allow mandatory detention without bond hearings for certain noncitizens already living in the U.S., not just recent border arrivals.
• Authorities in Buffalo determined that the death of a Rohingya refugee, Nurul Amin Shah Alam, was a homicide. The case comes amid reports of multiple deaths in immigration custody or related contexts this year, intensifying debate over enforcement policies and humanitarian protections.
• Under a new Trump administration policy, refugees who have not applied for a green card after being legally in the United States for a year could be arrested so they can be "inspected and examined for admission." 

To register for this webinar, visit the Zoom Registration Page.

In partnership with:

 

 

Guest Speaker

Courtney McCausland is a practicing immigration attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she serves as a Managing Attorney at the International Rescue Committee. She has represented individuals and families before USCIS, various Immigration Courts, in appeals to the BIA and Ninth Circuit, and in various California State Court hearings. At the IRC, Courtney works to expand access to justice and provide legal services to immigrant communities in Northern California. Prior to joining IRC, Courtney worked as the Co-Director of the Immigration Unit at the East Bay Community Law Center. She is also a Lecturer on Legal Research & Writing at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She has a particular passion for serving women, and her professional interests include advocacy and policy making in the social justice areas of immigration, gender and racial equity, reproductive justice, and human rights.

Guest Speaker

Manuel Orozco is the director of the Migration, Remittances, and Development Program at the Inter-American Dialogue. He also serves as a senior fellow at Harvard University’s Center for International Development and as a senior adviser with the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

Orozco has conducted extensive research, policy analysis, and advocacy on issues relating to global flows of remittances as well as migration and development worldwide. He is chair of Central America and the Caribbean at the US Foreign Service Institute and senior researcher at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University.

Orozco frequently testifies before Congress and has spoken before the United Nations. He holds a PhD in political science from the University of Texas at Austin, an MA in public administration and Latin American studies, and a BA in international relations from the National University of Costa Rica.

Orozco has published widely on remittances, Latin America, globalization, democracy, migration, conflict in war-torn societies, and minority politics. His books include International Norms and Mobilization for Democracy (2002), Remittances: Global Opportunities for International Person-to-Person Money Transfers (2005), América Latina y el Caribe: Desarrollo, migración y remesas (2012), and Migrant Remittances and Development in the Global Economy (2013).

Guest Speaker

Michelle Ortiz is the Director, US Legal Services at the International Rescue Committee (IRC). As Director of US Legal Services, she provides strategic direction and oversight to a growing network of immigration legal programs across 24 RAI US offices, providing a wide scope of immigration legal services, including in support of refugees, asylum-seekers, Cuban and Haitian entrants, individuals facing removal proceedings, and unaccompanied children.

Prior to joining the IRC, Michelle served as Deputy Director with Americans for Immigrant Justice, a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of the most vulnerable immigrants in Florida.

A graduate of Stetson University College of Law, Michelle has over 18 years of legal, advocacy, and leadership experience seeking justice for vulnerable noncitizens, including asylum-seekers, survivors of gender-based violence, victims of human trafficking, unaccompanied minors, and individuals experiencing the dehumanizing detention and deportation systems.

Born and raised in Miami, Michelle is the daughter of Cuban refugees and is familiar with the pain of family separation and the tragedies associated with forced migration. She has witnessed professionally and personally how just laws and welcoming policies can alleviate suffering and pave the way for a future that everyone deserves – experiences that furthered her commitment to ensuring access to due process and comprehensive legal representation for the immigrant community.

 

To register for this webinar, visit the Zoom Registration Page.