Immigration Law Commons^™

Asegurar La Frontera: Expansion Of Governor Greg Abbott’S Powers Over Border Security, Marshall B. Lloyd

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Law Of Livelihoods: How Legal Frameworks Shape Migrants' Financial Journeys, Annie Bright

Presentations - 2025

The financial lives of migrants reveal critical intersections between legal frameworks and socio-economic outcomes. Drawing on the findings of the Journeys Project, a qualitative study examining the financial health and trajectories of migrants in their countries of arrival, this article explores the role of laws and policies in shaping the financial health of migrants, addressing barriers such as documentation, legal status, and access to financial services. It proposes legal reforms and frameworks that foster environments where migrants can achieve financial stability and self-sufficiency, using firsthand accounts from the project’s financial biographies to highlight the human impact of these issues.

The Texas County Appraisal System, Chad J. Pomeroy

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Abortion Access: A Strain On The Most Vulnerable Women In Texas Post-Dobbs, Aleea Costilla

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

The U.S. Government Taking Under Eminent Domain: When Just Compensation Is Unjust (Comment), Michael Perez

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The true effects of private takings do not occur in a vacuum and are not solely academic in nature. The consequence of losing property implicates loss of income, loss of value in residual property, and loss of familial land. The importance of protecting the rights of individual land-owners becomes increasingly apparent when analyzing the effect of the taking.

This comment will explore how the government’s taking of private property occurs—including how the government has loosened restrictions and procedural hurdles. The analysis will focus specifically on processes, policies, and statutes, created and used by the federal government to facilitate takings necessary …

No Soy De Aquí, Ni Soy De Allá: U.S. Citizen Children Are Paying The Price For Our Nation's Broken Immigration System (Comment), Daisy J. Ramirez

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Current immigration polices continue to force mixed-status family separation and do not provide any attainable avenues for immigration relief. Modern immigration law is complex, filled with statutes and regulations that create waste, delay, and confusion among immigrants, their families, and the United States judicial system. As a result, U.S. citizen children are bearing the costs of a faulty immigration system.

Common Good, Shared Justice: Congolese Student Connects With Criminal Justice Major And St. Mary's University., Michelle Mondo

Black History at St. Mary's University - 2025 Collection

Christine Nduhura credits her past as being an important reason to her working in immigration services as she herself comes from an immigrant background. Nduhura, a junior in Criminal Justice at St. Mary’s University, wanted to learn more about “improving the system” in America legal processes. The criminal justice program at St. Mary’s University provides students such as Nduhura with opportunities to different classes that would allow her to work in a variety of fields as flexibility is important in career building. Criminal Justice Professor Milo Colton finds Nduhura to be a model of the Marianist mission for serving the …

Internally Displaced Persons: Ordeals And Analyses Of The Possible Regimes Of Legal Protection Frameworks, Olawale Ogunmodimu

St. Mary's Law Journal

This present global community is complicated because of anxiety and uncertainty. It is thoroughly interconnected yet intricately partitioned. Pivotally, one could argue that the centrality to this global anxiety is identity and belonging. People want to identify with and belong to a political system, territory, and culture. It seems that there is a present world that mirrors the political emergence of the interwar period that had nationalism on the rise. There is hostility to non-citizens globally, whether as refugees, internally displaced peoples (IDPs), or immigrants seeking to join new political communities. This Article explains the difficulties that ensue from being …

The Right To Immigrate: A Comparative Analysis Of Immigration System In The United States And Mexico, Roberto Rosas, Valeria Montalvo

Faculty Articles

This article highlights the immigration systems of Mexico and the United States. To address the different aspects of the migratory phenomenon, the article carefully observes the circumstances that determine the irregularity of migrants in Mexico and the United States, as well as the legal system that governs them depending on their migratory status. In addition to a comprehensive review of immigrant rights in Mexico and the United States, this article advocates for national legislation be brought in line with international human rights treaties, for there to be real protection of the economic, social and cultural rights of the most vulnerable …

The Deep South’S Constitutional Con, Lynn Uzzell

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Hermeneutics For Legal Research And Analysis, Konstantin G. Vertsman

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Inter-Circuit Judicial Splits Surrounding The Class Action Fairness Act’S “Local Single Event” Exception—A Proposal To Resolve The Confusion, Odalys Vielma

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Marijuana Legalization: Child-Centered Considerations In Texas Family Law Matters, Julie Whitson

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Dark Side Of Due Process: Part Ii, Why Penumbral Rights And Cost/Benefit Balancing Tests Are Bad, Joshua J. Schroeder

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Disposable Immigrants: The Reality Of Sexual Assault In Immigration Detention Centers, Valerie Gisel Zarate

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract forthcoming.

