U.S. immigration policies are changing quickly, and attorney Erin Murphy Barbato ’02 says these changes may shape America’s future, altering the “fabric of our entire country.”
“Because there’s so much news, a lot of it’s getting lost in terms of the breadth and the dramatic nature of these policy changes that are occurring every day,” she says.
Barbato is a clinical professor and immigration law expert at the UW. She studies immigration human rights clinics in North and South America and builds partnerships with law school clinics in several countries to share transnational immigration legal information and health information. Barbato is the director of the Immigrant Justice Center at UW Law School, and she is a faculty affiliate with Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies in College of Letters & Science. Before joining the UW, Barbato worked as an immigration attorney for private and nonprofit organizations.
Barbato is also a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the State Bar of Wisconsin, and she’s on the board of directors for the Community Immigration Law Center. She also contributed to Safe Passage from the Darién Gap, a research project and harm-reduction service program for refugees immigrating to the U.S.
On January 20, 2026, Barbato will join the UW Now Live to discuss the legal effects of changing immigration policies in the U.S.
My Chief Area of Expertise Is:
I’m an expert in immigration law and human rights. My focus is working with people who are seeking refuge in the United States, and I teach students how to practice immigration law, particularly with defending human rights and representing people who are in immigrant detention. I also do a lot of transnational work with partners throughout the Americas, in Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil.
On the UW Now Live, I’ll Talk About:
I’ll focus on is some of the major changes that the Trump administration has brought forth in this first year. I will try to touch on a number of areas, such as asylum, the enforcement that we’re seeing, and how these policies are affecting our UW students and faculty.
If There’s One Thing Viewers Should Take Away, It’s:
There have been a plethora of immigration policy changes. These changes are occurring every day, and they will potentially change the fabric of our entire country.
To Get Smart Fast, See:
For U.S. immigration information, see the National Immigration Justice Center.
For statistics, go to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which has a lot of current information.
For larger reports and trusted data, the Migration Policy Institute has a lot of current, helpful, and informative pieces.
