Law 796:  Immigration Law Seminar

Immigration law is, and has long been, an important, contested, and complex field.  This seminar offers an introduction to the regulation of immigration and nationality in the United States, with a focus on core questions implicating who may enter, remain, and join.  Topics may include: the allocation of power over immigration (both within the federal system and between the federal and state governments); international aspects of refugee law and subsidiary protection; the integration of criminal and immigration law and systems (crimmigration); national security aspects of immigration law; Article III jurisdiction over immigration matters; and revocation of naturalization. 

Sequence and Prerequisites:  None, but familiarity with any of criminal law, administrative law, federal jurisdiction, federalism, international law, or international human rights law may be helpful in selecting a research topic.

Evaluation: This is a research seminar in which students will identify, research, and write about a topic related to immigration or nationality law. The topic is of the student’s choice, but must be approved by the professor in advance. The paper should be between thirty and forty double spaced pages inclusive of footnotes – about the length of a solid law review student note.