Immigration Law Conference

The Federal Bar Association’s Immigration Law Section is pleased to announce its Annual Immigration Law Conference. Please join us in the great Midwestern city of Detroit as we debate and examine immigration law issues impacting those that work in the field of immigration law. Changes in law and policy will be at the forefront as we welcome discussions with experts and leaders in the field. This year’s conference provides a unique opportunity to hear from and network with colleagues in private practice, government, non-government organizations, and academia. Attendees can expect a variety of panels designed to explore a wide range of immigration matters. Registration will include access to 40 educational sessions over the course of a two-day, multi-track program with up to 12 CLE multistate credits available.

This event is scheduled to take place in-person without a streaming component. The FBA is committed to creating an event experience where our participants, partners and employees can safely and effectively conduct business, network and learn. We will follow current CDC guidelines as well as any applicable protocols that may be required by our venues, state and local governments. If the event converts to a hybrid experience, we will share updates on this page and attendees will be notified.

[Full Agenda Announced: View the Full Detailed Agenda]

Agenda At-A-Glance

[View the Full Detailed Agenda]

Session Times are Subject to Change. Sessions are posted in Eastern Time Zone

Concurrent Sessions to feature the following topics:

• Business & Consular
• Emerging Issues
• Family & Naturalization
• Federal Litigation
• Humanitarian

Thursday, May 12

SOLD OUT: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Tour of Detroit-Windsor Tunnel
We have arranged two tours for conference attendees to tour the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel at 4:00pm and 6:00pm. Tours are limited to a group of 25 at each timeslot. Participation is complimentary, and will be granted on a first come, first serve basis to registered attendees.

Optional: Welcome Dinner at Pegasus Taverna (6:00 – 8:00 pm)
(558 Monroe St. Greektown Detroit, MI 48226)
Join fellow conference attendees for an opening dinner at the Greektown Pegasus Taverna. Repeatedly named the best Greek restaurant in metro Detroit, family-owned Pegasus offers traditional Greek cuisine in a fun, casual atmosphere. From its huge open kitchen to the generous portions and charismatic wait staff, Pegasus is the perfect setting to kick-off your time in Detroit!

• Advance Dinner Ticket Purchase Required: $40
• Click Here to Pay Online and add to your existing registration package
• Onsite Purchase Available (credit card only)

Friday, May 13

7:30 – 8:30 AM | Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:00 a.m. – 8:10 a.m. | Welcome Remarks

8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. | Concurrent Sessions (90 minutes)

• Nuts and Bolts of Asylum Law: Strategizing a Winning Case
• Armchair Discussion with CIS Ombudsman and ICE Detention Ombudsman
• Navigating Marriage based I-130 Petitions
• Where Are We with the Categorical Approach?
• New Trends in I-9 Audits, Worksite Enforcement, and Investigations

10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. | Concurrent Sessions (90 minutes)

• Inadmissibility & Waivers in Humanitarian Cases
• Dealing with NVC and DOS after Petition Approved
• Hot Topics in Habeas and Border Issues Litigation
• H1B RFEs, Trends, Litigation and Alternatives

12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. | Keynote + Business Luncheon
David Gersten, Immigration Detention Ombudsman (Acting), U.S. Department of Homeland Security

2:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions (90 minutes)

• Responses to Refugee Crises
• Discretion and Difficult Naturalization Cases
• Litigating Gender and Domestic Violence-Based Asylum Claims in Courts of Appeals
• Consular Processing Trends and Legal Developments

3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Refreshment Break

4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions (90 minutes)

• Managing Your Humanitarian Case Practice and Balancing Client Demands (Ethics)
• Spurring U.S. Economic Growth through Immigrant Talent
• I-864 – Liability for Petitioners and Joint Sponsors and Issues of Public Charge
• Legal Research in the Era of Facebook: Ethics and Best Practices for Navigating Social Media, Google and other Fast-Track Lanes of “Legal” Information
• “Don’t Know Nothing about Science Books”: F 1 Students

6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |  Immigration Law Section Awards Reception

Saturday, May 14

7:30 – 8:30 a.m. | Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. | Concurrent Sessions (90 minutes)

