Introduction to Immigration Habeas Practice

In today’s immigration enforcement environment, understanding habeas corpus is no longer a niche skill reserved for federal litigators. For immigration attorneys, it is becoming an essential part of protecting clients from unlawful detention.

But for attorneys who primarily practice before USCIS, EOIR, or the BIA, federal habeas litigation can feel intimidating. Where do you file? Who do you sue? What detention statute applies? When is habeas actually the right remedy? And what happens after the habeas petition is filed?

You do not need to become a constitutional scholar or seasoned federal litigator before taking your first case.

Introduction to Immigration Habeas Practice is a focused one-hour webinar training designed to give immigration attorneys the foundation, practical tools, and confidence to begin identifying and litigating habeas cases of their own.

Taught by two former Department of Justice attorneys with extensive federal immigration litigation experience, this program approaches habeas the way practicing lawyers need to understand it: when to use it, how to analyze the case, and how to get the action filed.

Our goal is simple: when a client is detained, you should be able to recognize whether habeas may provide a remedy and know what to do next.

Why this training matters

The current enforcement landscape has made one thing increasingly clear: immigration attorneys cannot assume that detention issues will remain someone else’s practice area.

Your client may be arrested unexpectedly. Bond may be unavailable. DHS may take a legal position you believe is wrong. And when that happens, the ability to evaluate a federal court remedy can fundamentally change the options available to your client.

This training is designed for immigration attorneys who are new to habeas practice, considering expanding into federal litigation, or simply want to understand the tools available when a client is detained.

Meet your instructors

Enes Hajdarpasic, Esq. is a former Assistant United States Attorney in the District of New Jersey, where he served as the office’s first attorney fully dedicated to civil immigration litigation. He has handled hundreds of immigration habeas matters from both the government and private-practice sides of federal litigation.

Ozlem Barnard, Esq. is a former attorney with the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Litigation and an experienced federal immigration litigator.

Together, Enes and Ozlem bring the perspective of attorneys who have litigated immigration cases on behalf of the federal government and now regularly counsel and mentor immigration attorneys navigating federal court.

You already know how to advocate for your clients in immigration court. This training will help you begin doing it in federal court.