ABOUT AMBER QURESHI

Amber Qureshi has extensive experience in federal court litigation on immigration and transparency issues. She has obtained favorable outcomes for clients in lawsuits against U.S. federal immigration agencies nationwide, including in litigation under the Freedom of Information Act, class action lawsuits challenging unlawful policies and practices, habeas petitions seeking to free people from detention, and lawsuits seeking money damages against the United States for injuries caused in immigration detention. Amber is deeply engaged with community organizing work in Virginia and works with local organizers to dismantle systems of oppression and achieve lasting change.

Prior to starting her firm, Amber worked as an attorney at the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild. She is a graduate of Yale Law School, Johns Hopkins University School of Education, and University of Maryland College Park.

Amber grew up in Lahore, Pakistan. Her journey to the United States fuels her passion to help others navigate the legal system, ensuring they too can pursue the opportunities and freedoms she has been fortunate enough to have.

EDucation

Yale Law School, Juris Doctor

Johns Hopkins University School of Education, Master of Science, Educational Studies

University of Maryland College Park, Bachelor of Science, Finance & Economics

Court Admissions

State Bar Admissions

  • Maryland

  • District of Columbia

Federal Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland

  • U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

  • U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Select cases

Note: Case results depend on a variety of factors unique to each case. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in future cases.

  • Van Der Hout LLP v. Dep’t of State (N.D. Cal.) – Pending lawsuit seeking information about Israel’s admission into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program under the Freedom of Information Act

  • Sherman-Stokes v. ICE (D. Mass.) – Pending lawsuit in the District of Massachusetts seeking data about prolonged immigration detention under the Freedom of Information Act

  • Sobirjanov v. Wamsley (E.D. Pa.) – Pending class-action lawsuit on behalf of detained individuals in Pennsylvania challenging ICE’s failure to follow its policy to conduct custody reviews of people who win their immigration cases

  • Hoppock v. USCIS (D.D.C.) – Obtained records related to the U.S. government’s denaturalization policies and practices through litigation under the Freedom of Information Act

  • Santos Garcia v. Mayorkas (E.D. Va.) – Obtained injunction against ICE transfers into Farmville Detention Center and favorable settlement including monetary damages for 15 formerly detained clients

  • Coreas v. Bounds (D. Md.) – Obtained release of several medically vulnerable individuals held in Maryland detention facilities during COVID-19 pandemic

  • Rodriguez Guerra v. Perry (E.D. Va.) – Negotiated settlement on behalf of a class of detained individuals in Virginia ensuring ICE consider release of individuals who win their immigration cases

  • Immigrant Defenders Law Center v. Mayorkas (C.D. Cal.) – Represented a class of tens of thousands of individuals challenging the implementation of the Trump administration’s Remain in Mexico policy

  • Oldaker v. Giles (M.D. Ga.) – Represented women formerly detained at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia who were subjected to unnecessary and non-consensual gynecological procedures in ICE custody

  • Amicus brief in United States v. Texas (Supreme Court) – Drafted amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court on behalf of 48 immigrant and civil rights organizations highlighting discriminatory reasoning behind the states of Texas and Louisiana’s attempts to enjoin DHS enforcement priorities

Select trainings & publications

TrainingS

  • March Mandamus, National Immigration Project (2023 & 2024)

  • Using Habeas Petitions in Immigration Cases, National Immigration Project (2024)

  • Community Defender Training: Tools for Protecting Communities Against Enforcement, National Immigration Project (2024)

  • Deportation Defense for Organizers, Muslims for Just Futures (2024)

  • Litigation as a Tool for Organizing and Abolition, Detention Watch Network (2024)

  • Know Your Rights at the Airport, Iranian American Bar Association Washington DC Chapter (2024)

  • Racism in Immigration Law, National Immigration Project (2022)

  • Q&A on Prosecutorial Discretion After the Supreme Court’s Decision in United States v. Texas, National Immigration Project (2022)

  • Emerging Issues in Immigration Policy and Enforcement, National Partnership for New Americans (2022)

  • Fighting Interpol Red Notices, National Immigration Project (2022)

  • The Right to Protest / Know Your Rights for Noncitizen Protestors (2020)

Publications & Practice Advisories

Press Mentions