Date: February 25, 2025
Joint Sponsors: ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice, ABA Commission on Immigration
Join us for a panel discussion with leaders from the ABA who will share reflections from their recent journey to South Texas, where they observed how immigration law and policy is implemented at the border. ABA President-Elect Michelle Behnke, ABA House of Delegates Chair Jonathan Cole, and ABA Commission on Immigration Chair Michelle Jacobson visited the ABA’s South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR), where they witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by noncitizens at the border and the ways that ProBAR staff engage to provide legal services to migrants and assist the immigration court to promote efficient functioning in removal proceedings. During their visit to the Rio Grande Valley, the delegation heard from asylum-seekers, engaged with ProBAR’s staff, and toured the border region and an immigration detention center.
This webinar offers the opportunity to hear their personal reflections on the border experience, and to learn about the impactful work being done by the ABA Commission on Immigration and ABA ProBAR to ensure fair treatment and uphold due process rights for immigrants and asylum-seekers.
Speakers:
Michelle Behnke – President-Elect, American Bar Association; Attorney, Boardman & Clark LLP
Jonathan Cole – Chair, ABA House of Delegates; Shareholder, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
Michelle Jacobson – Chair, ABA Commission on Immigration; Partner, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP
Laura Flores – Deputy Director, Legal Programs & Operations, ABA Commission on Immigration Stephanie Baez (Moderator) – Director of Pro Bono, ABA Commission on Immigration