Immigration Enforcement, Resistance and Narratives Through the Lens of Mixed-Status Families — A day-long interdisciplinary conference convening leading scholars, practitioners, journalists, and community voices at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law.
An estimated 4.4 million U.S.-citizen children live with at least one undocumented parent, and more than 10 million people reside in mixed-status families. This interdisciplinary conference brings together nationally recognized scholars, legal practitioners, journalists, and community advocates to examine the legal threats, lived experiences, and resistance strategies of mixed-status families — exploring law, narrative, and transnational approaches as tools for protection and change.
Convened by the Civil Rights, Migration and Workplace Law Initiative at ASU Law, this full-day event offers a rare opportunity to engage with leading voices at the intersection of immigration law, civil rights, and family life in America.
Professor García Hernández holds the Gregory Williams Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at Ohio State University, where he is a professor of law and director of OSU's Latinx Studies Program. He writes and teaches about the intersection of criminal and immigration law and has published three books and over three dozen scholarly articles, earning him recognition as one of the most-cited immigration law scholars in the United States. His analyses of policies affecting migrants regularly appear in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Time, and many other venues.
Co-Sponsors: ASU Hispanic Research Center · School of Transborder Studies · Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
The day features a keynote address and four expert panels examining mixed-status families from legal, scholarly, journalistic, and community perspectives.
Legal rights and remedies for mixed-status families; the threat to birthright citizenship; family reunification under fire; family separations; and practical challenges for detained family members.
The role of humanities and journalism in narrative-building; 'American' children and the dynamics of activism; performative citizenship; and community-based resistance strategies.
César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández · Ohio State University College of Law
Transborder support networks; mental health and intergenerational trauma; the role of faith-based organizations; and lessons from mass incarceration. Examining the support, protection, and reintegration networks on the Mexico side of the border.
The frontline realities of representing detained and deportable individuals; educational disruption; and community-based service delivery under enforcement pressure.
Professor David Lopez · Director, CRMWLI · Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, ASU
This conference will be available via livestream — anyone can join, no registration required. Just click the link below on April 9 at 9:00 AM MST.
While anyone can access the webinar without registering, RSVP here to receive conference materials before and after the session. Only registered participants will have the ability to request CLE materials.
Limited interpreting to Spanish is available for Panels 1 and 4. Spanish-speaking participants should select the globe feature in the webinar interface and choose Spanish. Q&A will only be monitored during the panels.
We are committed to making this event accessible. If you need accommodations for online participation, please note your needs in the RSVP form or contact us directly at crmwlinitiative@gmail.com.
Professor García Hernández writes and teaches about the intersection of criminal and immigration law. He has published three books — Welcome the Wretched, Migrating to Prison, and Crimmigration Law — and is among the most-cited immigration law scholars in the United States.
Angela M. Banks is a legal scholar specializing in membership and belonging in democratic societies. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a graduate of Harvard Law School, the University of Oxford, and Spelman College.
Professor Cuison-Villazor is a distinguished scholar of citizenship, immigration, and property law at Rutgers Law School.
Dr. Rodriguez specializes in Latinx sociology, immigration, and citizenship. Her book Contested Americans: Mixed-Status Families in Anti-Immigrant Times was a finalist for the SSSP C. Wright Mills Award.
Professor Millat writes on the intersection of education, family, and the state. Her work has appeared in the UCLA Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, and NYU Law Review. She previously served as a Climenko Fellow at Harvard Law School.
Dr. Dicochea's research examines the educational trajectories of transnational and transfronterizo students. She partners with the Secretaría de Educación y Cultura of Sonora to develop pedagogical frameworks supporting return migrant students.
Evelyn Rangel-Medina (Wixárika) is an interdisciplinary legal scholar whose work investigates how immigration law and enforcement produces racialized outcomes for mixed-status families and communities. Her publications have appeared in the Boston University Law Review, Boston College Law Review, and UC Irvine Law Review. The first in her family to attend college in the U.S., she earned her J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law as an inaugural UC Presidential Public Interest Law Fellow.
Senator Ruiz is a prominent advocate for immigrant rights and educational equity in Arizona and Mexico.
Dr. Martínez's award-winning book Illegalized: Undocumented Youth Movements in the United States analyzes the rise of Undocumented Youth Social Movements. He is Co-Director of the newly launched Latinx Oral History Lab at ASU.
Golden spent 10 years at the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, becoming their first Deputy Director. She later served as a Policy Advisor at the Office of Refugee Resettlement working on federal policies impacting unaccompanied children.
Elvia Diaz is an award-winning journalist and commentator covering immigration, politics, and community issues in Arizona and the borderlands.
Krsna immigrated from Mexico as a child and brings personal and professional immigration experience. He previously served as an attorney at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and as legal services manager at Immigrants Rising. He earned his J.D. from Cornell Law School.
Dr. Huízar-Hernández is a scholar and leader at ASU's Hispanic Research Center, contributing to research and programming at the intersection of Latinx communities, migration, and higher education.
Tran Dang founded and directs the Rhizome Center for Migrants in Guadalajara, Mexico, providing transnational support and reintegration services for deported individuals and mixed-status families.
Nicole Ramos is an attorney, movement strategist, and recognized expert on U.S. border policy and the right to seek asylum. She co-founded Al Otro Lado, a binational nonprofit providing legal, humanitarian, and social services to thousands annually.
Dr. Estrada is a sociologist whose research focuses on immigration, childhood, and community dynamics in mixed-status families and Latinx communities.
Consul General Mendoza Yescas has over 20 years of diplomatic service. Since 2019, he has led initiatives including the recognition of the Mexican Consular ID as official identification in Arizona and the creation of the Entrepreneurship Program for Mexican Women Abroad with ASU.
Dr. Coronado's research centers on human rights, migration, and social justice along the U.S.–Mexico border. She is a Fulbright scholar and received the Association for Borderland Studies Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
Sal Macias is a practicing immigration and criminal defense attorney who represents detained and deportable individuals in Arizona.
Katie Ruhl leads legal services at the Florence Project, which provides free legal and social services to adults and unaccompanied children detained in Arizona immigration detention.
Originally trained as a lawyer in Colombia, Juan leads binational strategies to advance migrant justice. His prior roles include leading nationwide refugee program operations with USCRI and representing Colombia at the United Nations.
Reyna Montoya is a DACAmented social entrepreneur and community organizer born in Tijuana. Under her leadership, Aliento has impacted over 70,000 individuals and educated nearly 100,000 voters, playing a key role in passing Prop 308 in Arizona.
Professor Cruz is a Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Immigration Clinic at ASU Law, where she oversees direct representation and training in immigration legal practice.
This conference is made possible by the generous support of the following co-sponsors, student organizations, and community partners.
The Civil Rights, Migration and Workplace Law Initiative at ASU Law advances justice through public education, interdisciplinary scholarship, community engagement, and the development of the next generation of civil rights leaders.
Whether you plan to attend in person or join the livestream, please register below. Registration is free and takes less than a minute.
Register for the ConferenceBoth in-person and online participants should register.
Access continuing legal education materials for this conference. This folder will be updated with materials before and after the conference.
Access CLE Materials →Only registered participants may request CLE credit. Materials are provided for informational purposes and will be updated on a rolling basis.