Binger Center Students, Alumni, and Faculty Participate in AILA National Day of Action

On April 17, a delegation from the University of Minnesota Law School’s James H. Binger Center for New Americans traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) National Day of Action, joining immigration attorneys and advocates from across the country in meetings with members of Congress and their staff.

The Minnesota delegation included Sarah Brenes, executive director of the Binger Center; Kelly Shanahan, immigration and human rights fellow; and Sam Miller ’26, a student director of the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic. They were joined by Minnesota Law alumni Lindsey Greising ’12, policy counsel at The Advocates for Human Rights and chair of the Minnesota/Dakotas AILA Advocacy Committee, and Jesse Goldfarb ’18, attorney at Nilan Johnson Lewis and vice-chair of the Minnesota/Dakotas AILA Chapter. Other participants included Maria Miller, chair of the Minnesota/Dakotas AILA Chapter; Thomas Anderson, founding attorney at Anderson & Anderson Law; and Ryan Wood, former immigration judge and founding attorney at Emeriti Law.

Delegation members met with congressional staff representing constituents in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota to discuss how current immigration laws and enforcement policies are affecting immigrant communities throughout the Midwest. Conversations focused on opportunities for Congress to adopt practical and humane immigration reforms, including reforming ICE and Border Patrol practices, expanding legal pathways for migration, and strengthening communities through pathways to permanent legal status.

For Miller, the experience directly connects to his path to law school and to his advocacy work. “I went to law school after teaching first grade in a Minnesota public school for six years because of the challenges many of my immigrant students faced,” says Miller. “I wanted to learn how to advocate for them outside the classroom so that they could spend their time inside the classroom focused on being kids.”

Miller says the opportunity to speak directly with congressional offices about the experiences of immigrant children and families was especially meaningful. “In D.C., I shared my experience as a first-grade teacher as I met with congressional offices to advocate for policies that would protect first-grade students like mine,” he says. “I am proud of the work we did and look forward to building on this experience as I begin my career as an attorney.”

Brenes emphasized the importance of bringing clinical and field-based experience into national policy conversations. “This is a challenging moment for immigrant rights,” Brenes says. “Immigration lawyers depend on laws that reflect modern global realities and operate with fairness and efficiency. Participating in the National Day of Action allows the Binger Center’s faculty and students to share insights from their clinical and fieldwork experience with lawmakers and support the development of just, inclusive immigration policies.”

Shanahan highlights the value of helping lawmakers understand the long-term effects of immigration enforcement actions on local communities. “While lawmakers and their staffers often go out of their way to learn what is happening on the ground in their home states, it is still difficult for them to get the whole picture,” says Shanahan.

She notes that conversations in Washington included discussions about the lingering impacts of immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota communities, including fear among immigrant families and diminished trust in public institutions. “In D.C., we were able to discuss the ill effects of the surge, especially the eroded trust in law enforcement and the continued fear of migrants in accessing medical care or attending school,” says Shanahan. “Being a part of a coalition of lawyers who practice throughout Minnesota and the Dakotas felt as if it carried a special weight, given what we’ve been through this year.”