Tessera

Refugee Law Lab

@refugeelab.ca

Research and advocacy hub on new legal tech, refugees, and migration | Hosted by York University's Centre for Refugee Studies and Osgoode Hall Law School | Run by @seanrehaag.bsky.social and @petramolnar.com | https://refugeelab.ca

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Sean Rehaag @seanrehaag.bsky.social · 11mo ago

...and my a2aj.ca project released a working paper by @simonwallace.bsky.social and me about bulk access to Canadian legal data, the role of @canlii.bsky.social, & our new open-source alternative (a2aj.ca/canadian-legal-data) Paper is here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Cover page for Access To Algorithmic Justice Working Paper. Accessible text via link.

Sean Rehaag @seanrehaag.bsky.social · 11mo ago

A busy week... My @refugeelab.ca released our report about tech and alternatives to immigration detention, co-authored by @danghez.bsky.social & @petramolnar.com, and co-published with @kaldorcentre.bsky.social and @idcoalition.bsky.social: www.unsw.edu.au/content/dam/...

Cover image for a report entitled "From Surveillance to Empowerment: Advancing the Responsible Use of Technology in Alternatives to Detention" Accessible text via link

Sean Rehaag @seanrehaag.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Hey Canadian JD students, and graduate students in any relevant discipline (including computer science, software engineering, data science): Interested in $10,000 to build open-source access to justice tools? a2aj.ca/student-inno...

Screenshot from Access to Algorithmic Justice webpage (link in text):

Student Innovation Grants
Overview
$10 000 to Build Open-Source Access to Justice Tools
The Access to Algorithmic Justice (A2AJ) Student Innovation Grants Program is a competitive funding opportunity of $10, 000 for graduate students in any relevant discipline and JD students looking to build open-source tools that advance access to justice.

This program provides funding for qualifying technology projects that expand, enhance and utilize the A2AJ’s open-source datasets to advance access to justice.

Funding Details & Key Dates
Eligibility Requirements
About A2AJ and Available Datasets
Example Projects
Evaluation Criteria
How to Apply
Questions & Information Session

Grant at a glance
Funding: $10,000 per project
Available: 5 grants
Deadline: November 3, 2025
Team size: 1–4 students
Deliverable: Build a working tool / dataset / prototype
Upcoming info session – join email list

Apply now

Sean Rehaag @seanrehaag.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Excellent new article involving an experiment in credibility assessments in trans refugee adjudication from folks at @mobileucph.bsky.social Great job ‪@astajarlner.bsky.social‬ ‬& Maya Ellen Hertz! doi.org/10.3389/fhum...

Image of front page of article.
Title: Trans "enough" for protection? Experimenting with credibility in refugee status determination
Authors: Maya Ellen Hertz & Asta Sofie Stage Jarlner
Abstract: Accessible version available open-access via link

Sean Rehaag @seanrehaag.bsky.social · last yr.

Delighted to share the news that the @refugeelab.ca has received a SSHRC Insight Grant to work on the use of technology at the Canada-US Border: www.yorku.ca/yfile/2025/0...

Announcement with the following text:
The Refugee Law Lab at the Canada-US Border
The Refugee Law Lab is delighted to report that we have secured SSHRC Insight Grant funding to study the use of technology at the Canada-US Border. We will investigate border control technologies' human rights impacts, develop open-source AI tools for refugee advocacy, and maintain accessible legal datasets—empowering scholars, advocates, and migrants to challenge discriminatory practices at the Canada-US border.
[Logos: SSHRC, Refugee Law Lab, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University]

Sean Rehaag @seanrehaag.bsky.social · last yr.

The @refugeelab.ca has released a Consultation Report about research priorities in response to Canada's controversial Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act: refugeelab.ca/publications...

Image of Consultation Report (with logos of the Refugee Law Lab & Osgoode Hall Law School):

Refugee Law Lab Consultation Report on Bill C-2
Sean Rehaag, Petra Molnar, & Simon Wallace
14 July 2025
Summary:
This Report documents consultations undertaken by the Refugee Law Lab (RLL) with refugee
advocacy communities in response to proposed legislation, Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act. The
report:
a) Provides an overview of Bill C-2, highlighting its impacts on immigration and refugee law
b) Outlines critiques of Bill C-2 made by advocacy and human rights organizations
c) Describes the RLL, its consultation objectives, and methodologies
d) Presents key themes from the RLL's consultations
e) Proposes an action plan for the RLL and oƯers recommendations for other university-based
researchers

Sean Rehaag @seanrehaag.bsky.social · last yr.

Phew! My @refugeelab.ca, along with amazing 30 co-aps & partners, sent off our SSHRC Partnership Grant to build an Algorithmic Justice for Refugees Research Network. Many thanks to @osgoodenews.bsky.social and @crsyork.bsky.social for hosting this project. Fingers crossed!

Image of the SSHRC grant application website, indicating a Partnership Grant entitled "Algorithmic justice for refugees research network", with the status listed as "Received".

Migration and Technology Monitor @migrationtechmonitor.com · 2y ago

MTM 2023 Fellow @vmreports.bsky.social writes about the demise of the CBP One applications and the impacts on border communities in the age of Trump 2.0: www.migrationtechmonitor.com/blog/the-sud... #humanrights #bordercrossing #asylumseekers #bordertech #usmexicoborder

People seeking asylum sit outside of the offices of the Population State Counsel in Ciudad Juárez (COESPO) where they can have free access to a WIFI network

Sean Rehaag @seanrehaag.bsky.social · 2y ago

The @theglobeandmail.com editorial board needs to work on its mathematical literacy They say 5% of claims were abandoned/withdrawn in 2015 vs 21% in 2024 Actually, it's 3.2% in 2015 vs 3.7% in 2024 Meanwhile, recognition rates have increased: 67.6% in 2015 vs 80.4% in 2024

Image of a Globe and Mail editorial board article, with a F and an x in red ink
Title: The refugee crisis needs a new approach, not just more money
Excerpt:
[…] Unsurprisingly, the number of claims abandoned or withdrawn before being heard has surged in recent years, accounting for a larger proportion of a much bigger cohort. In 2015, only 5.5 per cent of cases were scrapped before the IRB could make a determination. So far in 2024, 21 per cent of cases have been abandoned or withdrawn by claimants.

Sean Rehaag @seanrehaag.bsky.social · 2y ago

Join the @refugeelawlab.bsky.social, the @citizenlab.ca and the @migrationtechmonitor.com for a conversation about migrant justice surveillance in the age of Trump 2.0 and beyond on December 19, 2024 at 12:00PM ET (online). For further details & registration: refugeelab.ca/event/migran...

Poster for event: Migration Surveillance Town Hall:
Join the Refugee Law Lab and the Citizen Lab for a conversation on migrant justice surveillance in the Age of Trump 2.0. and beyond.
Are you a migrant justice organizer or a person-on-the-move worried about increasing state and private surveillance as a result of your work? Are you concerned you may be a target for deportation or spyware?
Responding to the needs of our sector, we would like to cultivate space for a preliminary conversation and resource sharing. We will offer some practical tips on best practices to ward against surveillance but also want to hear from you what your priorities are moving forward and how we can strengthen community and resource sharing. This will be the first of hopefully many conversations to build solidarity and learn from one another. All our welcome, and while one of the main concerns are the impacts of a second Trump presidency, we also wish to engage with you if you work in other regions.
Online (via Zoom), 19 December at 12:00pm ET