AU Experts Available to Comment on ICE Policies & Migrant Children

What: Due to the spread of the coronavirus, last month a federal judge ordered that all children currently held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for more than 20 days must be released by this Friday, July 17. American University experts are available to provide commentary on this ongoing crisis and its latest developments.

What: July 15, 2020 - Ongoing

Where: Phone, Skype, Zoom or FaceTime.

Who: AU experts who are available to comment include:

Ernesto Castañeda is assistant professor of sociology and author of A Place to Call Home: Immigrant Exclusion and Urban Belonging in New York, Paris, and Barcelona. His policy briefs on border and immigration issues can be found here. Castañeda has shared his thoughts on DACA as a frequent media commentator. He can conduct interviews in Spanish and English.

Eric Hershberg is the director of the Center for Latin American & Latino Studies at American University. He is available to discuss the evolution of immigration policy that has led to the current situation in the U.S. and issues affecting Latino communities in the U.S. He is also an expert on comparative politics of Latin America, and on the political economy of development in the region. He can conduct interviews in Spanish and English.

Taryn Morrissey, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs, is a child development and child policy expert. Her work focuses on disparities in children’s achievement, development, and health and on public policies designed to narrow disparities, including early care and education. She is a co-author of Cradle to Kindergarten: A New Plan to Combat Inequality.

Jayesh Rathod serves as director of American University Washington College of Law’s Immigrant Justice Clinic and as Associate Dean for Experiential Education. His areas of expertise and scholarly interests include immigration law, labor and employment discrimination law, and clinical legal education. Rathod has worked on cutting-edge cases and projects relating to immigration detention, removal defense (including criminal-immigration intersections), humanitarian relief, immigrant workers’ rights, language access, and more. He has been invited to speak on immigration and workplace law topics at institutions across the U.S., and has served as a commentator in local, national, and international media including CNN, NBC News, and National Public Radio). He is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Portuguese.

Anita Sinha is director of American University Washington College of Law’s International Human Rights Law Clinic. Her research and scholarship address human rights issues related to forced migration and detention, and the intersection of immigration and constitutional law. As a clinical teacher, she has supervised students on U.S. immigration cases, as well as transnational and international projects. Sinha has been cited in several major news outlets, including The New York Times and Associated Press, and is a Huffington Post contributor.

Dennis Stinchcomb is the assistant director for Research for the Center for Latin American & Latino Studies. In his role he manages several projects, including the Center's portfolio of research on immigration-related issues and Central American gangs. He recently authored a report titled, “In Children’s Best Interests: Charting a Child-Sensitive Approach to U.S. Immigration Policy.”

Nina Yamanis is an associate professor in the School of International Service. Her research focuses on health disparities and community-based interventions to improve health among vulnerable groups, and the role of social networks in HIV transmission. Yamanis is available to comment on issues related to U.S. Latinx immigrants, including the undocumented, and access to health care, and how to reach underserved and vulnerable populations with public health interventions.