Ashley Sanchez
Dean's Office-Law School
Associate Clinical Professor and Director, Immigration Clinic
- Humanitarian immigration matters
- International law and social justice
Sanchez in the News
ABC57
The Real Story: Police say social media posts about ICE in Benton Twp. are false
Video
August 07, 2026
Ashley Sanchez is the Director of Notre Dame’s immigration clinic and a law professor at the University of Notre Dame.“ I think people hear rumors or maybe they see something suspicious and then they post about it on social media trying to help their neighbors out, but a lot of times this information can be wrong, and it makes it really difficult to know what's true and what isn't, and it can actually create panic,” said Sanchez.
USA Today
Supreme Court allows Trump to end deportation protections for immigrants
June 26, 2026
The Haitians and Syrians now have difficult decisions to make, according to Ashley Sanchez, director of the Immigration Law Clinic at Notre Dame Law School. They can either stay in the country and risk detention and deportation or return to a country that the State Department warns against visiting. Some may seek another path, such as applying for asylum. But the factors that led Haiti to initially be included in the TPS program – such as natural disasters, widespread gang violence, and lack of health care − do not easily translate to a viable claim for asylum, Sanchez said.
Reuters
On immigration, Supreme Court accedes to Trump's restrictive agenda
June 26, 2026
Ashley Sanchez, director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Notre Dame's law school, said that while immigration laws have not substantially changed, Trump's administration is choosing to apply them in a way to limit both legal and illegal immigration as much as possible. The court has had its current ideological makeup since October 2020, when Trump appointed conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett to succeed the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The existence of this conservative supermajority has been pivotal in immigration rulings, Sanchez said. "This more conservative group appears much more willing to side with the president," Sanchez added. Sanchez pointed to the court's June 2020 decision, during Trump's first term as president, to block his bid to end a program that protects from deportation hundreds of thousands of migrants — often called "Dreamers" — who entered the United States illegally as children. The court had a 5-4 conservative majority at the time, but conservative Chief Justice John Roberts joined with the court's liberal members in the decision. "It's hard to imagine this current court coming to that same decision," Sanchez said.
The Conversation
Legal refugees now face long detention after DHS reinterprets law on applying for a green card after a year
March 12, 2026
Ashley Sanchez is the director of the Notre Dame Immigration Clinic, where she and her students represent refugees seeking permanent residency. She was previously the Supervising Attorney at Cleveland Catholic Charities, Migration and Refugee Services.
WVPE
Notre Dame immigration clinic helps fearful families as demand outpaces capacity
Audio
February 04, 2026
Notre Dame Law School’s Immigration Clinic provides free legal services through law students who work under the supervision of licensed attorneys. Clinic Director Ashley Sanchez said many clients arrive overwhelmed by complex laws and unsure where to turn. “People are just very scared and confused, and they don’t know where to turn. They don’t know who to trust for advice,” Sanchez said.
WSBT TV
Notre Dame law students provide free legal advice through immigration clinic
Video
February 04, 2026
This January, the law school at Notre Dame started a new mission by giving immigrants in South Bend a chance to have their cases heard and strongly defended. A service, Director Ashley Sanchez said, is the highest in demand against every other need for an attorney. "Our focus is really on asylum and humanitarian-based work. So we'll do family-based petitions, we'll do asylum applications, things like that," said Ashley Sanchez, Notre Dame Immigration Clinic director.