Student Engagement

Migration and Human Rights at the Border
(LAW “SPECIAL TOPICS 310-009”)
Spring Term 2026

School of Law: 3 credits. The course meets School of Law LCE, BCCR requirements.

Instructor: Katherine Kaufka Walts, kkaufkawalts@luc.edu

Apply for the course.

The US Southern border is one of the busiest migration corridors in the world. The regulation of migrants has become even more intense over the last decade.  In the space of regulating migration, we witness some of the most egregious human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrest, indefinite detention, enforced disappearance, and family separation. This interdisciplinary course examines how the federal government regulates migration and immigration at our borders and ports of entries, and how humanitarian, faith-based, legal aid, and social service organizations respond. The course includes three integrated learning components:

1. The online, classroom instructional component of the seminar provides students foundational knowledge of the history of US Immigration Law and policy, and an overview of current legal issues at the border. This includes laws and policies, regulations, and research. The seminar will include lectures, simulations, and professional and ethical considerations when accompanying migrants, collaborating with humanitarian organizations, and conducting research. The online course includes reading materials to accompanying four, online courses Spring 2026 Seminar via Zoom will be held January 27, February 3, and February 10 and March 10, 2026 from 5:30-7:30 pm.
2. Students will travel to Arizona or Texas for in-person, immersion over spring break. The immersion activities vary by year, but may include observing immigration court proceedings, meeting with attorneys and judges, meeting with social, medical, educational and/or faith-based humanitarian organizations, meeting with migrants and their advocates, a walking tour along the border, and reflection exercises - all which make this program a transformational educational opportunity. Spring break 2026 dates are March 1-7, 2026.
3. Students will conduct research during the semester – both before and after the trip - will be required for approximately 20 additional hours total per student, and will be supervised by the instructor and collaborating faculty. During their week at the border, students will also work in teams to collect primary data. The research project will be introduced during the first seminar class.

Written research projects, and their components, in addition to and participation in online and in-person immersion course will be letter-graded.

Eligibility: Due to limited capacity, there is a selective application process, and students must receive instructor approval to register for the course. SOL students (including 1L, 2L, 3L, and WJD/4L) students will be prioritized. Spots for graduate or professional-level students from other disciplines will also be available and cross-listed. No prior immigration law experience is necessary.

Thanks to the contributions of an anonymous donor, airfare, lodging, and meals for spring break travel are included in the course, provided they meet Loyola policies regarding travel expenditures. Additional incidental expenses are the responsibility of participating students.

School of Law (SOL) students- 3 credits.
Non-SOL graduate level students should consult with their respective school administrators about the credit hours they will receive for the course (Graduate School, School of Social Work, Stritch School of Medicine, Parkinson School of Health Science and Public Health)

Deadline November 6, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

For inquiries, please contact Prof. Katherine Kaufka Walts at kkaufkawalts@luc.edu

Immigration & Human Rights Clinic (LAW 310 - 4 Credit Hours LCE) 

The Immigration and Human Rights Clinic teaches students the fundamentals of legal practice in the context of immigration law and before human rights mechanisms. The class will have a special focus on the impact of immigration law and policy on human rights, especially under the new Presidential Administration, as well as a distinct focus on the role of race and racism in the rule of immigration law. Students will develop fundamental lawyering skills, including the ability to evaluate strategies for problem solving, to navigate complex legal issues, and to think creatively in the analysis and application of legal rules and principles. In addition, students can expect to learn practical lawyering skills such as research and analysis of administrative law via the immigration statute, regulations, policy guidance and case law, client interviewing techniques, legal drafting, and oral advocacy skills. Lastly, students should expect to learn about immigration through an interdisciplinary lens to facilitate creative thinking and multifaceted problem-solving around complex issues in immigration and to advocate for creative solutions to contemporary legal issues using international law principles.

Apply for the course

Immigration Law Lab (LAW 310 2 Credit Hours) 

The Immigration Law Lab teaches the current realities of immigration law as experienced in practice, to understand immigration in the larger human rights paradigm, and to show how it intersects with other fields of public interest law in the pursuit of social justice. The class meets for one hour per week in the evening to cover substantive immigration law issues, current topics/changes in immigration practice, and to develop practical skills tailored to the practice of immigration and human rights law practice and advocacy. Substantive topics include family immigration, protection for persons fleeing persecution, unaccompanied children, crimmigration, US border policy, and abolitionist theory. Practical topics include legal service delivery exercises including trauma-informed interviewing, mass legal service delivery through workshop models, government form and application development, and potentially affidavit drafting. The course includes a volunteer component alongside legal service provider partners. 

Human Trafficking Seminar & Practicum– Advancing Protections for Children (NEW!)

