Social Movements & the Law

The United States resettles thousands of refugees worldwide to provide families a safe place to live. The U.S. government works with approved agencies to encourage refugees to become self-reliant in their new American homes. Learn more about the U.S. assistance programs and services to help refugees.

The Immigration Law Students Association and the Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library hosted a Book Talk on Tuesday, April 5, 2022 featuring independent journali...

First part of a blog post detailing the history of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

This ACLU research report, No Fighting Chance: ICE's Denial of Access to Counsel in U.S. Immigration Detention Centers, provides the first comprehensive study of the barriers to access to counsel in

I've been in the States for over three months now. This was my third emigration. The first was from Canada to the US when I was little. Then back to Canada, and now back to the US. The Canadian move was easy for me but I had to learn a lot about immigration law to…

Domestic abuse survivor Ny Nourn lived this pipeline. Then her fight against this system became a fight for others.

The latest stories on the Trump administration's policy to separate immigrant parents from their children at border crossings.

Lawmakers and activists are cautiously optimistic that the massive, sustained protest movement in the wake of George Floyd's death could bring major reforms that they have long pushed for.

In keeping with our commitment to promoting open and equal access to justice for all, we at the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library have assembled a list of online resources to help answer questions regarding the United States immigration process. Some of the resources provided are availa

What do you think?

Border Patrol agents in Arizona have confiscated the turbans of dozens of Sikh men seeking asylum in the US, violating their civil rights and government policies, the ACLU says in a letter calling for an end to the practice.

Questions remain if the containers will act as a deterrent for migrants hoping to cross the border

When President Barack Obama introduced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2012, it was a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to the country illegally as children, so-called “Dreamers.”But for many of the years since, it has been in legal limbo — challenged in the courts, thrown out by the Trump administration — but so far, it’s survived.Now, the future of the program known as DACA lies in the hands of an appeals court panel of judges in New Orleans.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced an effort to stack more shipping containers to form a wall along the Mexico border, weeks after the federal government said some containers were placed illegally.

By Michael McArthur The final day of the 2022 IALL Annual Course opened with an eye-opening review of U.S. immigration law and policy, presented by the founding director of Stanford’s Immigrants’ R…

Lake and Hobbs' plans for border security and immigration vary widely.

The Covid-19 pandemic has spotlighted the crisis low wage immigrant and migrant (“im/migrant”) workers face when caught between the century-long collision betwe

Southern New England, today, is a de facto exception to much of U.S. Indian law and policy, with progress sustained by Indigenous peoples in the region at a bar

DETAINED is an ongoing collaboration among former immigrant detainees, the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project (FIRRP), and the University of Arizona (UA) that collects and publicly archives the oral histories of asylum seekers formerly incarcerated by immigration authorities in Arizona. The multilingual, open-access archive, hosted by the UA Libraries, maintains a tangible record that counters the vast emergent landscape of the for-profit immigrant detention industry. This community archive is one of the few forums for former detainees to share their experiences, helping to fundamentally shift the historical narrative of immigration to the United States.

The Cocopah Indian Tribe says the state of Arizona acted against its wishes by stacking shipping containers on its land to prevent illegal border crossings.

Given how many legislative attacks there are on transgender people's lives and existence, allies need to take the time to speak up on Transgender Day of Visibility, which is March 31 each year, to defend the lives and experiences of trans and nonbinary people.

Violence and economic oppression affect women the world over, and women with disabilities face even greater risks than their counterparts. Women with disabilities experience violence and poverty in different ways and at higher rates than non-disabled women and all men. This book explores gender-based violence and disability from the vantage point of resistance movements. Emphasis is placed on giving voice to the experiences of thirteen community organizers and self-advocates working to end gender-based violence. These stories, told from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, India, Kenya, United States, Nepal, and Yemen identify common challenges and transformative aspects of community organizing. The challenges that emerged from these stories were negative perceptions of disability, a lack of representation in disability and feminist movements, inadequately addressing intersectional oppression, structural violence, and rights, justice and policy issues. These community organizers and advocates also identified important transformative elements which they describe as seeing their experiences reflected in the work, wanting a better situation for others, a raised awareness about gender-based violence against people with disabilities, having support from the community, and improved advocacy. The book concludes with a discussion on the ways that movements to end violence can transform individual and collective consciousness about disability and gender oppression. Ultimately, in order for social movements to be ongoing and progressive, they require supporters and actors who individually and collectively recognize a common struggle, share a desire to ensure better for themselves and others, and exhibit a propensity to act.

