Georgetown Law & UBN Life on Hold

About the Authors GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER, FEDERAL LEGISLATION CLINIC The Federal Legislation Clinic (FLC) at Georgetown University Law Center instructs law students in the practical aspects of legislative lawyering. For more than twenty-five years, the FLC has offered experiential opportunities for students to learn the unique skills associated with being a lawyer who practices at the intersection of law, advocacy, and politics. While focusing on federal legislation, the FLC also works in areas of state and local legislation that implicate federal law. THE UNDOCUBLACK NETWORK The UndocuBlack Network (UBN), founded in 2016, is a multigenerational network of currently and formerly undocumented Black people that fosters community, facilitates access to resources, and contributes to transforming the realities of our people so we are thriving and living our fullest lives. UBN has chapters in New York City, the Washington, D.C./Maryland/Virginia area, and Los Angeles, California. Acknowledgments We extend our deep appreciation to FLC Director Cori Alonso-Yoder and Supervising Attorney Joel Wiginton for providing insightful feedback during the drafting process and for facilitating the fruitful partnership between UBN and the FLC. We would like to thank UBN Co-Executive Directors Patrice Lawrence and Gabrielle Jackson for encouraging and supporting this partnership and the resulting report. We recognize and thank each of the students in the Federal Legislation Clinic who co-authored this report: Gabriel Acosta, Kristin Ewing, Alka Paturi, and Aaron Yemane. We recognize and thank UBN’s policy and advocacy legal team, consisting of Haddy Gassama, Esq. and Breanne J. Palmer, Esq. We also recognize and thank the foundational work of Dr. Tatiana Benjamin, without whose research this report would not be possible. We extend our gratitude to African Communities Together, a longtime UndocuBlack Network partner and a leader in the fight for LRIF. We thank the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law as another longtime partner in the legal fight to equitably implement LRIF. Most importantly, we want to thank the members of the UndocuBlack Network who shared their testimonies and stories of their lived immigration experiences with us. These contributions are quoted throughout the report and bring to life the urgency of the issues discussed therein.

© June 2021 Georgetown University Law Center Federal Legislation Clinic and UndocuBlack Network. All rights reserved.