International Human Rights (Law 294 – 2 credits)

Refugee Law and Policy (Law 273 – 2 credits)

Refugee law is one of the most dynamic and rewarding areas of law. Nonetheless, in observing the administration of refugee law, we bear witness to some of the United States’ most egregious human rights abuses and the abandonment, in some cases, of the rule of law. The goal of this course is to teach students the history of the norm of non-refoulement and, in doing so, to understand how political, religious, racial and other minority groups are intended to be protected (from persecution, from torture, and from death). Students will learn the history of the Refugee Convention—for whom the document was written, and, consequently, who is left out of protection (considering for example the treatment of victims of private-sphere persecution or climate refugees). Students will learn the role of xenophobia, racism, and subjugation of the “other” in this case the “alien”-other in administering the rule of asylum law. The class will contain a comparative analysis of refugee law under various international and domestic systems. Finally, students will learn about the treatment of child asylum seekers in the United States—namely, the treatment of children as adults in miniature and the “othering” that facilitates this deviant practice.

This course is ambitiously designed to teach the contours of law through both an Ignatian lens and through the lens of anti-racism, often calling upon the tenets of abolition to understand a path forward. In doing so, this course employs extensive reading, not only from a course book, but from the lived experience (articles, observations, discussions with/of/by those seeking and offering protection in the United States) and vis-à-vis Catholic pedagogy (namely, by exploring the teachings of Pope Francis). The centerpiece of the Pontificate’s teachings concern embracing the foreigner, the migrant, and the refugee “other” in a radical call for protection and equitable treatment in all aspects of daily life.

 Yes, although 1Ls are not eligible to receive LCE credits.

Yes.

This depends on capacity of our host organizations and the agenda for the spring break trip. Typically, 8-10 students are selected to participate. While law students are prioritized, graduate-level students from other disciplines are also invited to register for the course.

No.

The legal and policy landscape around immigration and migration is volatile and changes quickly. Students must be flexible in their expectations for experiencing the southern border. Plans and agendas may change depending on the needs of our partners and political situation. Student safety will always be the top priority.

Applications Due May 15, 2026

Are you a passionate law student ready to use your legal skills to advocate for justice and advance human rights? The Center for the Human Rights of Children (CHRC) at Loyola University Chicago School of Law invites you to apply for the 2026-2027 academic year CHRC Legal Fellowship-a competitive and impactful academic fellowship opportunity designed to equip future lawyers with hands-on experience in interdisciplinary advocacy.

CHRC Legal Fellows will report to the Director and Co-Director. Work will be conducted on-site and virtually.

As a CHRC Legal Fellow, you'll join a dynamic team committed to centering children's rights and voices in law, policy, and practice. This includes:

• Gain real-world experience working 10-12 hours per week on cutting-edge legal and policy issues;
• Contribute to impactful advocacy in our intersectional, focus areas of child trafficking and exploitation, child migration, and climate justice;
• Learn from and collaborate with experts across disciplines to advance intersectional human rights efforts;
• Participate in events, publications, and potentially represent CHRC in local or national forums.
• A tuition remission scholarship for the academic year ($7000)*;
• Professional mentorship from faculty and legal practitioners;
• A unique chance to shape public policy and make a difference in the lives of children;
• Skill-building in legal writing, policy analysis, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community-centered advocacy.

We strongly encourage applications from students who:

• Are a 2L, 3L, or 4L/WJD;
• Identify with or are from the communities CHRC seeks to serve;
• Have a demonstrated commitment to issues such as child rights, anti-trafficking, immigration/migration justice, racial equity, and environmental advocacy;
• Are eager to work in collaborative, justice-oriented environments.

Other qualifications:

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong writing skills, including ability to adapt writing for various audiences ranging from layperson to seasoned legal professional.
• Strong time management and organizational skills - stays on top of multiple projects, develops and executes a plan of action.
• Strong research skills. Legal research is a priority, interdisciplinary research also desired.
• Proficiency in second language desired.

*Students must be eligible to receive tuition remission.

Applications are due by May 15, 2026. Interested applicants should send their cover letter and resume via email with the subject line, "2026/27 CHRC Fellowship," to to Liza Rivas at lrivas1@luc.edu.

Questions? Please contact CHRC Director, Katherine Kaufka Walts at kkaufkawalts@luc.edu or CHRC Associate Director, Sarah Diaz at sdiaz10@luc.edu.

Center for the Human Rights of Children (CHRC) at Loyola University Chicago School of Law is seeking a research assistant for the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 semesters. The Center works with LUC faculty and students, community-based organizations, and non-governmental and governmental organizations in the US and internationally. The program provides an academic opportunity for graduate-level students to be trained in research and advocacy that promotes the human rights of children. The Research Assistant will provide research support to ongoing CHRC projects in law, policy, and practice. The position requires 10-15 hours per week, at an hourly rate commensurate with School of Law policy. The Research Assistant will become familiar with current children’s rights policies and laws, issues, and develop and identify strategies to ensure the protection of children. The Research Assistant will work directly with the CHRC Director and Associate Director.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Interested candidates should send their resume and cover letter to Liza Rivas at lrivas1@luc.edu. Please indicate which academic semester(s) you are available.