Immigration and Human Rights Practice

UEI is proud to announce its first established practice at our think tank, the Immigration and Human Rights (IHR) Practice. The first of its kind at UEI, this practice will feature critical research, scholarship, writing, policy work, and direct engagement with the changing landscape of immigration, sanctuary legislation, and citizenship around the world.

Leadership

The IHR Practice is spearheaded by engaged scholars and policy researchers from UEI. Their existing work captures critical discussions about immigration policy, global migration, and questions about citizenship around the world:

Executive Director — Ishaan Barrett, Founding President and Managing Partner (specialties: US Immigration Policy; Federal, State, and City-wide Immigration Policy)

Deputy Director — Emily Watson, Senior Editor (specialities: UK Immigration Policy and Migration; European Migration Studies and Policy).

Practice Contributor — Faith Heffernan, VP of Strategy and Senior Partner (specialties: Forced Migration; International Migration and Resettlement; Disaster Response and Mitigation).

Featured Work

The Language of Temporary Architecture, Immigration, Migration, and Asylum at Candler HERRC: Arabic and Spanish Linguistic Pragmatics in Translation

This paper will explore the nature of ephemeral urban spaces with special attention to the physical, linguistic, and political barriers that complexify the asylum and migrant experience for new arrivals in New York.

The Urban Equity InstituteIshaan Barrett

Engaged Scholarship

Work published by practice directors and contributors at other outlets and publications will be included here.

Ishaan Barrett “Immigration Reform and Humanitarian Parole: Opening Pathways to Alternative Entry and Empowering the Sanctuary City,” Columbia Political Journal, April 2025, [pages pending].

Ongoing initiatives include:

1. Constitutionality and legal coverage: unpacking questions of legality and consitutionality within the new Trump administration's immigration executive orders and policies (from the White House and Congress).
2. Comparative immigration studies: contrasting immigration policy and approaches between the US and the UK through focused research, reporting, and commentary.