Rights Night: Our Rights, Our Issues

Talia Inlender
in conversation with Lindsay Toczylowski and Miriam Jordan Special Performance by poet Marcelo Hernandez Castillo
Saturday, Feb 15, 2020 | 6:30pm Mark Taper Auditorium-Central Library

 

What makes a country a home? Three experts on immigration and human rights will come together to share from their work from different sides of the border crisis. In addition to her experience litigating cases on behalf of immigrants, Talia Inlender will talk about her role both in working with people incarcerated by immigration authorities and also training and supervising attorneys, legal fellows, and law students representing detained immigrants in their immigration proceedings. Inlender will be joined in conversation by Miriam Jordan, a national immigrant correspondent for The New York Times, as well as Lindsay Toczylowski, Executive Director of Immigrant Defenders Law Center. Miriam Jordan is a grassroots reporter who has profiled the lives of immigrant workers and is currently writing about how policy is turning migrant moms and kids into prey for narcos. Lindsay Toczylowski is the executive director at Immigrant Defenders Law Center, which represents asylum seekers subjected to the Migrant Protections Protocol, the Trump policy forcing them to remain in Mexico until their case has been adjudicated in immigration court. Following this timely look at the impact of immigration policy on people in the U.S., the evening will end with a powerful performance by poet, essayist, translator, and immigration advocate Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, who will read from his award-winning work.

Talia Inlender

Talia Inlender is a Supervising Senior Staff Attorney in the Immigrants’ Rights Project at Public Counsel in Los Angeles, where she manages the agency’s work related to detained immigrants. In this role, Talia works with people incarcerated by immigration authorities including asylum seekers, residents and non-residents with deep family and community ties to the United States, among others. Talia also trains and supervises attorneys, legal fellows, and law students representing detained immigrants in their immigration proceedings. Talia has herself litigated cases on behalf of immigrants before Immigration Judges; the Board of Immigration Appeals; and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Talia’s portfolio also includes impact litigation on behalf of immigrants. She is co-counsel on Franco-Gonzalez v. Holder, the first lawsuit to establish a right to government-appointed counsel for a class of immigrants with serious mental disabilities, F.L.B. v. Lynch and C.J.L.G. v. Barr, lawsuits to vindicate children’s right to counsel in immigration proceedings, and International Refugee Assistance Project v. Kelly, a lawsuit challenging the detention of an Afghan family entering on Special Immigrant Visas during the Muslim ban. Talia is a former judicial clerk to the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is a graduate of Wesleyan University (B.A. 2001) and Yale Law School (J.D. 2007).

Miriam Jordan

Miriam Jordan is a national immigration correspondent for The New York Times. She reports from a grassroots perspective on the impact of immigration policy on people in the country legally and illegally; on the labor market and on demographics. Before joining The Times, Ms. Jordan worked at The Wall Street Journal and Reuters. She has been a reporter in the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. She speaks Portuguese, Spanish, French and Hebrew.

Lindsay Toczylowski

Lindsay Toczylowski is a founding member and the current Executive Director at the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, a next-generation social justice law firm based in Los Angeles. For the past decade, Lindsay has served as a legal advocate for a variety of California-based organizations dedicated to making immigrant rights on paper into rights in reality. Her team works to defend immigrant communities against systemic injustices in the legal system. Lindsay’s expertise encompasses human rights law, immigration, refugee law, international development, and the rule of law. Previously, she was Directing Attorney at the Esperanza Immigrant Rights Projects, Overseas Operations Director for Asylum Access, and a Staff Attorney at Kids in Need of Defense.

Marcelo Hernandez Castillo

Marcelo Hernandez Castillo was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and immigrated to California with his family at the age of five. He received a BA from Sacramento State University and an MFA from the University of Michigan. Castillo is the author of Cenzontle (BOA Editions, 2018), which was chosen by Brenda Shaughnessy as the winner of the 2017 A. Poulin, Jr. Prize. A founding member of the Undocupoets, he teaches poetry to incarcerated youth and also teaches at the Ashland University low-res MFA program. He lives in Marysville, California.

Illustration courtesy of Shepard Fairey/Obeygiant.com

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why do programs fill so quickly?

    ALOUD provides a unique experience for the public to engage with scholars, authors, and artists in the intimate 235-seat Mark Taper Auditorium. Library Foundation Members have the benefit of reserving for programs in advance of the public. Consider joining as a Member to receive this benefit, and check the website on an on-going basis for program availability. Be sure to subscribe to our email alerts, and visit our Media Archive for podcasts and other items from our recent programs.

  • Where does ALOUD take place?

    Unless otherwise noted, ALOUD programs are held at the downtown Central Library’s Mark Taper Auditorium.

  • Where should I park?

    We recommend taking public transportation. Parking for the Central Library is at the Westlawn Garage at 524 S. Flower Street. For more information, visit the Library’s website.

  • Should I purchase the author’s book in advance?

    We encourage you to purchase books from the Library Store. All proceeds benefit the Los Angeles Public Library. Books are made available for purchase when you reserve for a program online, and are also on sale at programs. In order to participate in the book signing, you must purchase at least one book from The Library Store. Members receive discounts on purchases.

  • Where can I find podcasts and videos of ALOUD programs?

    Podcasts and videos from our programs are available free online at our growing Media Archive. Visit the archive at lfla.org/media-archive to explore hundreds of podcasts and videos spanning 20+ years of ALOUD’s history bringing authors, artists, and t thinkers to the Los Angeles Public Library.