Immigration & Human Rights Law

In addition to the administrative and regulatory framework of United States immigration laws, the curriculum at BU Law covers deportation, asylum, naturalization, and citizenship questions. Human rights courses delve into international laws designed to protect people’s rights within the US and around the world. 

Beyond survey courses that offer a comprehensive overview of the topics, students can choose to take classes that focus on specific issues such as Queerness and the Law, Business Immigration, and LatinXs and the Law. BU Law also offers a rich array of experiential courses in these related fields, including the International Human Rights Clinic, which focuses on forced migration, and the Immigrants’ Rights & Human Trafficking Program. Students in the program represent individual clients who are facing deportation or have survived human trafficking and also work on macro-level projects designed to tackle systemic problems, including through policy and legislative work, class action litigation, and amicus briefs.  

LLM students in the LLM in American Law program can choose from JD offerings in this area, and BU Law also offers a dual JD/MA in International Relations, a subject that provides a good foundation for human rights work.  

A mentoring program pairs current students with alumni working on immigration and human rights issues in their practice. Upon graduation, a number of BU Law graduates have been hired through the US Department of Justice’s Honors Program or awarded prestigious fellowships through Equal Justice Works, Immigrant Justice Corps, and the Skadden Fellowship Foundation.