Immigration Law

Learn to Navigate Immigration Law and Policy at the Crossroads of the Americas

Located in a major immigration gateway to the United States, Miami Law offers both academic and experiential learning opportunities in the field of immigration, asylum, and citizenship law. You can tailor your study of immigration law with our vast interdisciplinary course offerings and with other areas of study such as human rights law, business law, criminal law, health care law, and social justice and public interest. Invaluable first-hand experience in the Immigration Clinic allows you to advocate on behalf of immigrants and collaborate with immigrants’ rights organizations. Collaborating on projects that reform the law and advance the cause of social justice for immigrants, enables you to become an integral part of the wider immigrant and human rights advocacy community in South Florida and the nation.

Some Facts about Miami and Miami Law:

• 2 immigration courts in Miami and 3 immigration detention centers within two hours of campus offer experiential learning opportunities
• Rebecca Sharpless, Dean of Experiential Learning and Professor of Law and Director of the Immigration Clinic, recognized with the Excellence in Experiential Teaching Award and by the American Immigration Lawyers Association with Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award.
• Miami has 100+ countries represented, 100+ languages spoken, and the highest percentage of immigrants in the United States

“For my interests, the law school provided a great environment and...public interest opportunities. After taking Immigration Law with Professor Sharpless during my 1L year and then interning with organizations like Americans for Immigrant Justice and [US] Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, it was clear to me that I wanted to pursue a career in immigration law.”

Thais De La Cuba, J.D. '15
Supervisory Asylum Officer, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Fort Lauderdale, FL

*Course list is not exhaustive and does not set out a path of study.

Academic Programs and Concentrations

• Concentration in Immigration, Citizenship, and Asylum Law
• Concentration in Social Justice and Public Interest
• Concentration in Litigation and Dispute Resolution
• Litigation Skills Program
• Transactional Skills Program

Clinics and Practicums

• Joint Degrees
• International Opportunities

PICTURED: Students in February 2022 outside Immigration court in Orlando where their client was detained.

“One thing I took away from this experience is if it’s challenging you, testing you, and pushing you, it is helping you to become more of who you are meant to be. In this case specifically, it helped me to become a better lawyer in the fight for justice.”
Abbey Schultz (center), Class of 2024

Read the full story: Immigration Clinic Students Win Release of Mother Held in Shocking Jail Conditions

• STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
• LAW JOURNALS

**List is not exhaustive and is intended to provide examples of past externships and internships.

Faculty Experts

• David Abraham, Professor of Law Emeritus, has taught Property, Immigration & Citizenship Law, Citizenship and Identity, Law and the Transition to Capitalism and Law and Social Theory.
• Ira Kurzban, Adjunct Professor, teaches Immigration Law.
• JoNel Newman, Professor of Clinical Legal Education & Director of the Health Rights Clinic, teaches professional responsibility and civil procedure.
• Kunal Parker, Professor of Law, is an expert in immigration law and his teaching areas and interests include American Legal History, Estates and Trusts, Immigration and Nationality Law, and Property.
• Alejandro Portes, Professor of Sociology and Law, is an expert in international migration.

Rebecca Sharpless is Associate Dean of Experiential Learning and Professor of Law & Director of Miami Law's Immigration Clinic. 

She researches and writes in the areas of immigration law, progressive lawyering, and the intersection of immigration and criminal law. Professor Sharpless speaks widely on immigration law, including at academic symposia and events such as the annual conference of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Her areas of expertise include: Civil Litigation and Procedure, Immigration and Refugee Law, and Trial Advocacy and Practice.

• Rebecca Sánchez-Roig, Adjunct Professor, teaches in the area of entertainment and sports immigration law.
• Irwin P. Stotzky, Professor of Law, has worked over three decades to improve human rights in Haiti and the status of Haitian immigrants in the U.S.
• Melissa Swain is the Associate Director, Health Rights Clinic & Lecturer in Law.

Conferences, Lectures, Centers

Defending the Human Rights of Migrants Lecture Series
Creative Strategies in Immigration Court and Litigation
Continuing Legal Education Seminar on Innovative Immigration Defense

HOPE Public Interest Resource Center - hosts information sessions on jobs and fellowships in the area of immigration and makes immigration law volunteer opportunities available to students during law school at local nonprofits groups, including Americans For Immigrant Justice, Catholic Legal Services, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Opportunities are available through the:

• HOPE Fellowship Program - provides summer stipends to students to create their dream jobs in immigration and public interest anywhere across the globe.
• Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program - rising 2L students with a genuine commitment to public interest work full-time at a local public interest agency, and do classroom sessions and a legal research and writing project.