Holding DHS Accountable: Seeking Compensation for Harm Under the FTCA
As reports of abuse, property damage and loss, medical neglect, and other misconduct by federal immigration officers continue to grow, immigration attorneys need to know when the Federal Torts Claims Act (FTCA) may offer a path to seek damages and assign accountability. Join our panel of experts for an overview of FTCA claims in the immigration context, including how to identify viable cases, file an administrative claim, and avoid common pitfalls.
Featured Topics
- Types of harm that qualify for an FTCA claim: physical injury, property damage and loss, medical neglect, etc.
- How to identify potential cases and preserve evidence
- Filing administrative claims with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) using Form SF-95
- Common pitfalls, and strategies to avoid them
- Community outreach, and connecting clients with FTCA litigators
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.
| Product Details | |
| Event Date | May 20, 2026 |
| Format | Web Seminar |
| Length | 90 minutes |
| CLE Eligible | No CLE Credit. |
| Digital Library | Digital goods (MP3, PDF, ZIP, etc.) are available for download for two years after purchase. |
Anita Gupta (DL), Austin, TX
Anita Gupta is the Senior Advisor for Immigration Programs at UnidosUS, where she supports the UnidosUS Affiliate network to strengthen legal services and respond to immigration enforcement. She previously served as Managing Attorney at the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and led removal defense and Texas initiatives at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. Earlier in her career, she represented clients in removal defense, humanitarian, and family-based immigration matters. She holds a JD from DePaul University College of Law.
Ann Garcia, Senior Staff Attorney, National Immigration Project, Washington, D.C.
Ann Garcia is a Senior Staff Attorney at the National Immigration Project. She previously ran projects at CLINIC to assist separated families and free immigrants from detention. Ann started a detained removal defense practice at a RAICES office in North Texas as an Equal Justice Works Fellow and worked on domestic immigration policy at the Center for American Progress. They are a graduate of the American University Washington College of Law and Middlebury College.
Zachary Manfredi, Consultant, Democracy Forward & Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, Washington, D.C.
Zachary Manfredi (Zak) is the Founder and Principal of ZJAM Strategies, where he advises leading civil rights organizations, including Democracy Forward and the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, on high-impact litigation. A former Litigation Director at ASAP, he has led nationwide efforts advancing immigrants’ rights. Zak holds a JD from Yale Law School, a PhD from UC Berkeley, and an MPhil from Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. His work focuses on federal court litigation, administrative law, and government accountability.
Emma Winger, Deputy Director of Litigation, American Immigration Council, Washington, D.C.
Emma Winger is Deputy Legal Director with the American Immigration Council, where she leads impact litigation and files amicus briefs to protect the rights of noncitizens and authors practice advisories. Before joining the Council, Emma was a staff attorney with the Immigration Impact Unit of the Committee for Public Counsel Services in Massachusetts and a law clerk for a federal district court judge. She graduated from Boston College Law School and Yale University.
