2026 May Washington, D.C. Fellows Reception and Presentation

Please join the Washington, D.C. Fellows for a reception and presentation of “Weaponizing Immigration Detention” by ABF Affiliated Scholar Emily Ryo. This reception is being held in conjunction with the ABA International Law Section Annual Conference

Monday, May 11, 2026

6:00 PM-8:00 PM ET

Reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres and hosted bar. Presentation to start around 6:45 pm.

Offices of Cozen O’Connor 
2001 M Street NW, Suite 500
Washington, D.C.

$75 per Person
Guests Welcome
Cancellations cannot be refunded after May 4, 2026

Immigrants, like all individuals, exist within networks of social relationships that shape their identities, inform their decision-making, and guide their behavior. Certain areas of substantive U.S. immigration law—the body of law governing who may enter or remain in the United States—explicitly acknowledge this social embeddedness by protecting or privileging valued social relationships. In contrast, procedural immigration law—the set of rules governing how substantive immigration law is implemented and enforced—undermines or destroys those very relationships. The U.S. government’s practice of transferring immigrant detainees across multiple detention facilities and confining them in remote locations is a paradigmatic example of such destructive procedural immigration law in action. This presentation will present the first systematic empirical analysis of interfacility transfers and remote detention in the U.S. immigration detention system.

The Fellows gratefully recognize event hosts: