The Migration Policy Institute, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) and Georgetown University Law Center will be hosting the 8th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference on April 26, 2011 in Washington, DC.  The topics include the following:

Devolution of Immigration Authority: The Role of States in Immigration Enforcement and Policymaking

The Final Arbiters: When Immigration Policies Come Before the Courts – The panel will examine and debate the prospects and possible outcomes of litigation involving some critical issues in the current political debate: challenges to the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship, right of basic public education under Plyler v Doe, and the extent to which states and localities can enact laws affecting the foreign born.

State and Local Agencies & Immigration Enforcement: Growing Role, Growing Questions – This panel will examine the federal/state partnerships related to immigration enforcement, including a discussion of 287(g) agreements and Secure Communities, the increasing role played by state and local law enforcement, and the impact of these federal and state immigration measures, including local community perspective.

Detention Reform:  Standards, Alternatives, and Vulnerable Populations –
This session will discuss DHS detention reform efforts, challenges to reform, civil detention standards, alternative detention models, alternatives “to” and alternative “forms” of detention, the treatment of particularly vulnerable populations, and legal challenges to the US detention regime.

Right to Counsel: New Ideas and Opportunities for Indigent Defense – This panel will examine whether there is meaningful opportunity to expand legal counsel for indigent persons in removal proceedings, and what those vehicles may be.  It will also discuss recommendations to law and policymakers set forth by different groups for ensuring access to counsel.

I have attended several of these conferences in years past, and they are always very worthwhile, not just for the topics and the speakers (all of whom are top notch), but also for the opportunity to meet many interesting people in the field.  If you can come to DC to attend this conference, I highly recommend it.  To register, visit the MPI website, here (by the way, registration is $50 before April 22; on-site registration is $60).