Inside Denver's Immigration Courts: Korbel Students Track Due Process Through the Court Transparency Project

This reflection was written by Jennifer (Jenni) Gutierrez Marquez (Master of Public Policy, ’27) and Leticia (Lety) Madrigal-Tapia (MA International Human Rights, ’26)

Pictured left to right: Leticia (Lety) Madrigal-Tapia  and Jennifer (Jenni) Gutierrez Marquez

As students at the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs, we have an ongoing emphasis on experiential learning and civic engagement, which is uniquely magnified and refocused within each program. Despite each program having its own distinct curriculum, the pressing issues of international and global affairs impact every program. The pressing global issue of immigration has long been a matter of contention for public policy, human rights, and security, while pushing on the implications of development. Within the context of the United States, immigration and immigration enforcement efforts have been at the forefront of national, state, and local public policy decisions. Over the past two years, there has been an exponential number of changes and moving pieces in the immigration system that has quickly become a political and social maze, placing itself in a position to be studied to truly understand the nature of what is happening and what is at stake. And it's this complexity of issues that Korbel has pushed students to engage with, and the Court Transparency Project has made that possible for students such as Jennifer (Jenni) Gutierrez Marquez (Master of Public Policy, ‘27) and Leticia (Lety) Madrigal-Tapia (MA International Human Rights, '26), who both have an interest in advocating for and upholding the basic human rights of immigrants in the U.S.

As the immigration system changed, particularly from 2022 to 2024, Korbel Professor Rebecca Galemba and students, along with community partners, recognized the need to observe court hearings. Initial court observation began under the Biden Administration’s dedicated docket but shifted with federal changes, leading to the current Court Transparency Project. This current version of the project focuses on tracking and understanding key issues in immigration court, particularly within the Denver Immigration Court (non-detained cases) and the Aurora Detention Center (detained cases), including motions to dismiss, pretermissions under Asylum Cooperative Agreements (ACA)–this occurs when a judge grants the Department of Homeland Security’s motion to dismiss an asylum case before considering all the evidence. Instead of allowing the case to be heard in the U.S., the judge orders the individual to be sent to a “safe third country,” a country that has an agreement with the United States to review asylum claims there, and jurisdiction concerns in bond hearings. Reflecting on how this project has developed, it is overwhelmingly shocking to see the complexities of the immigration system and the potential that different initiatives, such as this one, have to understand it, address injustices, voice human experiences, and ensure due process. In this article, Jennifer and Lety will explore some of these complexities, sharing what this work has meant to them personally and how it has influenced their learning and shaped their understanding of human rights and public policy.

Lety’s Reflections: Motivation, Experience, and Insights

Since October 2025, I have served as a lead research assistant with the CourtWatch Project. When I began my Master's in International Human Rights at Korbel, I aimed to find opportunities to develop practical skills, deepen my understanding of public service, and expand my academic knowledge, which this role allowed me to do. As a Mexican immigrant, my interest in immigration stems from lived experience as well as academic study. I grew up in the Barnum/Westwood neighborhood of Denver, a community that is home to immigrant families, with almost 80% of residents identifying as Latino. I began my master's program during a period of heightened immigration enforcement, which left many in my community, and across the country, fearful for their loved ones who are immigrants and uncertain of their futures. This climate of uncertainty motivated me to gain a comprehensive on-the-ground understanding of the system.

Through this project, I have observed the complexity and fragility of due process for both detained and non-detained individuals. This experience has underscored the importance of monitoring immigration proceedings, particularly in detention centers. I have witnessed immigrants forced to represent themselves due to the lack of a right to counsel; I have listened to detainees describe conditions so severe that many would rather abandon their cases than remain detained; and, in cases of self-deportation, I have witnessed multiple family separations within the courtroom. These observations have clarified that the rights of detained immigrants reveal the vulnerability of human rights and due process when they are dependent on legal status. It is clear that if due process can be revoked for one social group, it is not a universal right, but a privilege extended only to those accepted by the system. On a global scale, I recognize that migration driven by political instability, insecurity, gender-based violence, and climate change will continue to rise. Addressing this multifaceted issue through criminalization or by denying individuals their dignity will not help address such a pressing and urgent issue. All of these insights have been made clear to me both as a research assistant and as a graduate student.