"An excellent resource for students of Native American women's history, Wilma Mankiller provides an overview of contemporary federal Indian policy and explores how Mankiller negotiated the relationship between the Cherokee Nation and the United States in the late 20th century"--

"In the updated second edition of Whipping Girl, Julia Serano, a transsexual woman whose supremely intelligent writing reflects her diverse background as a lesbian transgender activist and professional biologist, shares her powerful experiences and observations -- both pre- and post-transition -- to reveal the ways in which fear, suspicion, and dismissiveness toward femininity shape our societal attitudes toward trans women, as well as gender and sexuality as a whole. Serano's well-honed arguments stem from her ability to bridge the gap between the often-disparate biological and social perspectives on gender. In this provocative manifesto, she exposes how deep-rooted the cultural belief is that femininity is frivolous, weak, and passive, and how this "feminine" weakness exists only to attract and appease male desire. In addition to debunking popular misconceptions about transsexuality, Serano makes the case that today's feminists and transgender activists must work to embrace and empower femininity -- in all of its wondrous forms."--provided by Amazon.com.

"As we become more aware of various social injustices in the world, many of us want to be part of the movement toward positive change. But sometimes our best intentions cause unintended harm, and we fumble. We might feel afraid to say the wrong thing and feel guilt for not doing or knowing enough. Sometimes we might engage in performative allyship rather than thoughtful solidarity, leaving those already marginalized further burdened and exhausted. The feelings of fear, insecurity, inadequacy are all too common among a wide spectrum of changemakers, and they put many at a crossroads between feeling stuck and giving up, or staying grounded to keep going. So how can we go beyond performative allyship to creating real change in ourselves and in the world, together? In The Wake Up, Michelle MiJung Kim shares foundational principles often missing in today's mainstream conversations around "diversity and inclusion," inviting readers to deep dive into the challenging and nuanced work of pursuing equity and justice, while exploring various complexities, contradictions, and conflicts inherent in our imperfect world. With a mix of in-the-trenches narrative and accessible unpacking of hot button issues--from inclusive language to representation to "cancel culture"--Michelle offers sustainable frameworks that guide us how to think, approach, and be in the journey as thoughtfully and powerfully as possible."--Amazon.com

"The illuminating and deeply personal debut from Gabriela Maya Bernadett, Stories My Grandmother Told Me explores culture, race, and chosen family, set against the backdrop of the twentieth-century American Southwest. In a hilly Southern California suburb in the late twentieth century, Gabriela Maya Bernadett listens as her grandmother tells her a story. It's the true story of Esther Small, the great-granddaughter of slaves, who became one of the few Black students to graduate from NYU in the 1940s. Having grown up in Harlem, Esther couldn't imagine a better place to live; especially not somewhere in the American Southwest. But when she learns of a job teaching Native American children on a reservation, Esther decides to take a chance. She soon finds herself on a train to Fort Yuma, Arizona; unaware that each year, the Bureau of Indian Affairs kidnaps the native Tohono O'odham children from the reservation and forces them to be educated in the 'ways of the White man.' It doesn't take long for Esther to notice how Fort Yuma parallels her own grandmother's story as a slave in the South--the native children, constantly belittled by teachers and peers, are forced to perform manual labor for local farmers. One of two Black people in Fort Yuma, Esther feels isolated, never sure where she belongs in a community deeply divided between the White people and the Tohono O'odhams. John, the school bus driver and Tohono O'odham tribe member, is one of the only people she connects with. Friendship slowly grows into love, and together, Esther and John navigate a changing America. Seamlessly weaving in the present day with the past, Stories My Grandmother Told Me blends a woman's memory of her life, and that woman's granddaughter's memories of how she heard these stories growing up. Bernadett's captivating narrative explores themes of identity, tradition, and belonging, showing what it really means to exist in a multicultural America."--

SNCC: The New Abolitionists influenced a generation of activists struggling for civil rights and seeking to learn from the successes and failures of those who built the fantastically influential Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. It is considered an indispensable study of the organization, of the 1960s, and of the process of social change. Includes a new introduction by the author.

Presents a collection of photos, essays, and creative work inspired by the movement of the same name, a template for building new communities of healing, and a call to action. Since SYA's inception, people all over the country have shared stories and begun organizing in a range of ways: making art, hosting comedy shows, creating abortion-positive clothing, altering billboards, starting conversations that had never happened before. This book documents some of these projects and illuminates the individuals who have breathed life into this movement, illustrating the liberatory and political power of defying shame and claiming sole authorship of our experiences. --From publisher description.

"An urgent and definitive examination of how the legal system prevents accountability for police misconduct, from one of the country's leading scholars on policing"--;Despite recent high-profile murders that have brought attention to the pervasiveness of police misconduct, it remains nearly impossible to hold police accountable for abuses of power. Schwartz exposes the myriad ways in which our legal system protects police at all costs, with analysis about subjects ranging from qualified immunity to no-knock warrants. He paints a compelling picture of the human cost of our failing criminal justice system, and reveals what tragically familiar calls for "justice" truly entail. -- adapted from jacket

Deeply researched and widely reported, this exploration of the Black Power phenomenon that began to challenge the traditional civil rights movement in 1966 offers portraits of the major characters in the yearlong drama and the fierce battles over voting rights, identity politics, and the teaching of Black history.