Human Rights Fellowship

The Post-Deportation Human Rights Project (PDHRP), an initiative of the Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College, seeks applications for a Human Rights Fellow. The position is for one year and will begin in August 2010. The PDHRP is a pilot program designed to counsel, support, and represent individuals who have been deported from the United States (U.S.); to investigate the effects of harsh deportation policies on families and communities; to advocate, in collaboration with affected families and communities, for fundamental changes that will introduce legal predictability, proportionality, compassion, and respect for family unity into U.S. immigration law and policy; and to reframe deportation policy as a matter of international human rights. Responsibilities of the Human Rights Fellow include o Collaborating with faculty and students from the Boston College Law School, Lynch School of Education and Graduate School of Social Work on inter-disciplinary research projects investigating the effects of deportation on individuals, families, and communities. o Developing training materials and providing technical assistance to attorneys handling post-removal cases. o Conducting client intakes and outreach to advocacy organizations to indentify potential new cases. o Recruiting and mentoring pro bono attorneys. o Collaborating with immigrant communities, the legal community, the academic community, and legislators to transform the laws governing deportation. o Supervising law students who assist in the representation of clients with final orders of removal. Legal matters currently being handled by the PDHRP include: motions to reopen removal proceedings; consular processing with waivers; non-immigrant waiver applications; and U-visas. o Drafting human rights reports focusing on deportation. o Conducting media outreach and drafting op-eds for publication in newspapers and professional journals. o Organizing and speaking at conferences and public events focusing on human rights issues related to deportation.

Candidates must have a JD or LL.M., be proficient in Spanish, be licensed to practice law in the United States, and have substantial experience practicing immigration or human rights law. Some background in community organizing is a plus, as is an understanding of the immigration consequences of criminal convictions. Salary is commensurate with experience and includes benefits. Review of applications will begin in June, 2010, and will continue until the position is filled. To apply, please send a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, list of three references, and a writing sample to Anjani Datla anjani.datla@bc.edu

 For more information about the Post-Deportation Human Rights Project at the Center for Human rights and International Justice please visit: http://www.bc.edu/centers/humanrights/projects/deportation.html

KJ