Crimmigration as Paradigmatic Migration Control in the United States: Exploring the Impact on Communities, Courts, and Attorneys
Political and legal developments have precipitated a convergence of the fields of criminal law and immigration law. Now commonly referred to as crimmigration, this merger of previously distinct practice areas already has profoundly reshaped the legal and social terrain for migrants in the United States. While entry and removal decisions remain essentially administrative, enforcement practices and rhetoric increasingly embrace the punitive logic and carceral reach of the criminal legal system, but with fewer due process protections. As new legislation vastly expands detention authorization and other enforcement resources, it seems apparent that the rhetoric and mechanics of crimmigration will continue to dominate immigration policy in the United States for the foreseeable future.
This symposium, jointly sponsored by the Dean Rusk International Law Center, the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, and the Georgia Criminal Law Review, invites scholars, immigration attorneys and judges to engage with these developments. We hope panelists will collectively address a number of important questions, such as the following: How does the new crimmigration landscape impact immigrants and communities in the Southeast and beyond? What new burdens does it put on the judiciary, and what role do federal courts have today in determining and upholding constitutional and statutory protections for migrants? Does the durability and continued expansion of crimmigration pose new challenges for immigration and criminal law attorneys; and, if so, how are the immigration and criminal law bars responding to those challenges? As crimmigration tactics expand, what new legal threats face U.S. citizens, including family members, employers, and immigrant advocates? Does the crimmigration paradigm contend with or obscure the structural forces that drive migration, particularly from the global south? Are there reasons to hope or expect the emergence of alternatives to crimmigration as the governing paradigm for the regulation of immigrants in the United States?
These conversations will occur through three panels and a lunchtime keynote speaker.
Sponsored by the Dean Rusk International Law Center, the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, and the Georgia Criminal Law Review
Friday, November 7, 2025
Larry Walker Room, Dean Rusk Hall
University of Georgia School of Law
Please note the following schedule is tentative and subject to change:
9:30 Opening Remarks
Usha Rodrigues, Dean, University Professor & M.E. Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law
9:35 Panel 1: Introduction to Crimmigration & the Current State of Affairs
- Abel RodrÃguez, Assistant Professor of Law, Wake Forest Law
- Shalini Ray, Associate Professor of Law and Director of Faculty Research, Alabama Law
- Gracie Willis, Attorney, National Immigration Project
- Moderator: Christian Turner, Associate Professor of Law, University of Georgia School of Law
10:35 Break
10:45 Panel 2: The Impact of Crimmigration Policies on Communities and Advocates
- Jessica Vosburgh, Senior Staff Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights
- Jenny R. Hernandez, Lead Senior Attorney at Immigration Defense Unit, City of Atlanta Office of the Public Defender
- Carolina Antonini, Founding Partner, Antonini & Cohen Immigration Law
- Moderator: Elizabeth Taxel, Clinical Associate Professor & Criminal Defense Practicum Director, University of Georgia School of Law
12:00 Keynote Introduction
Jason A. Cade, J. Alton Hosch Professor of Law & Community Health Law Partnership Clinic Director, University of Georgia School of Law
12:05 Keynote Address
Judge Ana C. Reyes, United States District Court, District of Columbia
1:00 Panel 3: Challenging the Legality of Migration Controls & Envisioning Reform
- Daniel I. Morales, Associate Professor of Law; Dwight Olds Chair, The University of Houston Law Center
- Rebecca A. Sharpless, Associate Dean for Experiential Learning, Professor of Law, Director, Immigration Clinic, University of Miami School of Law
- Emily Torstveit Ngara, Director of Clinical Programs, Associate Clinical Professor and Director, Immigration Clinic, Center for Access to Justice, Immigration Law Clinic, Georgia State University College of Law
- Moderator: Jason A. Cade J. Alton Hosch Professor of Law & Community Health Law Partnership Clinic Director, University of Georgia School of Law
2:00 Closing Remarks
Casey Smith, Editor-in-Chief, Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law
Registration
- Attorneys seeking CLE (in-person): $45
- Attorneys seeking CLE (virtual):
- Non-CLE/ UGA Community members: Free
Contact ruskintlaw@uga.edu for questions and information about the conference.
University of Georgia Co-Sponsors include:
International Law Society
Immigration Law Society
Criminal Law Society
Accommodations
The University of Georgia School of Law is committed to providing reasonable access and accommodations for people with disabilities upon request. For questions about accessibility or to request accommodations, contact Chantelle Tickles at Chantelle.Tickles@uga.edu or 706-542-5167 at least three business days prior to the event.