• SIJS Updates and Best Practices – Intermediate to Advanced 
• Intersection of Policy and Litigation – A View from the Government
• Issues Related to Immigrants in the Military
• Hot Topics in Removal Defense
• Independents’ Day:  Developments in L, E, and TN Practice

10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. | Concurrent Sessions (90 minutes)

• Trauma Informed Representation
• ICE Hot Topics
• Waivers of Inadmissibility – Advanced
• Mandamus Boot Camp: Litigating to Combat USCIS Delays
• Do I REALLY Have to Go Home? Getting to Know Exchange Visitors

12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. | Buffet Luncheon (Choose One of Two Featured Sessions)

• A Discussion with Members of BRIDGES – Building Respect In Diverse Groups to Enhance Sensitivity
• Department of Labor Hot Topics – Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC)

2:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions (90 minutes)

• Asylum at the Border
• CBP and Port of Entry Processing Hot Topics
• Ethical Issues in Immigration Practice
• Supreme Court and Circuit Court Updates
• Steady the Wheel: Navigating PERM in 2022

3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Refreshment Break

4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions (90 minutes)

• Representing applicants for U, T & VAWA before EOIR
• I-751 Issues
• View From the Federal Bench
• Employer Petitions and Adjustment of Status: Will We Ever Get There?

Optional Saturday Evening Activities

• Detroit Tigers v Orioles (Comerica Park @ 7:10 p.m.) – Buy Tickets
• Detroit Princess Riverboat Cruise (Sunset Dinner Cruise @ 7:00 p.m.) – Buy Tickets

Registration

Advance registration for this event will close on Friday, May 6
Onsite registration will be available

• $545 – Sustaining Member           
• $575 – Member
• $680 – Nonmember
• $520 – Paralegal
• $365 – Government/Academic/ProBono
• $310 – Law Student

Offsite Ticketed Events

• $0 – Detroit-Windsor Tunnel Tour (May 12: 4pm + 6pm) (SOLD OUT)
• $40 – Welcome Dinner @ Pegasus Taverna in Greektown (May 12: 6pm)

Housing

Fort Pontchartrain Hotel
2 Washington Blvd
Detroit, MI 48226

A discounted block of rooms has been reserved for conference attendees at the Fort Pontchartrain Hotel (2 Washington Blvd; Detroit, MI 48226). Check-in time is 3:00 p.m. and check-out is 11:00 a.m.

• $189 (plus tax) – Standard Attendee Block (1 Queen Bed)
• $136 (plus tax) – Government Block (2 Double Beds)

Reservations must be made by 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, April 22. Any reservations received after the cut-off date or until the block is full, whichever is sooner, will be accepted based on a room-type and rate-available basis. Please contact the hotel’s Group and Sales Coordinator directly with outstanding reservation questions and accommodations. 

• Felicia Bason
• (E) coordinator@cpdetroit.com
• (T) 313-888-9642

The conference Group Code is FBA or you can reference “FBA 2022 Immigration Law Conference.” Please have your arrival/departure dates and credit card information ready to expedite your reservation process. Group rates are available for booking three days pre/post event dates, pending hotel inventory.

In order to ensure the success of FBA meetings and programs, we ask that registrants not book a room until AFTER registering for the event or book more than one room. 

Onsite Parking Information
The hotel offers valet parking for a secure underground garage at $15/day or $35 overnight. There are also several self-parking garage options within walking distance of the hotel.

CLE Education

Credit will be tracked via an online web application (ConferenceAdit). Attendees requesting CLE credit are required to check-in and check-out of each session on a computer or mobile device. The tracking site can be accessed directly via attendee-issued link. Attendees will login with the email and zip code affiliated with their registration. Certificates will be sent via email approximately two weeks following the event.

Attorneys admitted to state bars having mandatory CLE requirements may receive credit for attending this conference. For 60-minute credit hour states, up to 12 hours of CLE credit may be available. For states with 50-minute credit hours, up to 14.4 hours of CLE credit may be available.

If you have any questions regarding this program, please contact meetings@fedbar.org.