Law at the Breaking Point: Defending the Civil Rights of Immigrants

Join Wasserstein Fellow Kassandra Gonzalez for a conversation on defending the rights of immigrants at a time of uncertainty and fear for immigrant communities across the nation. Kassandra will discuss her recent cases challenging civil rights violations of immigrants in Texas — including filing Habeas Corpus petitions to prevent her clients’ removals to El Salvador’s CECOT prison and Guantanamo Bay, wrongful death actions for the deaths of children detained by Customs and Border Protection, and others. She will explore what it means to be a litigator in a time of democratic erosion and offer practical insight for students interested in immigrants’ civil rights.

Lunch provided. Please RSVP below! Open to the HLS community.

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.

Kassi is a Senior Staff Attorney with the Beyond Borders team, where she works on impact litigation and broader advocacy efforts to protect the human rights of immigrants. In her role, Kassi has filed various administrative complaints and been a part of federal litigation teams to hold CBP accountable for violations of civil rights, especially in torts and disability rights. Kassi has also participated in broader advocacy efforts to end programs like Operation Lone Star. She continues to work on behalf of TCRP clients to ensure that they have equal access to justice. Prior to joining TCRP, Kassi was an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Texas Legal Services Center’s Medical-Legal Partnerships. During her EJW fellowship, Kassi worked to advocate for the immigrant community in a federally qualified health care center. She provided direct legal services to about 300 clients and engaged in health policy, especially in light of the pandemic. Kassi received her BA from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated with honors from The University of Texas School of Law. Currently, she is also serving as an adjunct professor for the Liberal Arts Honors Program at UT, teaching the class titled “The Feds & Texas: Expanding the Infrastructure for Border Militarization.”