LAW-2429 Advanced Immigration Law
This course will be covering the intersection of criminal and immigration law, known in the field as crimimmigration. Students will first be introduced to the crimimmigration system which includes the ways in which criminal convictions impact a persons ability to obtain immigration status or defend against deportation and criminal laws that penalize immigration violations. Because the introduction to the legal framework occurs in this class, there is no prerequisite. Certainly, the introductory course, Immigration Law would be useful in helping students understand the larger context in which crimimmigration operates but it is not required. After the introductory material, the class will explore perspectives from government officials, scholars and practitioners on what crimimmigration is, the need for the system and critiques of the system. Students will be asked to consider how this system of interlocking methods of detention and penalties developed, what political and legal theories underpin the system and whether there are alternatives that could be explored. The readings for the course will draw mostly from scholarly articles, book chapters, media pieces and opinion pieces with some case law to ground our discussion. Enrollment in the course is limited to 16. Assessment will be based on class participation (15%) and a final paper (85%). Students may use the paper to complete their Legal Writing Requirement only if the student proposes a paper topic for approval within the first two weeks of the semester.