As I continue my time at Korbel, I am committed to deepening my engagement with the complexities of immigration both in the U.S. and globally. The knowledge and perspective I am gaining at Korbel and through the Court Transparency Project are equipping me to advocate for migrant rights with empathy and resolve. I aspire to contribute to a future where policies are shaped by compassion and justice, and where the protection of human rights is truly universal.

Jenni’s Reflections: Motivation, Experience, and Insights

I joined the team as a lead research assistant in November of 2025. When I decided to pursue my Master of Public Policy, I hoped to not only learn about the fundamentals of creating policy and focus on immigration policy, but also take part in a meaningful experiential learning component that would expose me to the complexities of the immigration system. I ultimately wanted to gain an understanding of how I could make an impact on an area of policy extremely personal to me during such a contentious time. This project has exposed me to more than I could’ve imagined by truly challenging my perspective and expanding my knowledge.

Immigration policy has always been of interest to me because of my second-hand experiences through my parents’ journey to citizenship. From a young age, I spent hours in meetings with paralegals and attorneys advising my parents on their case and joined them at immigration court a handful of times, answering what felt like the same questions repeatedly. Through this experience, I often acted as a translator for my parents, clarifying confusing information that was inaccurately translated by an interpreter or adding important pieces of information that were omitted or lost in translation. The confusion that accompanies the immigration system became all too familiar to me and my family, and this, paired with a lingering sense of entering a lost battle, is what motivated me, and continues to do so. I aim to be part of the immigration system’s evolution, working toward policy-based change that creates meaningful improvements in how decisions are made about who is detained and why, as well as in the support provided to individuals and their families during detention and while seeking legal pathways.

Through this project, I have had to witness some of the most heartbreaking stories of migration. I’ve listened to language be used as a tool of exclusion, and real accounts of how a system’s inefficiencies harm individuals. These experiences have revealed how policies and executive orders can be manipulated, exposing the delicate nature of basic human rights and due process. Witnessing a system that often falls short has shown me the urgent need for reform, making it clear that safeguarding human rights requires vigilant, intentional policy-making and a commitment to justice that goes beyond mere procedure.

I’ve also learned how language gaps not only exacerbate confusion for individuals, but intentionally create a political limbo and cause an underservement of justice. When people can’t fully understand what’s happening in their own cases, it’s not just about confusion, it’s about being left out of the process entirely. These language barriers stack on top of restrictive policies and the system’s inefficiencies, making an already tough situation even harder. It’s become clear to me that language isn’t just a tool for communication; it’s also used as a tool for exclusion and control. Seeing how all these factors of policy, procedure, and language, work together has shown me that real justice isn’t possible without making our systems truly accessible and intentional in serving everyone.

As I prepare for my second year and beyond, I will carry with me the stories I have heard and the experiences I have gained through this project. They remind me that human experience is at the heart of advocacy for fair and accessible policies. These stories should guide policy decisions, shaping them to better serve the majority and uplift underserved communities, helping to bridge the longstanding gap of inequity and migration.

A special thank you Dr. Rebecca Galemba and our project manager, Ella Iveslätt, for leading our team with commitment and care. As well as our fellow student researchers, Jasmine Salgado Simental, Sheki Tsanglao, and Sophia Worth. Lastly, a huge thank you to Christina A. Brown (Founder, Executive Director, and Board Chairperson of the Colorado Asylum Center) and the Colorado Asylum Center for providing many of our court observation training sessions, supporting our data analysis, and connecting us with community partners to expand our research efforts.

The CourtWatch project and its team of student researchers have been featured in multiple local and national news networks, including Univision, the leading Spanish-speaking television network in the United States. CTP in the media.

Learn more about the DU Courtwatch Project here: https://ducourtwatch.wordpress.com/