Caitlin Barry, JD

Professor of Law; Director, Farmworker Legal Aid Clinic; Co-Director, Community Interpreter Internship Program | Charles Widger School of Law Villanova University

  • Villanova PA

Caitlin Barry, JD, is an expert in immigration law and enforcement, farmworker rights and advocacy for working conditions in the food chain.

Contact

Villanova University

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Media

Areas of Expertise

Food Justice
Farmworkers
Immigration
Ice
Immigration Enforcement
Immigration Law

Biography

Professor Barry leads the Farmerworker Legal Aid Clinic at the Charles Widger School of Law, which represents people who are living and working in agricultural and agriculture-related settings throughout Pennsylvania. She's a go-to expert on immigration policy and enforcement. Professor Barry also works in the area of food justice, which advocates for fair working conditions within the food chain and where our food is sourced from, including farms and restaurants.

Professor Barry was previously a staff attorney at the Nationalities Service Center, specializing in deportation defense for individuals targeted by the criminal system, and from 2007 to 2012 she was also the Immigration Specialist at the Defender Association of Philadelphia.

Education

Temple University School of Law

J.D.

New College of Florida

B.A.

Affiliations

  • Clinical Legal Education Association, Board member, Co-Chair of Committee on Diversity and Equity (2016-present)
  • Centro de Cultura, Arte, Trabajo y Educacion (CCATE), Board member (2016-present)
  • Society of American Law Teachers (2015-present)
  • Philadelphia Family Unity Network, founding member (2013-present)
  • Legal Advisory Board, Mazzoni Center for LGBT Health and Wellbeing (2010-present)
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Select Media Appearances

Law School Clinical Faculty Ranks Are Slow to Diversify, Study Finds

National Law Journal  

2019-10-02

“I think we were surprised by the lack of more significant progress over time—although anecdotally most of us, just looking around the institutions where we work, should not have been surprised given that we’ve all been working within law schools and clinics,” said Caitlin Barry, a clinical professor at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and one of the article’s seven authors.

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For 'Abolish ICE' protesters and the targets of their ire, what's next?

The Philadelphia Inquirer  

2018-07-06

“It may not be common or an easy task, but the abolition of a federal agency is still possible, and in the case of ICE, it is the right way forward,” said Caitlin Barry, an assistant professor at the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. “In terms of the mechanics, it’s not rocket science — defund the agency, introduce legislation to abolish it, and reinvest the budget in other agencies with new missions. The fact that it would be hard to do does not mean it’s not possible.”

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A year after ICE arrests at Chesco mushroom farm, how many were actually deported?

WHYY  

2018-06-25

“Many people, within a day or two of the arrest, accepted deportation because, what was the hope?” said Caitlin Barry, director of the Farmworker Legal Aid Clinic at Villanova University. Barry interviewed the mushroom workers after they’d been picked up and taken to immigrant detention at York County Prison.

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