LAW - Holistic Immigration Hub
“Every human being has the right to live with dignity and to develop integrally; this fundamental right cannot be denied by any country.” Pope Francis in Fratelli Tutti, no. 107
Holistic Immigration Hub
Loyola University Chicago School of Law has launched a transformative, new initiative aimed at educating and empowering students and professionals to tackle one of today’s most urgent social justice issues: global displacement and migration.
Rooted in Loyola’s Ignatian values and a steadfast commitment to justice and the rule of law, the Holistic Immigration Hub pilot brings together experts from law, health care, education, public health, and social work. Building on the scope and approach of Loyola’s School of Law and Center for the Human Rights of Children (CHRC), which, over the past decade has been an active leader in child migrant and immigration issues, the Hub will solidify Loyola’s standing as a national expert in immigration law. This collaborative effort will achieve three goals:
- Leadership: Create a pipeline of the next generation of leaders and professionals.
- Service: Support Chicago community organizations and the children and families they serve.
- Innovation: Catalyze visionary, systemic change.
The Holistic Immigration Hub is situated in the School of Law and partners with faculty in the School of Social Work, Stritch School of Medicine, School of Education, and Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health.
Meet the co-directors
Co-Director
Katherine Kaufka Walts
Katherine Kaufka Walts, JD, is codirector of the Holistic Immigration Hub and director of the Center for the Human Rights of Children. Her interdisciplinary work—building on her experience as a practitioner, advocate, and scholar—advances the rights of children, migrants, and survivors of human trafficking and exploitation, and advances human rights worldwide.
Learn more about Professor Kaufka Walts
Co-Director
Sarah J. Diaz
Sarah J. Diaz, JD, LLM, is the director of the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic, codirector of Loyola’s Holistic Immigration Hub, and associate director of the Center for the Human Rights of Children. Professor Diaz teaches and practices in the areas of immigration, refugee law, and international human rights law. She has worked at the intersection of child migration and human rights for 20 years.
Learn more about Professor DiazInterdisciplinary faculty collaboration
Our Strategies
The Holistic Immigration Hub is structured as a proof-of-concept initiative, establishing key benchmarks, cultivating stakeholders, and measuring impact. As a catalyst for change and innovation, it achieves its goals via three, intersecting components: an interdisciplinary Immigration and Human Rights Clinic, an Immigration Law Lab, and an Immigration Innovation Incubator.
Immigration and Human Rights Clinic
The Immigration and Human Rights Clinic bridges seminar training on immigration law and international human rights law, and infuses curricula with expertise from other Loyola professional schools. It also cross-trains students on the needs of the client beyond legal representation. Training includes forensic medical and mental health evaluations conducted through the Stritch School of Medicine, case management services conducted through the School of Social Work, and colocation of legal services and education alongside School of Education graduate students in Chicago area schools.
Immigration Law Lab
The Immigration Law Lab extends the resources of academia to colleagues working on immigration outside the university. A first-of-its-kind effort, the lab coordinates and trains law students across Chicago who are interested in supporting community partner organizations and agencies.
Immigration Innovation Incubator
The Immigration Innovation Incubator addresses complex issues—such as climate migration, the treatment of unaccompanied children as adults in miniature, or the cost-benefit analysis of prolonged private detention—through an interdisciplinary lens. The incubator aims to bridge the gap between academia and practice by supporting development of research and policy briefs, white papers, and other documents with and for partner organizations and stakeholders.
Courses
Law students can enroll in immigration-focused courses under the Holistic Immigration Hub:
- Immigration Law and Policy
- Immigration Law Lab
- Climate Justice, Racial Justice, and International Law
- Immigration and Human Rights Clinic
- Human Trafficking Practicum: Advancing Protections for Children
- Refugee Law and Policy: Welcoming the Stranger
- Migration and Human Rights at the Border
- Immigration Litigation: Administrative Law Challenges to Immigration Policy
In the news
Loyola University Chicago to launch Holistic Immigration Hub
Loyola University Chicago will launch an ambitious new initiative supported by a $6-million anonymous gift to better prepare students and professionals across disciplines to meet the multifaceted challenges faced by migrant families in the U.S. and around the world.
Learn about this new initiative
A 360-degree approach to immigrant justice
Loyola’s new Holistic Immigration Hub will prepare more effective immigration lawyers while working for systemic change
Read the story
CHRC releases first-of-its-kind study on treatment of migrant children in U.S. custody
This 18-month, interdisciplinary study includes surveys and interviews of often-inaccessible facility staff, clinicians, attorneys, and advocates.
Read the reportEvents
Sacred Ground, Contested Space: The Sanctuary Movement Past and Present
Friday, February 6, 2026
9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Bringing together faith leaders, legal practitioners, and immigrant advocates—this program will reflect on sanctuary as an expression of conscience and solidarity.
Questions?
For more information about the Holistic Immigration Hub, please email HIH@LUC.edu.
If you’re interested in donating to the Holistic Immigration Hub, please contact John Osterlund, Managing Director for Advancement at the School of Law, at josterlund@LUC.edu.
Rooted in Loyola’s Ignatian values and a steadfast commitment to justice and the rule of law, the Holistic Immigration Hub pilot brings together experts from law, health care, education, public health, and social work. Building on the scope and approach of Loyola’s School of Law and Center for the Human Rights of Children (CHRC), which, over the past decade has been an active leader in child migrant and immigration issues, the Hub will solidify Loyola’s standing as a national expert in immigration law. This collaborative effort will achieve three goals:
- Leadership: Create a pipeline of the next generation of leaders and professionals.
- Service: Support Chicago community organizations and the children and families they serve.
- Innovation: Catalyze visionary, systemic change.
The Holistic Immigration Hub is situated in the School of Law and partners with faculty in the School of Social Work, Stritch School of Medicine, School of Education, and Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health.
The Holistic Immigration Hub is structured as a proof-of-concept initiative, establishing key benchmarks, cultivating stakeholders, and measuring impact. As a catalyst for change and innovation, it achieves its goals via three, intersecting components: an interdisciplinary Immigration and Human Rights Clinic, an Immigration Law Lab, and an Immigration Innovation Incubator.
Courses
Law students can enroll in immigration-focused courses under the Holistic Immigration Hub:
- Immigration Law and Policy
- Immigration Law Lab
- Climate Justice, Racial Justice, and International Law
- Immigration and Human Rights Clinic
- Human Trafficking Practicum: Advancing Protections for Children
- Refugee Law and Policy: Welcoming the Stranger
- Migration and Human Rights at the Border
- Immigration Litigation: Administrative Law Challenges to Immigration Policy
Questions?
For more information about the Holistic Immigration Hub, please email HIH@LUC.edu.
If you’re interested in donating to the Holistic Immigration Hub, please contact John Osterlund, Managing Director for Advancement at the School of Law, at josterlund@LUC.edu.