Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law

Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law Advancing Human Rights for Marginalized Communities through Nationwide Litigation and Activism ⚖️

The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law is a private, non profit, tax-exempt organization founded in 1980 by its Executive Director, Peter Schey, to protect and promote the constitutional and international human rights of vulnerable communities, including immigrants, refugees, prisoners, and indigenous peoples, with respect to the rights to an adequate standard of living, to work, to fr

eedom of expression and to be free from discrimination, arbitrary arrest, torture, and execution. Since its incorporation, the Center has provided a range of legal and social services to victims of human and civil rights violations. The Center has achieved major victories in major class action cases in the courts of the United States and before international bodies that have directly benefited hundreds of thousands of indigent men, women and children. For a full list of our major advancements for human rights, visit our website.

08/20/2026

An important update on our Flores case with co-counsel:

Yesterday, a federal court appointed a Special Master and Independent Monitor to oversee the government’s compliance with the Flores Settlement Agreement after more than a year of documentation and reports demonstrated systemic violations in CBP’s notorious holding facilities.

Stay tuned for more on the case, and what this update means for children in immigrant detention.

This week, we are urging Congress to restore refugee admissions, defend asylum, protect TPS, and end travel bans during ...
08/17/2026

This week, we are urging Congress to restore refugee admissions, defend asylum, protect TPS, and end travel bans during the week of National Refugee Advocacy Days with We Are All America.

Nine months ago, a routine family visit turned into a nightmare for Mr. Rios Sosa and his family.Mr. Rios Sosa, his then...
08/04/2026

Nine months ago, a routine family visit turned into a nightmare for Mr. Rios Sosa and his family.

Mr. Rios Sosa, his then-Marine sergeant son, and his wife, drove to the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base in North County San Diego to take his pregnant daughter out for breakfast. She was living on base with her active-duty Marine husband.

ICE agents targeted Mr. Rios Sosa and his wife at the entrance to Camp Pendleton, despite the fact that they presented valid documents. Despite repeatedly assuring him that he would not face detention or deportation due to his son’s military service, decades in the U.S., and valid U visa Deferred Action status, ICE agents later summarily deported him to Mexico.

At the time of his deportation, Mr. Rios Sosa had been granted valid Deferred Action status by USCIS, a protection as part of his pending application for a U-visa, an immigrant benefit for noncitizen victims of crime–and their immediate relatives– who assist with the law enforcement investigation or prosecution of that crime.

We are representing Mr. Rios Sosa to demand his return to his family in the U.S. and hold the government accountable to the legal protections promised to immigrant survivors.

Read the full press release and filing at the link in our bio.

8/18/27 Special CLE Webinar: ICWC v. NoemIn May 2026, a U.S. district court issued a class certification and preliminary...
08/03/2026

8/18/27 Special CLE Webinar: ICWC v. Noem

In May 2026, a U.S. district court issued a class certification and preliminary relief order in ICWC v. Noem. As part of its ruling, the court held that ICE’s policy of vigorously pursuing the removal of noncitizens eligible for U visas, T visas, or VAWA-based relief was “contrary to law”. The case has numerous positive implications for immigrant survivors of crime, trafficking, or domestic abuse who come into contact with ICE or the immigration courts.

Speakers:
Bardis Vakili, ICWC v. Noem class counsel, CHRCL Legal DirectorRebecca Eissenova, ASISTA Senior Staff Attorney
Note: Approved for 1.25 TX MCLE credits.

Intended audience: Those who serve immigrant survivors in a professional capacity. This webinar will be presented in English only.

Webinar Cost: $35/attendee. ASISTA Special Webinars are open to all who are interested in learning about these issues. These webinars are not free for ASISTA members or OVW grantees; we charge all attendees a nominal fee to cover our expenses.

Please contact Maria at [email protected] with any questions.

Register at bit.ly/icwc0818 or go to the link in our bio.

07/31/2026

Yesterday, 7/30/26, we filed a federal lawsuit seeking an order that will permit the father of a former U.S. Marine sergeant, Mr. Esteban Rios Sosa, to lawfully reunite with his family in the United States and return to the protections of his Deferred Action status in connection with a pending U visa application, which the government ignored when it deported him without regard for the nearly 40 years he spent working hard to build a life in the U.S.

Under previous administrations, Mr. Rios Sosa’s Deferred Action status would have protected him from detention and deportation. In January 2025, the Trump administration issued a memo rescinding longstanding protections for immigrant survivors of serious crimes and authorizing their routine arrest, detention, and deportation for the first time in decades. A federal judge has temporarily restored those protections in a separate lawsuit, ICWC v. Noem, also led by The Center.

Mr. Rios Sosa’s story represents a promise made to immigrant survivors and a promise broken by this administration. We are proud to stand with Mr. Rios Sosa in demanding his return to his family in the United States - and in holding this government to the promise it made to protect immigrant survivors.

Promises matter. Protection matters. We are here to ensure the law delivers both.

For press inquiries, please email: [email protected]

The government already spends $160 million a year on Dilley, and Congress approved $45 billion more for detention expans...
07/28/2026

The government already spends $160 million a year on Dilley, and Congress approved $45 billion more for detention expansion. Taxpayer dollars should not fund the incarceration of children and families.

Congress should not provide another dollar to expand detention facilities like Dilley.

It should demand a full accounting of the billions already appropriated for detention expansion, move toward ending the detention of children and families, and call on the administration to shut down Dilley and release families while their immigration cases proceed.


Families Belong Together
FWD.us

On June 15, 1982, in the landmark Plyler v. Doe decision, the Supreme Court affirmed a fundamental principle: all childr...
06/15/2026

On June 15, 1982, in the landmark Plyler v. Doe decision, the Supreme Court affirmed a fundamental principle: all children in the U.S. have a constitutional right to access a free public K-12 education, and states cannot deny that access to children on account of their immigration status.

Plyler has since become a bedrock principle of educational access, ensuring schools remain spaces of care and learning, not discrimination based on immigration status.

The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law served as lead counsel in Plyler v. Doe. We are proud of our organization’s history of successfully litigating this case before the Supreme Court alongside other committed partners.

On the anniversary of this decision, Plyler reminds us that the fight for equal access to education in the 1970s is inseparable from present-day movements for immigrant justice, dignity, and full inclusion.

CHRCL is proud to welcome Reza Ali, who will be joining our team as a 2026 Summer Intern to advance and defend the right...
06/11/2026

CHRCL is proud to welcome Reza Ali, who will be joining our team as a 2026 Summer Intern to advance and defend the rights of immigrants across the country!

Read more about his background, and stay tuned for exciting updates about his work!

We are proud to introduce Isabella Bowers, who will be joining us as a Summer 2026 intern to advance and defend the righ...
06/08/2026

We are proud to introduce Isabella Bowers, who will be joining us as a Summer 2026 intern to advance and defend the rights of immigrants across the country!

Read more about her background, and stay tuned for exciting updates about her work!

On May 20, 2026, a federal court order temporarily restored protections for certain immigrant survivors with pending pet...
06/08/2026

On May 20, 2026, a federal court order temporarily restored protections for certain immigrant survivors with pending petitions.

The order addressed the 2025 Guidance issued by then-Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello and two related Trump administration policies resulting in the routine arrest, detention, and removal of immigrants with pending VAWA, U visa, and T visa petitions (collectively “2025 Guidance”).

The court certified three classes and stayed the 2025 Guidance and policies nationwide as to those classes. Our practice advisory explains the impact of the order and aims to provide practitioners with the tools to benefit from it.

Access the practice advisory and toolkit at centerforhumanrights.org/icwc-v-noem.

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