Jan 16
Current & Future Immigration Landscape in the U.S. | Part 1
Benjamin Casper, J.D.
Benjamin Casper ’90 is an esteemed legal educator, advocate, and expert in immigration law and civil rights. His early work in the field began at Centro Legal in Minnesota. A graduate of Carleton College and the University of Minnesota Law School, he has also taught at the University of Minnesota Law School and St. Thomas University School of Law.
A commitment to justice and community-centered advocacy has defined Ben’s career. He was a founding director of the James H. Binger Center for New Americans at the University of Minnesota Law School, a collaborative immigration law center comprising integrated clinics and an education and outreach program. An associate clinical professor of law, Casper served as the faculty director of the James H. Binger Center for New Americans. In this role, he led the Federal Immigration Litigation Clinic, where he mentored students engaged in high-stakes impact litigation on behalf of immigrants and refugees. His impressive litigation portfolio spans immigration courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, U.S. District Courts, U.S. Courts of Appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Among his numerous accolades, Ben was named Minnesota Lawyer’s "Lawyer of the Year" in 2016. In 2020, he was honored with the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association’s prestigious Access to Justice Award, which recognized his exceptional dedication to improving legal access and defending the rights of Latinos in Minnesota and nationwide. He is proficient in Spanish and continues to be a trailblazer in legal education and advocacy, shaping the next generation of legal professionals dedicated to immigrant and refugee rights.
Recently, Ben became a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union.