Apart from their assigned mod courses, 1L students may only enroll in courses offered as 1L electives. A complete list of these courses can be found on the 1L Elective Listings page. 1L students must use the 1L class number listed on the course description when enrolling.
288.1 sec. 001 - Immigration Law (Spring 2026)
Instructor: Leti Volpp (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only | profile)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 4
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
MTu 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: Law 140
From January 12, 2026
To April 28, 2026
Course End: April 28, 2026
Class Number: 33525
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 51
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 68
As of: 01/08 09:21 PM
This course surveys the legal, historical, and political considerations that shape U.S. immigration law. The course will review the constitutional basis for regulating immigration into the United States, and, to some extent, the constitutional rights of noncitizens in the country; the history of U.S. immigration law and policy; the contours of the immigration bureaucracy, including the roles played by various federal agencies in immigration decisions; the admission of nonimmigrants (i.e., temporary visitors) and immigrants into the U.S.; the deportation and exclusion of nonimmigrants and immigrants; refugee and asylum law; administrative and judicial review; undocumented immigration; immigration and national security; and citizenship and naturalization.
Much of the course focuses on the comprehensive immigration law, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, as amended by numerous laws (including the 1996 Anti-Terrorist and Effective Death Penalty Act and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, the 2001 USA PATRIOT Act, the 2005 REAL ID Act, the 2025 Laken Riley Act) and its implementing regulations. Although comparisons to immigration law and policy of other countries are drawn upon from time to time, the primary focus of this class is immigration law in the U.S.
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Requirements Satisfaction:
Units from this class count towards the J.D. Race and Law Requirement. |
Exam Notes: (TH) Take-home Final Exam
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Exam Length: 8 hours
Course Category: Public Law and Policy
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
International and Comparative Law
Race and Law
Social Justice and Public Interest
If you are the instructor or their FSU, you may add a file like a syllabus or a first assignment to this page.
Readers:
No reader.
Books:
Required Books are in blue
- Immigration and Refugee Law and Policy
Legomsky and Thonson
Edition: 7th edition, 2019
Publisher: Foundation
ISBN: 9781640207349
e-Book Available: unknown
Price: $232.00
Note: prices are sampled from internet bookstores. Law-school Bookstore prices are unavailable at this time. - Immigration and Nationality Laws of the United States: Selected Statutes, Regulations, and Forms
Aleinikoff, Martin, Motomura, Fullerton, Stumpf, Gulasekaram, and Cuison-Villazor
Edition: 2024
Publisher: West
ISBN: 9798887866048
e-Book Available: Yes
e-Book procurement note: https://www.westacademic.com/Aleinikoff-Immigration-Nationality-Laws-United-States-Selected-Stats-Regs-Forms-2024-9798887866871
Price: 71
Note: prices are sampled from internet bookstores. Law-school Bookstore prices are unavailable at this time.