Protecting Human Rights Amid Immigration Enforcement

The Challenge

How might legal design — visual tools, simplified processes, and technology — complement traditional advocacy to address systemic inequities in immigration enforcement? As intensified immigration enforcement undermines migrants' rights to due process, family integrity, and security of person, this project examines what design can do where policy alone falls short.

Research & Discovery

Inspired by Stanford's Legal Design Lab and Harvard's Access to Justice Lab, this research employs a participatory design methodology. I've completed over 20 interviews with immigration attorneys, social activists, and legal designers — building on investigative research begun during summer 2025.

I've witnessed the process firsthand at the San Bernardino Community Center, observing how immigrants navigate complex legal systems and where the greatest friction points emerge.

"The system wasn't designed for the people it's meant to serve. Design thinking asks us to start from their experience and work backwards."

Key Insights

Through thematic analysis of interviews, patterns emerged around information asymmetry, procedural complexity, and the emotional toll of navigating enforcement systems. Legal designers emphasized the power of visual communication and process simplification in contexts where literacy, language, and trauma intersect.

The Solution

Currently in the prototyping phase — developing design interventions that make immigration legal processes more transparent and navigable for affected individuals and their advocates. The prototype centers accessibility, multilingual design, and trauma-informed interaction patterns.

What's Next

Receiving feedback from legal designers on the prototype. Next steps include user testing with community partners, iterating based on lived experience feedback, and publishing research findings through the Mgrublian Center.