Seven Questions with Claudia Flores
What is the Clinic currently working on and what do you hope to accomplish?
Since I’ve become director of IHRC, we have worked on a variety of issues throughout Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Last year, our projects included a report on comparative land restitution mechanisms for Oxfam in Burma, a fact-investigation on the impact of violent extremism programs on women for the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights in Tunisia, and a human rights assessment of USAID funded programs to stop the spread of tuberculosis in Nigeria.
This year the majority of our projects have centered around human rights issues in the United States. Our projects have been with Amnesty International, the ACLU, and the MacArthur Justice Center on police accountability and use of force, the abuse of immigrant children by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the human rights implications of solitary confinement.
The goal of IHRC is to train students on human rights and comparative public law and support efforts to protect and promote human rights globally. We work on a variety of human rights issues, such as speech and non-discrimination, with a focus on advocating on behalf of vulnerable and marginalized communities.
Where was the last place you traveled to (business or pleasure) and why? What did you do while there?
This spring I traveled to Mexico City, Mexico, with a team of three students to conduct field work on the prevalence of abuse and sexual harassment of female farmworkers in Mexico’s agricultural industry. The U.S. imports about 80% of exported agricultural products in Mexico, which account for 40% of the produce sold in the U.S. Yet, reports indicate the existence of abusive labor practices in the agricultural industry in Mexico including debt bondage, human trafficking, dangerous work conditions and non-payment of wages. Recently, there have also been reports from service providers and workers’ organizations of widespread abuse and sexual harassment of female farmworkers. IHRC has been researching and investigating these reports to shed light on the conditions that make female farmworkers vulnerable to workplace violence.
What is the one case the Clinic worked on that you are most proud of? What was the outcome?
One of the projects I am most proud of is a report we released this May co-authored with the American Civil Liberties Union’s Border Litigation Project, titled Neglect and Abuse of Immigrant Children by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This report revealed evidence of child abuse by U.S. Border Patrol agents and provided an unprecedented look at the experiences of unaccompanied migrant children in U.S. custody on the southern border. The clinic’s work contributed key information and analysis to the national debate in U.S. government treatment of immigrant children and families and was widely covered by Newsweek, the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, National Public Radio, and CBS News, and was cited in a letter sent by members of the House Committee on Homeland Security to the Acting Inspector General of DHS calling for an investigation and review of U.S. Customs and Border Protection practices.
What are some activities you enjoy doing in Chicago?
I grew up in Chicago and was an undergraduate at the University of Chicago. Chicago is home to me and I’ve always enjoyed exploring the city’s many fascinating neighborhoods. Having lived abroad for some time in East Timor, Zimbabwe, and Indonesia, I am especially appreciative of all of Chicago’s varied cuisine and amazing restaurants.
What do you enjoy most about working with students in the Clinic?
Directing the clinic and training the next generation of legal advocates is such a pleasure and an honor. Our students are bright and skeptical while also committed and passionate about the work they do. The clinical experience allows our students to make the transition from students to professionals. They begin their clinical experience with the foundation of the first year curriculum. The clinic allows them to apply the legal concepts and strategic analysis they gained in their first year to real world legal issues. I’ve had many proud moments with students—from presentations before the U.N. Deputy High Commissioner of Human Rights, to conducting trainings on corporate responsibility programs for union leaders in Burma, to interviewing police commissioners on the use of surveillance in Belfast, to conducting community training sessions with tomato farmworkers in Immokalee, Florida.
What makes the Law School such a special place?
Our law school is unique in many ways. Our small class size allows us to really engage with students both as mentors and colleagues. Moreover, the students and faculty attracted to the Law School, both on the research and clinical side, are interested in critical and thoughtful debate with the goal of arriving at sound conclusions. Teaching human rights in this context is exciting and inspiring.
What else would you like Law School alumni to know about the IHRC?
IHRC is helping to train our students to become effective and thoughtful lawyers capable of practicing law, whether public or private, with a global perspective.
About Claudia Flores
Education
- New York University School of Law, Juris Doctor, Academic Honors, ’02
- University of Chicago, Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy, Academic Honors, ’97
Awards, Career Highlights, and Professional Affiliations
- Justice Circle Award Recipient, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, February 25, 2016
- Alumni Trailblazer Award, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 2017
- Faculty Board Member, University of Chicago Pozen Family Center for Human Rights, 2016-2019.