Professor Michael Vastine joined the faculty of St. Thomas University School of Law in 2004, where he is a tenured professor of law and Director of the Immigration Clinic. A frequent conference speaker and author, he is also a leader of the immigration bar, with extensive service within the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). From 2011-20, he was elected to serve on the AILA South Florida Chapter Board of Directors, including a term as Chair of the Chapter. Professor Vastine’s AILA national-level service includes multiple terms on the Federal Litigation Section Steering Committee, Annual Conference Planning Committee, and Amicus Curiae Committee. His impact litigation principally relates to immigration and crimes, including the lead case at the Florida Supreme Court establishing the constitutional rights of immigrant defendants to effective representation by their criminal counsel, and multiple cases at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit delineating the immigration consequences of Florida convictions involving controlled substances. Additionally, he has represented AILA and other community-based organizations, as amicus curiae counsel, in forums ranging from the Board of Immigration Appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court, in matters including the constitutional limits of indefinite detention of immigrants, the due process rights of the physically deported, and the immigration consequences of state crimes. In 2013, Professor Vastine received the AILA (National) Elmer Fried Award for Excellence in Teaching.
REGIONAL INSTRUMENTS
- Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, (ETS No. 197), Warsaw, 16.V.2005.
- Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, Decision No. 557 by the Permanent Council (July 24, 2003)
- Inter-American Convention on International Traffic in Minors, (Mar. 18, 1994)
- SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution.
- ASEAN Declaration on Transnational Crime Manila, (20 December 1997)
- ASEAN Plan Of Action To Combat Transnational Crime.
- Bangkok Declaration on Irregular Migration.
- Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo, 11 July 2003) [see Art. 4]
- African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, OAU Doc. CAB/LEG/24.9/49 (1990) [see Art. 24, 27-29]
Myriam Mézadieu
Thear Suzuki
Mary Anne Silvestri
Susan Patterson
Jordan Bruxvoort