Curriculum Guide · Courses

Professor Andrew Schoenholtz

J.D. Practicum 1045 | 5 credit hours

Immigrants in the United States face a variety of challenges in asserting their rights. This experiential learning course will focus on challenges faced by those imprisoned while the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) tries to remove them from the United States. Hundreds of thousands are detained every year during their removal proceedings, and their numbers have doubled since 2005. Over 80% of detained immigrants are not represented in immigration court. Indigent immigrants who are incarcerated generally appear pro se and face DHS counsel in adversarial proceedings before an Immigration Judge. With the aim of preparing to help detained immigrants understand and assert their rights, students will learn about the relevant legal regimes that govern the detention and removal of immigrants in the U.S. The seminar will examine the laws, policies and practices in each of these areas. Students will study and learn through experience the role of counsel with respect to protecting the rights of detained immigrants. Students will extern with advocacy organizations either conducting intake interviews aimed at assessing an immigrant’s eligibility for relief from deportation and making legal presentations, or engaging in policy research and analysis. To prepare students for learning new areas of law, students will conduct research and make class presentations. In order to maximize learning from the externships, students will write regular reflections on their field experience and on their observation of immigration court removal proceedings with the Capital Area Immigrants' Rights (CAIR) Coalition, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), and the Women's Refugee Commission. Partnerships with advocacy organizations have been arranged for seminar participants.

Recommended: Prior or concurrent enrollment is recommended in Immigration Law & Policy or Refugee Law & Policy. Prerequisites: Students must complete the required first-year program prior to enrolling in this course (part-time and interdivisional transfer students may enroll prior to completing Criminal Justice, Property, or their first-year elective).

Students may not concurrently enroll in this seminar and an externship or a clinic (except Street Law) or another practicum course.

Students who wish to receive credit for the Externship Seminar and a practicum course that has the same field placement may do so only if: (1) the practicum course is taken in a semester following the Externship Seminar; and (2) the student receives permission from the Assistant or the Associate Dean for Clinical Programs. To receive such permission, the student must explain in writing how the practicum course field work would serve substantially different learning goals than did their externship field placement.

THIS IS A PRACTICUM COURSE.

While not required, the ability to speak Spanish well will allow students with such skills to conduct certain field work assignments.

This is a 5 credit course. Two credits will be awarded for the 2-hour weekly seminar and 3 credits will be awarded for the supervised work, to be scheduled with the faculty. Note: The seminar portion will be graded. The 3 credits of supervised work is mandatory pass/fail and counts toward the 7 credit pass/fail limit. Students will be allowed to take another course pass/fail in the same semester as the supervised work.

Students who enroll in this course will be automatically enrolled in both the seminar and practicum components and may not take either component separately. A student wishing to withdraw from the course will be withdrawn from both the seminar and field work components.