James H. Binger Center for New Americans

03/31/2026

Minnesota Law's James H. Binger Center for New Americans received the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association (MHBA) Access to Justice Award at MHBA's annual gala on March 27. The Binger Center, along with 6 of its partner organzations — the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, The Advocates for Human Rights, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid , Volunteer Lawyers Network, and the ACLU-MN received this honor together. Professor Nadia Anguiano '17 accepted the award on behalf of the Binger Center.

Congratulations to the Binger Center team!

03/19/2026

09/24/2025

Join us for the Binger Center for New Americans annual Fall Immigration Forum!

The James H. Binger Center for New Americans invites you to attend the 2025 Fall Immigration Forum. This year’s forum explores the themes of being, becoming, and belonging within the American experiment.

Sessions will offer historical perspectives on citizenship, engage in debates and innovative approaches to protecting immigrant rights in our communities, and provide practical tools for discussing immigration issues with those who hold different views.

A brief reception will follow this event in Auerbach Commons.

November 7, 2025
8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Walter F. Mondale Hall, Room 25

https://lnkd.in/g69nyiib

6 Standard CLE credits have been requested.

10/07/2024

Just a few days away - remember to register for for the 2024 James H. Binger Center Fall Immigration Forum, happening on October 11, 2024 at the

Registration: https://law.umn.edu/events/2024-james-h-binger-center-new-americans-fall-immigration-forum

Session Highlight: Housing, Tax and Employment Law

Featuring Panelists:
Caleb Smith - Clinical Professor of Law, University of Minnesota Law School
Stephen Premo ‘12 - Employment Law Clinic Co-Director, University of Minnesota Law School; Managing Partner, Premo Frank PLLC
Whitney Herold, Assistant Supervising Attorney, University of Minnesota Law School, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid

Moderated by Steve Meili - James H. Michael Chair in International Human Rights Law & Assistant Dean for Clinical Education, James H. Binger Center for New Americans University of Minnesota Law, University of Minnesota Law School

This clinic-based panel aims to discuss the limitations of rights in various legal areas. This panel will cover critical issues such as scams targeting immigrant communities, tax issues, and employment law, including unpaid wage claims.

09/30/2024

Join us on October 11, 2024 at the University of Minnesota Law School for the 2024 James H. Binger Center Fall Immigration Forum.

Registration (available in bio): https://law.umn.edu/events/2024-james-h-binger-center-new-americans-fall-immigration-forum

Session Highlight: RACIAL CAPITALISM AND IMMIGRATION

Featuring Panelists: Emily Ryo - Charles L. B. Lowndes Distinguished Professor of Law and Professor of Sociology, Duke University School of Law; Emmanuel Mauleón - Associate Professor, University of Minnesota Law School; Nekessa Opoti - Communications Director, Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI)

Moderated by Mahmoud Ahmed, Community Outreach and Research Coordinator, James H. Binger Center for New Americans University of Minnesota Law, University of Minnesota Law School

In the United States, nearly 5% of the civilian workforce is undocumented, and many work in the most dangerous, low-paid jobs, facing discriminatory and degrading conditions. This discussion will delve into racial capitalism and labor precarity, focusing on how historical legacies of slavery and Indigenous dispossession have led us here and contribute to the continued systemic exploitation of immigrant workers. In this discussion, we will explore how systemic racism in labor and immigration policies exacerbates migrant displacement and creates unsafe working conditions, perpetuating economic disparities. This panel will highlight the crucial role of worker centers and immigrant rights movements in advocating for worker justice. We will discuss the need for collaborative efforts and reformed policies that center race in labor and immigration discourse to address structural inequalities and create equitable labor markets.

09/26/2024

Join the us and at Open Book on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 for a discussion about the rights of noncitizens who have survived abuse while in prison. This panel will tell the story of the litigation and advocacy done on behalf of and by survivors of rampant abuse by Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officers at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI)—Dublin in California.

Following the abrupt closure of FCI Dublin earlier this year, nearly a hundred women and trans people were transferred across the country from California FCI, including to Waseca FCI in southern Minnesota, where they face ongoing neglect and retaliation. The panelists will discuss the organizing efforts that uncovered the survivors’ stories and led to the litigation; the class action that seeks to secure injunctive and declaratory relief for people still incarcerated in the BOP (including at Waseca); and the ongoing efforts to secure release from custody, relief from deportation, and monetary compensation for individual survivors.

The panelists include Susan Beaty - Senior Attorney, California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice; Kara Janssen - Senior Counsel, Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld; Janeanne Murray - Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Universityof Minnesota Law School ; and Angela Bortel - Attorney at Law, The Bortel Firm, LLC.

For more details and to RSVP, visit the event page (also available in bio):

09/20/2024

Join us for the 2024 Fall Immigration Forum on Friday, October 11, 2024 at the Walter F. Mondale Hall in Minneapolis. This year’s forum will focus on immigrants’ right to thrive in the U.S. economy that has historically extracted immigrant labor with minimal worker protection. Sessions will provide historical perspective and present innovative ideas for protecting and advancing the rights of noncitizens in the workplace.

For more speaker/session details and to register, visit the event page: https://law.umn.edu/events/2024-james-h-binger-center-new-americans-fall-immigration-forum