Immigration Law
Detroit Mercy Law offers many courses in the areas of immigration law from human rights law to hands on opportunities in our Immigration Law Clinic. Students who decide they wish to specialize in family law can also pursue a concentration.
Faculty
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Professor Andrew Moore
Andrew Moore, Professor of Law, is an expert in immigration law and international human rights law. In 2000, he founded the immigration law clinic at Detroit Mercy Law. His scholarship focuses on the needs of immigrants, including articles on the intersection of criminal law and immigration law, refugee issues between the U.S. and Canada, widespread fraud in the provision of legal services and the need for improved mental health care for immigrants in the United States.
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Professor Alex Vernon
Alex Vernon, Director, Immigration Law Clinic, and Assistant Professor of Law, has practiced exclusively in immigration law. He practiced Piston & Carpenter, P.C. and Siegel, Gross & Tou, P.C. specializing in family immigration, removal proceedings, and asylum/humanitarian relief. Professor Vernon is a volunteer attorney with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and Freedom House Detroit. He is a Board Member of Detroit's Southwest Immigrant and Refugee Center and the Organizationón International de Latinos en el Exterior as well as participating in the Canadian Council of Refugees. He is fluent in French.
Concentration
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Concentration Requirements
The Concentration in Immigration Law allows students with an interest in immigration to develop expertise in this area by taking a comprehensive range of courses offered at Detroit Mercy Law. Students who successfully apply for and complete the Immigration Concentration requirements will have a designation on their official transcripts. Students must complete 15 credits with a minimum 3.0 GPA in each of the following courses. Students may not opt to take any of these courses Pass/No Pass.
One of the following courses:
- U.S. Immigration Law (Detroit Mercy Law)
- U.S. and Canadian Immigration Law (Detroit Mercy Law)
- Canadian Immigration Law (Windsor Law)
At least 12 credits from the following courses:- Immigration Law Clinic
- Advanced Immigration Law Clinic
- Immigration Law Firm Program
- Immigration-related Externship
- Immigration Law Seminar
Students may apply to the Immigration Law Concentration by completing the application form, which is due in the Law School Registrar’s Office by the semester in which a student graduates.
Representative Courses
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Immigration Law
This course studies the constitutional and extra-constitutional law bases and restrictions on the power to regulate immigration into the United States. Included are substantive and procedural laws and regulations governing admission and removal of non-citizens from the United States; substantive and procedural laws governing admission of refugees and asylum seekers; and ethical issues related to the practice of immigration law and the operation of our immigration system.
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Human Rights Law
This course will cover the developing international norms for human rights and the evolving methods of protecting human rights according to those norms. More particularly, this course introduces the history of the international human rights movement through the drafting, ratification and implementation of the fundamental human rights covenants.
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Selected Topics in Immigration Law
Rather than operating as an advanced course, students will be free to pick from a wide range of possible issues on the cutting edge of the field, including: comprehensive immigration reform, refugee policy, Constitutional issues surrounding birthright citizenship and deportation, and the role of states in the immigration system.
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Immigration Law Firm Program
This course will provide students the background to evaluate the immigration-related impact of a simulated corporate transaction. Students will gain an understanding of commonly used US work visa categories, employment-based immigration, immigration-related employer compliance, and issues raised when a business is reorganized, acquired or merged.
Clinic
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Immigration Law Clinic & Advanced Immigration Law Clinic
Students will represent immigrants seeking a variety of relief and benefits, including family sponsorship, Violence Against Women Act petitions, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Students will also represent clients in trials before the U.S. Immigration Court and hearings before the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Immigration Law Association
The Immigration Law Association is a student organization concerned with immigration law and policy in the United States. The organization seeks to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members. The organization believes that the principles of decency, reason, humanity, and compassion must have a place in immigration law and policy. The organization also believes that those who enforce immigration law and policy must have concern for the way in which it affects the lives of people. The organization’s goal is to uphold the hope of creating an America better for all.
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Organization Objectives
The objectives of the organization are to: (1) increase member and student participation in advocacy for immigration-related interests by (a) informing members and students about current U.S. immigration law and policy and (b) enhancing respect for immigration law. The organization also seeks to (2) increase the level of knowledge and responsibility of its members by (a) empowering members in pursuing their interest in immigration law, (b) promoting competent, ethical, and lawful immigration services, and (c) encouraging and facilitating member participation in, and support for, pro bono services and programs.
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Leadership
