The administration has attempted to decimate the asylum system by moving to send applicants to third countries. In 2025, the use of Asylum Cooperative Agreements (ACAs) and other third-country transfer agreements expanded significantly to over 30 countries. Each country-specific agreement includes its own parameters and potential impacts on your clients. Attendees will learn how to find the agreements, determine whether their clients fall under them, and develop the best arguments against them.

Featured Topics

• Locating and assessing applicability of ACAs
• Arguing timeliness
• Due process challenges to third-country transfers
• Interplay between ACAs and grants of withholding of removal or protection under the Convention Against Torture
• Best strategies and frameworks when your client’s fear is based on never having been to the country
• Appeal options if the asylum application is pre-terminated based on ACAs

Faculty

Leah L. Chavarria (DL), AILA Federal Court Litigation Section Steering Committee, San Diego, CA 

Leah L. Chavarria is a senior associate at Hurwitz Holt, APLC, where she specializes in complex federal litigation, removal defense, asylum, humanitarian protection, family petitions, waivers, and naturalization. For nearly five years prior to returning to private practice, Leah directed, designed, and oversaw legal strategy, policy, and training at Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFSSD), while maintaining an active caseload before state and federal courts and DHS. Leah has dedicated many years of volunteer service to AILA, participating in National Day of Action from 2020 to 2024, serving three years on the ICE Committee, three years on the Federal Court Litigation Steering Committee, and chairing the San Diego Chapter from 2020-21. 

Dree K. Collopy, AILA Author, AILA's Asylum Primer: A Practical Guide to U.S. Asylum Law and Procedure, 9th ed., Washington, D.C. 

Dree K. Collopy is Of Counsel to Grossman Young & Hammond and a member of the faculty at American University Washington College of Law, where she directs the Immigrant Justice Clinic and teaches Asylum and Refugee Law. For two decades, she has represented people seeking protection from persecution and torture, as well as other relief. Dree is the author of AILA’s Asylum Primer and a thought leader on U.S. asylum law and policy. She works to train attorneys nationwide and expand access to excellent representation for asylum seekers. 

Lauren McClure, AILA Removal Defense Section Steering Committee, Chicago, IL 

Lauren McClure is a Partner with Kriezelman Burton & Associates, LLC. She is admitted to practice law in the state of Illinois. She focuses her practice exclusively on the areas of immigration law, including family-based immigration, asylum, removal defense, employment-based immigration and federal court litigation. Lauren is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Seventh Circuit. 

Peter A. Habib, San Francisco, CA 

Peter A. Habib is a staff attorney at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS). An Equal Justice Works alumnus, his fellowship focused on protections for individuals displaced in the context of climate change. He has advocated before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and he has worked with asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border as well as throughout Mexico and Panama. Peter is currently co-counsel in U.T. v. Blanche and Al Otro Lado, Haitian Bridge Alliance, et al. v. Trump. 

The speaker's/author's views do not necessarily represent the views of AILA, nor do they constitute legal advice or representation. Practice tips provided are based on the speaker's/author's experiences and the current state of the law. Please be sure to conduct legal research and analysis for your unique situation as the law changes quickly and experiences may differ from your own.

AILA Membership Benefit – Access to Free Seminar Recordings
Enjoy access to free seminar recordings as an AILA Member. AILA encourages live attendance for those wishing to ask the speaker questions. Recordings will be available approximately two weeks after the live event date. AILA members can access these seminars, with no CLE credit, for free.