Amiel Katz

Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic | Cambridge, MA

Amiel Katz is a rising senior at Harvard College studying History and Literature with a focus on Immigration and Asylum law, and Global Health and Health Policy. She is a dedicated advocate for depoliticizing human rights by historicizing the establishment of governmental institutions and social norms. Amiel conducts independent research on improving access to healthcare for marginalized populations and has been published in The Lancet. She is also the co-president of Harvard’s Partners in Health Engage Chapter, a grassroots organization that promotes the right to health.

Amiel has previously worked at the Immigrant Justice Lab (IJL). The IJL is an organization in partnership with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, a nonprofit legal services agency that provides representation to unaccompanied minors. Here, she received basic asylum law training and contributed to the research and crafting of an asylum legal brief in a small team.

This summer, Amiel will be working with Harvard Law School’s Immigration and Refugee Clinic. As an intern, she will analyze archival materials, conduct interviews with clients, and dissect current news media to create a tailored narrative for each client to use in their asylum case. She will also advocate for immigration policy alongside local political organizers. The Immigration and Refugee Clinic had recently drafted reports of funding inconsistencies in immigration detention centers. Drawing from this data and weaving in personal stories from detainees, Amiel hopes to work with local immigration advocacy groups to speak with political representatives about improving detention center conditions.