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University law students seek legal avenues to help

refugees
MARY CATON

Published on: February 4, 2017 | Last Updated: February 5, 2017 4:19 PM EST

University of Windsor law students research safe third country agreements to help refugees impacted by
President Donald Trump's executive order, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017. D A X M E L M E R / W I N D S O R S TA R

About two dozen University of Windsor law students gave up their free time on the
weekend to help mobilize a legal fight against a recent U.S. travel ban and the tenuous
status of refugees in that country.
The students were determined to continue their efforts Saturday despite news a U.S. federal judge
ordered a halt to President Donald Trumps controversial immigration ban aimed at seven Muslim
countries.

Though the ban has been suspended for the moment, the situation for refugees in the States is still
extremely uncertain, said third-year law student Clare Hopkins, one of the organizers of Windsors
research-a-thon session. The Canada Council for Refugees believes the U.S. was never safe for
refugees and even more so now.

Hopkins and the others who brainstormed in a campus classroom Saturday were part of an effort
organized across the county and involving all 22 Canadian law schools.

Students at McGills Faculty of Law decided to support the Canada Council for Refugees by examining an
agreement between Canada and the U.S. that declares each country a safe place for refugees.

In less than 24 hours, the project went from a local initiative to a nationwide effort involving an estimated
500 law students.

Each school pod was asked to examine a certain aspect of the Safe Third Country Agreement and draft a
memo outlining possible legal challenges. In light of Trumps actions, they feel the agreement now puts
individuals at risk.

We can no longer say the U.S. is a safe country, Hopkins said.

After finding out about the initiative through a friend at McGill, Hopkins and fellow organizers Nadia
Bakhtiari and Archana Ravinchandradeva rallied 22 students to drop by for a three-hour research shift
Saturday.

Its such a pressing issue we needed to act fast, Bakhtiari said.

Bakhtiari and Ravinchandradeva co-chair the universitys chapter of the Canadian Association of Refugee
Lawyers so they eagerly jumped into the task.

Were in the exploratory stage right now, Ravinchandradeva said of their days work. Were looking at all
aspects of the agreement as it exists right now. By looking at all angles you can develop a legal
argument.

Several lawyers and university professors lent their expertise to the effort. The goal was to draft a memo
over the weekend that would then be forwarded to the Canadian Council for Refugees.

mcaton@postmedia.com

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