Bio
Ruthie Epstein is a former deputy director of immigration policy for the ACLU. Epstein joined the ACLU in 2013 and served as deputy advocacy director for NYCLU, and as a lobbyist for immigration and criminal justice with the ACLU's national office.
From 2005 to 2013, Ruthie worked at Human Rights First in New York. She led the organization's detention reform advocacy, authored reports on immigration detention and the Iraqi SIV program, and convened the five-part nationwide event series "Dialogues on Detention: Applying Lessons from Criminal Justice Reform to the Immigration Detention System." She started at HRF as a program associate in the pro bono asylum legal representation program, working directly with asylum seeker clients. Ruthie holds a master's in international affairs from Columbia University and an AB in history from Washington University in St. Louis.
Featured work
Feb 26, 2020
Ban on Attorney Access for Asylum Proceedings in Inhumane CBP Jails Key to Trump's Attack on Asylum
![The hand of a youth from Nuevo Laredo rests on the gate as he stops to watch a train pass, above the Rio Grande river on International Bridge 1 Las Americas, a legal port of entry which connects Laredo, Texas in the U.S. with Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, Thursday, July 18, 2019.](https://assets-dev.aclu.org/dev/uploads/2020/02/web20-asylumseekerPACR-HARP-blogimage-wordpress-1110x740-400x400.jpg)
Jan 29, 2020
One Year of Forced Return to Mexico; Three Years of Trump Dismantling the Asylum System
![A woman from Guatemala stands surrounded by tents, in a shelter of mostly Mexican and Central American migrants waiting in the midst of the asylum application process. This comes on the heels of an unprecedented change in the US asylum process, known as the "Return to Mexico" program.](https://assets-dev.aclu.org/dev/uploads/2020/01/MPP-Blog-Image-400x400.jpg)
Jun 27, 2019
Immigrants’ Rights Aren’t Possible If We Don’t Stop Criminalizing Border Crossing
![Demonstrators marching in favor of immigrant's rights](https://assets-dev.aclu.org/dev/uploads/2019/09/web19-immigrants-welcome-here-sign-1160x768-400x400.jpg)
Jun 17, 2019
The Immigration System Is Inhumane. The Next President Must Dismantle It.
![Demonstrators carrying signs urging keeping immigrant families together](https://assets-dev.aclu.org/dev/uploads/2019/09/web19-families-belong-together-rally-blogimage-1160x768-ilana-panich-linsman-400x400.jpg)
Jun 22, 2018
The Tried-And-True Alternatives to Detaining Immigrant Families
![Detention Center](https://assets-dev.aclu.org/dev/uploads/2019/09/web18-detentioncenter-1160x768-400x400.jpg)
Mar 12, 2018
The Government’s Case Against California’s ‘Sanctuary’ Policies Is on Weak Legal Ground
![Jeff Sessions](https://assets-dev.aclu.org/dev/uploads/2019/09/blog17-sessionsdebotorsprison-1160x768-400x400.jpg)
Nov 27, 2017
Trump and Sessions Keep Trying to Institute Anti-Immigrant Policies
![Sessions Greeting](https://assets-dev.aclu.org/dev/uploads/2019/09/web17-sessionsgreeting-1160x768-400x400.jpg)
Apr 14, 2015
Apple Made the Right Call on Fair-Hiring Practices. Uncle Sam Should Follow Its Lead.
![Job Fair](https://assets-dev.aclu.org/dev/uploads/2019/09/web15-blog-fairchance-1246x672_0-400x400.jpg)
Jan 24, 2014
Is Illegal Entry the Crime You’re Most Afraid Of?
![](https://assets-dev.aclu.org/dev/uploads/2019/09/blog-supremecourtcrime-500x280-400x280.png)