The National Immigration Habeas Institute (NIHI) is a new joint venture between the Center for Immigration Innovation at Cardozo Law School and the National Immigration Litigation Alliance.
NIHI was launched in August 2025 in response to the federal government’s vast expansion of immigration detention and its rapidly evolving immigration enforcement tactics—pushing the boundaries of law and constitutional protections. Meanwhile, deportation defense attorneys, experienced in practice in the nation’s administrative immigration courts, are increasingly finding those courts unable or unwilling to vindicate the rights of their clients.
Accordingly, the battleground for defending detained immigrants has now expanded beyond the immigration courts and into federal district court, where the substantive law, procedures, opposing counsel, and norms of practice are vastly different. Habeas corpus petitions filed in federal district courts are now the primary vehicle to vindicate the rights of detained immigrants.
Contact NIHI: For questions about the application requirements, the training or mentorship program, or to request a training in your region, please email us.
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NIHI Components
NIHI consists of two main components.
- Intensive in-person training. The first is an intensive two-day in-person training designed to prepare experienced immigration attorneys—with little to no prior federal court experience—to litigate immigration habeas petitions in federal court. Attendees will receive rigorous, hands-on training on common and emerging issues in habeas litigation taught by the nation’s leading scholars and litigators. NIHI will host trainings in three cities in its inaugural year.
- Pro bono placement and mentorship. In return for the free training and CLE credits, attendees agree to litigate at least one pro bono habeas petition referred by NIHI, and with the support of a NIHI mentor, in the year following their training. Attendees may have the option to self-refer one of their own clients with habeas claims, or to be referred a case from NIHI’s pool of previously vetted cases.
Apply to Join a NIHI Training
NIHI welcomes immigration law practitioners with little to no federal court experience to apply to join a training cohort.
The training will include:
- Practical training on how to litigate an immigration habeas from start—including how to draft an effective petition or complaint and motions for preliminary relief—to finish—such as responding to government motions to dismiss, as well as negotiation strategies for settlement;
- Hands-on, small-group sessions on common claims or case types, such as challenging prolonged detention or third country removal;
- Live demonstrations of how to handle an oral argument or other appearances before a federal judge;
- Sample pleadings, briefing, and practice materials.
NIHI trainings are free of change and participants may be able to receive CLE credits (to be confirmed closer to the training)
Applications for the NYC October training are now closed. Anyone who submitted an application for this training should receive a decision on their application by Friday, Sept 26, 2025.
The other two trainings are tentatively scheduled for January 2026 and May 2026. Please check back in the coming months for notices regarding upcoming NIHI trainings in other jurisdictions. To request a NIHI training in your area, please email NIHI@yu.edu.
NIHI Leadership, Faculty, and Staff
Alina Das
Professor of Law and Co-Director, NYU Immigrant Rights Clinic
Alexandra Lampert
Supervising Attorney, Brooklyn Defender Services
Maggie Kopel
Staff Attorney, National Immigration Litigation Alliance