Center News
In Immigration Law Field Placements, Students Get a Crash Course in Practical and People Skills
As an undergraduate at Whitman College in Washington, Meg Keiser ’25 minored in Spanish and then interned at an immigration law firm her senior year. From that moment on, she knew she wanted to work in the field. While looking at options for law school, the Minnesota native was drawn to Minnesota Law due primarily to the James H. Binger Center for New Americans.
Minnesota Law Welcomes Visiting Professor Ana Pottratz Acosta
The University of Minnesota Law School is pleased to announce that Ana Pottratz Acosta will join Minnesota Law as a visiting professor during the 2025-26 academic year. She will lead the Immigration & Human Rights Clinic, part of the Law School's James H. Binger Center for New Americans.
The Binger Center Leans into the Labor Movement for its 2024 Fall Immigration Forum
The Binger Center for New Americans held its annual Fall Immigration Forum on Friday, October 11. The daylong event included more than 100 attendees and featured 20 panelists who explored the rights of immigrants to thrive within the U.S. economy. Legal and policy scholars discussed how the immigration system often extracts wealth from immigrant communities rather than creating opportunities for them to build it.
Now Hiring: Immigration Litigation and Advocacy Fellow
The University of Minnesota Law School is seeking applicants who are recent law graduates for an Immigration Litigation and Advocacy Fellowship with the James H. Binger Center for New Americans. The fellowship will begin in August 2025 and is anticipated to be a two-year commitment based on an annual, renewable appointment, with an optional third year.
Mahmoud Ahmed Begins Master of Human Rights Program and Joins ICGC as a Fellow
Mahmoud Ahmed, Education, Community, Outreach and Research Coordinator at the James H. Binger Center for New Americans, has been named a fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change (ICGC). Alongside this prestigious fellowship, Ahmed has begun a Master of Human Rights (MHR) degree at the University’s Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, in collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts.
Federal Immigration Litigation Clinic Partners with the American Immigration Council to Draft and Publish a New Practice Advisory
Minnesota Law’s Federal Immigration Litigation Clinic (FILC) — part of the James H. Binger Center for New Americans— has partnered with the American Immigration Council to publish a new practice advisory to assist practitioners in advocating for noncitizen clients before the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) and the U.S. Courts of Appeals, particularly in cases in which the government contends that a criminal conviction renders the client removable from the United States.
Prof. Linus Chan Among Attorneys Named Minnesota Attorneys of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer
Professor Linus Chan, the James H. Binger Professor of Clinical Law, has been named a Minnesota Attorney of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer in the Group category for his participation in "Immigration Attorneys for Drivers Licenses for All."
Minnesota Law Clinics Head to the U.S. Supreme Court in Important Immigration Case
Two University of Minnesota Law School clinics—the Federal Immigration Litigation Clinic (FILC) and the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic (CRA Clinic)—have joined together with the Houston-based law firms Gonzalez Olivieri LLC and Waterhouse, Dominguez & Strom PLLC to represent a noncitizen before the U.S. Supreme Court. The Clinics’ client, Mr.
James H. Binger Center for New Americans Prevails in Landmark Habeas Corpus Case
After years of work, the Binger Center for New Americans has achieved key objectives to protect the rights of noncitizens subject to immigration custody. The Binger Center’s work—spearheaded by the Federal Immigration Litigation Clinic (FILC), the Detainee Rights Clinic (DRC), and some of the Center’s nonprofit and law firm partners—has focused on noncitizens with criminal histories who are spending years in mandatory civil immigration detention in Minnesota with little opportunity to meaningfully challenge their custody.
