Join Wasserstein Fellow Michelle L apointe for a discussion of the current wide-ranging attacks on immigra nt communities and how the administration has weaponized statutes\, regulat ions\, and informal policy guidance to create the most hostile environment for noncitizens in decades. Resisting those efforts–which is also an exerci se in defending democracy–requires coordination among litigators\, organize rs\, policy advocates\, and communications experts. It also demands a long- term reimagining of the role of immigration and immigrants in our society\, towards a vision of inclusion. Michelle will discuss her work over two dec ades of advocacy for immigrant communities across multiple presidential adm inistrations\, primarily in the Deep South\, drawing on the courage and res ilience of her clients–from those who harvest and process our food\, to par ents separated from their children and detained by ICE\, to young people st riving for higher education in states that have thrown every hurdle in thei r way.
Lunch provided. Please RSVP below! Open only to the HLS commun ity.
Michelle Lapointe (she/her) is the Legal Director at the America n Immigration Council\, where she leads impact litigation and oversees the Council’s legal advocacy to advance the rights of immigrants and promote a fair and just immigration system. Prior to joining the Council in 2024\, Mi chelle served as a Deputy Legal Director at the National Immigration Law Ce nter (NILC)\, where she litigated immigrants’ rights cases and advocated fo r immigrant worker rights. At NILC\, she served as co-lead counsel on a cla ss action arising out of a worksite immigration raid\, which resulted in a settlement of over $1 million. Michelle began her legal career and spent ne arly 12 years at the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Immigrant Justice Projec t. At SPLC\, she represented farmworkers and guest workers in class and col lective actions for unpaid wages and other employment violations\, and liti gated cases against federal and state officials for violations of immigrant s’ civil rights. Michelle received her law degree from American University Washington College of Law in 2008\, where she was a Public Interest/Public Service Scholar\, and her undergraduate degree from Wellesley College.
< p>If you or an event participant requires disability-related accommodations \, please contact HLS Accessibility Services at accessibility@law.harvard.edu two weeks in advance of the event. CATEGORIES:OPIA Events LOCATION:WCC\; 2004 Classroom GEO:0;0 ORGANIZER;CN="Micah Nemiroff":MAILTO:mnemiroff@law.harvard.edu URL;VALUE=URI:https://hls.harvard.edu/events/defending-the-rights-of-immigr ants-and-their-families-during-a-time-of-peril/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 DTSTART:20260308T070000 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR