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"The willingness of this group of ten strangers to share their feelings of vulnerability, hope for change, sense of humor and sense of hope was nothing short of inspiring."

Betty Holcomb (2007 - 2008)
Policy Director
Child Care Inc.

Muzzafar Chishti

Senior Policy Analyst
Migration Policy Institute

Muzaffar Chishti, an attorney, directs the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) at NYU School of Law, focusing on the intersection of labor and immigration law, civil liberties, and immigrant integration. Prior to joining MPI, Mr. Chishti was Director of the Immigration Project of the Union of Needletrades, Industrial & Textile Employees (UNITE). Mr. Chishti is a member and former Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Immigration Forum; Secretary of the National Coalition for Haitian Rights; Treasurer of the U.S. Committee for Refugees; and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Immigration Law Center, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, and the New York Immigration Coalition. He has also served as a member of the Coordinating Committee on Immigration of the American Bar Association. Mr. Chishti has testified extensively on immigration and refugee legislation before various Congressional committees and is a frequent speaker on immigration, labor, and related issues. In 1992, as part of a U.S. team, he assisted the Russian Parliament to draft its legislation on forced migrants and refugees. He is a 1994 recipient of New York State Governor's Award for Outstanding Asian-Americans, and a 1995 recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. His publications include: "Rights or Privileges" in the special issue on the Promise of Immigration, Boston Review; "Employer Sanctions Against Immigrant Workers," in Working USA; "Blaming the Victim," in Cornell ILR Review; "Unions and the New Immigration Law," in NYU Review of Law and Social Change; and Immigration Issues for Labor Lawyers (co-authored with Robert Gibbs and Lucas Guttentag). Mr. Chishti was educated at St. Stephen's College, Delhi; School of Law, University of Delhi; Cornell Law School; and the Columbia School of International Affairs.



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