Immigration and Nationality Law Review Symposium

King Hall, Room 1001

REGISTER HERE for In-Person

The Immigration and Nationality Law Review invites you to its upcoming symposium, Defending Hope: Immigration Law Under the 2025 Trump Administration. Hosted at King Hall on April 18th, 2025, the Symposium will examine changes to immigration policy following Trump’s 2025 inauguration and discuss strategic legal practices to counter the rhetoric and despair broadcasted by the Trump administration in the immigration space. Centering the experiences of immigrants and legal advocates, the event will feature renowned immigration practitioners across California that will also discuss how to find moments of hope in the immigration law community.

The Symposium will last from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., with a breakfast and lunch session, as well as a cocktail reception where participants are encouraged to wine, dine, and build community in the immigration field.

Agenda:

9 a.m.: Breakfast 

10 - 10:05 a.m.: Welcoming Remarks + Land Acknowledgement 

10:05 - 10:15 a.m.: Introduction to Keynote Speaker

10:15 - 10:55 a.m.: Keynote Speech by Fatma Marouf, Professor of Law at Texas A&M School of Law, who helped draft an amicus brief in her individual capacity for Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia student and Palestinian activist who was placed in deportation proceedings.

10:55 - 11:05 a.m.: Q + A

11:10 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.: First Panel: Immigration Law Through an International and Scholarly Lens

Panelists: 

  • Professor Raquel Aldana, Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law with an emphasis on immigrant justice, law, & policy, criminal justice, and international human rights 
  • Professor Eric Fish, Acting Professor of Law with an emphasis on immigration criminalization, constitutional law, and criminal justice
  • Professor Elisa Joy White, UC Davis Associate Professor of African American and African Studies

Moderator: Giselle Garcia, King Hall Aoki Center Fellow

12:15 - 1:30 p.m.: Lunch 

1:30 - 1:40 p.m.: Opening Remarks and Setting the Stage 

1:45 - 3:00 p.m.: Second Panel: Immigration Policies in Practice & How to Find Hope

Panelists:

  • Aidín Castillo Mazantini, Executive Director of the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center;
  • Holly Cooper, Co-director of ILC, best known for her involvement in suing the U.S. government during the last Trump administration
  • Jessica Farb, Deputy Director of the Immigration Center for Women & Children, with over 15 years of experience serving immigrant communities
  • Professor Leticia Saucedo, Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law with an emphasis on immigration, labor, and employment law

Moderator: Giselle Garcia, King Hall Aoki Center Fellow

3:00 - 4:00 p.m.: Cocktail Reception

Please contact Michelle Calcany Blair or Jordan Porterfield with any questions.