The Mother Of Exiles Is Abandoning Her Children: The Systemic Failure To Protect Unaccompanied Minors Arriving At Our Borders, Rosa M. Peterson

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Unaccompanied minors arrive at the United States border every day. Many brought by the hope of finding a life lived without fear, a luxury many United States citizens take for granted. Their truths become the barriers and shackles which keep them in detention centers and unaccompanied minor facilities throughout the United States; children find their very words wielded as weapons against them in immigration court. Words often spoken to therapists in perceived confidence, during counseling sessions. This practice is a systemic failure to protect unaccompanied minors arriving at our borders who are seeking protection and help. The United States …

Justice For Venezuela: The Human Rights Violations That Are Isolating An Entire Country, Andrea Matos

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming.

Judicial Deference Of The Board Of Immigration Appeals’ Regulatory Interpretations In Light Of Kisor V. Wilkie, Melissa Fullmer

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract forthcoming.

A Human Rights Crisis Under Our Roof, Aglae Eufracio

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming.

Undocumented Domestic Workers: A Penumbra In The Workforce, Abigail A. Roman

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming.

It Is Time To Get Back To Basics On The Border, Donna Coltharp

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming.

Not Your Average Summer Camp: Children In Immigration Detention, Cindy Izquierdo

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming.

America’S Second-Class Children: An Examination Of President Trump’S Immigration Policies On Migrant Children And Inquiry On Justice Through The Catholic Perspective, Gabriel Sáenz

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming.

What Recourse Do Vulnerable Immigrants Have?: Violations Of The Vawa Confidentiality Provisions And The Pursuit Of An Even Playing Field, Trevor S. Gallaway

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming.

Divided States Of America: Why The Right To Counsel Is Imperative For Migrant Children In Removal Proceedings, Catrina L. Guerrero

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming.

Migration Through The Mirror: Mexican Women’S Perspectives Of What It Means For Them When Mexicans Move North: A Binational Conversation (Book), Roberto Rosas

Faculty Articles

The content of the themes discussed during the binational conversation, “Mexican Women, their empowerment and contribution to the United States,” led to the publication of this book by the members of the Center for Mexicans in Globalization and St. Mary’s University School of Law. The binational conversation is an important exercise regarding the analysis of the theme of migration.  The goal is to highlight the fundamental role of each woman who participated, whose involvement regarding the diverse themes and the sharing of personal experiences contributes to the enrichment of the subject.

Building A Lifeline: A Proposed Global Platform And Responsibility Sharing Model For The Global Compact On Refugees, Sarnata Reynolds, Juan Pablo Vacatello

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

In 2016, the leaders of 193 governments committed to more equitable and predictable sharing of responsibility for refugees as part of the New York Declaration, to be realized in the Global Compact on Refugees. To encourage debate, this paper presents the first global model to measure the capacity of governments to physically protect and financially support refugees and host communities. The model is based on a new database of indicators covering 193 countries, which assigns a fair share to each country and measures current government contributions to the protection of refugees. The model also proposes a new government-led global platform …

Dignity Takings In Leviathanic Immigration Proceedings, Christopher Mendez

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Current immigration law in the United States is rife with racially motivated biases necessitating immediate correction. Among the many problems with current law, constitutional rights are withheld from a large populace. This article reflects upon the history of immigration law in the United States, noting key decisions which have formed the status quo. This article also proposes remedies such as the cessation of infringement by government agents on the property rights that affected immigrants have on their own bodies and a modern-day amnesty reflective of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. This article also introduces Bernadette Atuahene’s concept …

The Taxation Without Representation Of Undocumented Immigrants: Counting Unlawfully Earned Tax Dollars While Intentionally Ignoring Unlawful Presence, María Fernanda Alfaro

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Federal law mandates that wage earning undocumented immigrants pay taxes. Like all U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents, undocumented immigrants are not exempt from tax obligations solely because of their immigration status in the country. It seems like federal immigration laws are punishing undocumented immigrants for their unlawful presence in the United States, while federal tax laws praise and encourage their continued tax reporting. The Supreme Court’s opinion in Department of Commerce v. New York effectively ended the attempt to get a citizenship question on the 2020 Census, but it by no means closed the door on future attempts. Even …

'Race, Racism, And American Law': A Seminar From The Indigenous, Black, And Immigrant Legal Perspectives, Eduardo R.C. Capulong, Andrew King-Ries, Monte Mills

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Flagrant racism has characterized the Trump era from the onset. Beginning with the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump has inflamed long-festering racial wounds and unleashed White supremacist reaction to the nation’s first Black President, in the process destabilizing our sense of the nation’s racial progress and upending core principles of legality, equality, and justice. As law professors, we sought to rise to these challenges and prepare the next generation of lawyers to succeed in a different and more polarized future. Our shared commitment resulted in a new course, “Race, Racism, and American Law,” in which we sought to explore the roots …