LibGuides: Faculty Publications: Alexander T. Holtzman

Alexander T. Holtzman

ALEXANDER HOLTZMAN

Assistant Clinical Professor of Law &

Director of Long Island Immigration Advocacy Fellowship Program

Selected Publications

For More Publications See:

Scholarly Commons

SSRN

Misery Acquaints a Man with Strange Bedfellows: A Plan to Pass Immigration Reform by Alexander Holtzman
Call Number: 34 Chicano-Latino L. Rev. 67

Publication Date: 2016

Immigration reform is one of the critical civil rights issues of our time. The purpose of this work is to serve as a starting place and strategic map for building a coalition capable of successfully lobbying for the passage of historic comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) legislation. In order to build such a coalition, individuals and organizations with competing interests and ideologies must unite, work in collaboration, and act in strategic concert. This article describes how stakeholders can build such a coalition. To pass CIR, a coalition of strange bedfellows should be built based on Chai Feldblum's "Six Circles Theory of Advocacy." Feldblum developed her thesis and expertise as the legislative lawyer on the successful campaign to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Her scholarship can teach CIR advocates how to build a coalition to pass significant civil rights legislation. This article calls for stakeholders to build a strategic coalition based on Feldblum's "Six Circles Theory" in order to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
A Modest Proposal: Legalize Millions of Undocumented Immigrants with the Change of a Single Statutory Date by Alexander Holtzman
Call Number: 2 Indon. J. Intl. & Comp. L., 133

Publication Date: 2015

Nearly 12 million undocumented immigrants currently live in the United States. Seemingly not a day goes by where the press does not cover immigration and immigrant issues. These articles discuss everything from the day-to-day experiences of undocumented immigrants in Alabama or Arizona, to the macro political implications of Congress passing, or failing to pass, comprehensive immigration reform legislation. Yet, despite the press coverage, the on-the ground realities, and the political ramifications, Congress has been unable to reform our broken immigration system. One reason posited for this failure is that the proposed solutions are simply too complicated. However, with respect to addressing the US’s undocumented immigrant population, the solution need not be: Congress may amend a single date in the registry statute under Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) § 249, 8 US.C. § 1259, last altered during the Reagan Administration. By amending a single date, Congress could provide a path to legalization and citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants with strong ties to the communities where they live and work.