2026 CARES Symposium, 04/10

Defying Gravity: The Fight Against Deportation, Detention and the Denial of Due Process

Friday, April 10
9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Laurence E. Hirsch ’71 Classroom (Room 101) 
John F. Scarpa Hall

This year’s annual symposium, hosted by the Clinic for Asylum, Refugee and Emigrant Services (CARES), will focus on equipping advocates with the tools and knowledge necessary to confront evolving challenges in immigration enforcement and detention. The program will feature immigration attorneys, policy experts and data researchers who will provide practical insights on federal habeas corpus practice, third-country removal strategies and detention trends. The symposium will also examine the broader immigration landscape, highlighting emerging legal barriers, enforcement patterns and the critical role legal professionals play in safeguarding due process. Lunch will be catered by Autana, a local Venezuelan restaurant, and the symposium will conclude with a networking event hosted by Villanova Law’s Immigration Law Society. 

This event is pending CLE approval from the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board. The cost of attendance is covered by a generous gift from Joseph Azrack ’69 VSB.

AGENDA

Subject to change

8:30-9:00 a.m.: Check-in and Welcome

9:15-10:15 a.m.: Panel 1 – The State of Habeas: Updates, Trends and Takeaways

This panel will provide a comprehensive review of recent developments in federal habeas corpus practice in immigration. Panelists will examine how courts are currently approaching habeas petitions in Pennsylvania and how immigration judges are reacting to bond requests and habeas grants.

• Michael Mellon, Police Accountability Unit, Defender Association
• Vanessa Stine, Senior Staff Attorney for Immigrants’ Rights, ACLU of Pennsylvania
• Lilah Thompson, Chief of Immigration, Defender Association
• Makaela Wolf-Sorokin, Attorney, Defender Association

10:15-10:30 a.m.: Break

10:30-11:45 a.m.: Panel 2 – Detained and Displaced: Examining Third-Country Removal Strategies and Detention Trends

This panel will feature a presentation by Human Rights First examining the legal and policy landscape surrounding third-country removal practices and evolving immigration deportation flight trends based on its ICE Flight Monitor and Banished by Bargain: Third Country Deportation Watch. The session will provide an overview of how third-country transfer policies are being implemented, the statutory and regulatory frameworks that govern such removals and the various pieces of litigation that are challenging these policies.

• Savitri Arvey, Director of Research and Analysis, Refugee Protection, Human Rights First
• Rebecca Gendelman, Senior Research and Policy Counsel, Refugee Protection, Human Rights First

11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Autana Introduction and Lunch

12:30-1:30 p.m.: Lunch Panel – Deportation Data: Understanding the Numbers to Strengthen Advocacy

During this moderated lunch session, the Deportation Data Project will lead an in-depth discussion on the collection, interpretation and strategic use of immigration enforcement data. The presentation will guide attendees through the most current publicly available data sets, explaining what information is tracked, how it is categorized and where gaps or limitations exist.

Participants will learn how to critically evaluate deportation statistics, understand trends across regions and demographics and contextualize data within broader enforcement patterns. The session will also explore how attorneys and advocates can incorporate data into policy advocacy, impact litigation and public education.

By the end of the program, attendees will have a stronger understanding of how to responsibly interpret enforcement data, avoid common misreadings and leverage empirical information to support client representation and systemic reform efforts.

• Graeme Blair, Co-Director, Deportation Data Project; Professor of Political Science, University of California Los Angeles
• Amber Qureshi, Co-Director, Deportation Data Project; Founder and Owner, The Law Office of Amber Qureshi, LLC

1:45-3:00 p.m.: Networking Event hosted by the Villanova Law Immigration Law Society