Professor Michael Vastine joined the faculty of St. Thomas University College of Law in 2004, where he is a tenured professor of law and Director of the Immigration Clinic. A frequent conference speaker and author, he is also a leader of the immigration bar, with extensive service within the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). From 2011-20, he was elected to serve on the AILA South Florida Chapter Board of Directors, including a term as Chair of the Chapter. Professor Vastine’s AILA national-level service includes multiple terms on the Federal Litigation Section Steering Committee, Annual Conference Planning Committee, and Amicus Curiae Committee. His impact litigation principally relates to immigration and crimes, including the lead case at the Florida Supreme Court establishing the constitutional rights of immigrant defendants to effective representation by their criminal counsel, and multiple cases at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit delineating the immigration consequences of Florida convictions involving controlled substances. Additionally, he has represented AILA and other community-based organizations, as amicus curiae counsel, in forums ranging from the Board of Immigration Appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court, in matters including the constitutional limits of indefinite detention of immigrants, the due process rights of the physically deported, and the immigration consequences of state crimes. In 2013, Professor Vastine received the AILA (National) Elmer Fried Award for Excellence in Teaching.

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Summer 2019 Human Trafficking Academy
July 15, 2019 - July 19, 2019

This summer’s Academy offers a unique vision to confronting commercial sexual exploitation: analyzing the problem and exploring solutions through the lens of integral human development. Sex trafficking is one of the worst affronts to the dignity of the human person, and human flourishing is the ultimate societal goal. But, how do we confront this societal evil, and can we achieve our goal? Criminalizing the conduct is necessary, but not enough.
This Academy aims at empowering all stakeholders – and above all the survivors of sex trafficking – with a well-rounded understanding of human ecology. Root causes, push and pull factors, trends in decision, rights and obligations, full victim integration and much more will be addressed in comprehensive courses threaded with knowledge of the fundamental circumstances for human growth: economy, finance, labor, family, community life, cultural wealth and artistic creativity, religious belonging and spiritual dimension. Practical exercises will contextualize sex trafficking around sporting events such as the Super Bowl.
Join us in this empowering journey!
DATE July 15-19, 2019
TIME: 9:00 am – 3:30 pm
REGISTER NOW
EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION DEADLINE:
Friday, June 7, 2019
STANDARD REGISTRATION DEADLINE:
Friday, July 5, 2019