Introduction
Debra is an officer in Fredrikson & Byron’s Immigration Group. She handles a variety of immigration matters including employment and family based immigration, consular processing, naturalization and asylum. She represents clients in all areas of immigration litigation including before the Executive Office for Immigration Review, Board of Immigration Appeals, Federal District Court, and Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. She also represents corporations in I-9 investigations and audits by the Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security. She has extensive experience working with scientists, physicians, executives, multi-national employees, professional athletes and artists and entertainers in immigration matters, including EB-1, outstanding researchers, national interest waivers, O visas and P visas. She also works closely to assist criminal defense counsel to understand the applicable immigration laws in criminal immigration cases.
Education
- University of Minnesota Law School, J.D., 2001, magna cum laude
- University of Amsterdam, graduate course work, 1995
- University of Nebraska, B.A., History, 1994, magna cum laude
Bar Admissions
- Minnesota, 2001
- U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
- Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
Practice Areas
Selected Publications & Presentations
- Presenter, The H-1B and Alternative Work Visas, March 20, 2012
- “H-1B Cap Reached for Fiscal Year 2012,” co-authored with Laura Danielson and Loan Huynh, FredALERT: Immigration, November 2011
- “Hot Topics in the Transfer of Workers Across Borders,” Fredrikson & Byron’s 27th Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, November 10, 2011
- “What Attorneys Need to Know About Immigration Law,” Legal Services of
- “Immigration Issues to Consider When Recruiting and Hiring Foreign National Physicians,” Fredrikson & Byron Webinar, January 12, 2011
- Speaker, “E-Verify - Is it Time to Consider Using It?,” Fredrikson & Byron Webinar, November 30, 2010
- Co-Speaker, “Why Must Defense Counsel Act? Implications of Padilla v. Kentucky on Criminal and Immigration Defense,” Sponsored by the Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services in collaboration with the MN/Dakota Chapter of AILA and the State Public Defender, Minneapolis, September 10, 2010
- “Work Visas for Health Care Workers,” co-authored with Loan Huynh, Minnesota Physician, August 2010
- Speaker, “Advanced I-9 Training,” Fredrikson & Byron Webinar, August 18, 2010
- “I-9 audits and fines are on the rise - Is your company prepared for an investigation?,” co-authored with Loan Huynh, Minnesota Journal of Human Resource Management, Employee Benefits Planner, Second Quarter 2010, Volume Seventeen Number Two
- “Beware the Government’s Aggressive New Stance: How to Respond to ICE and OFCCP Audits,” Fredrikson & Byron’s 25th Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, October 8, 2009
- Speaker, “Fredrikson & Byron’s Annual Immigration Seminar: Worksite Compliance,” September 16, 2009
- “ICE Launches Initiative to Increase Audits of I-9s and Employment Records,” co-authored with Laura Danielson and Loan Huynh, FredALERT: Immigration, July 3, 2009
- “Are Your Employees Legal?,” Fredrikson & Byron’s 24th Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, October 30, 2008
- “Immigration Compliance for the Employer: The I-9, E-Verify and SSA No-Match,” Northstar Chapter of MN, American Payroll Association, August 21, 2008
- “Introduction To E-Verify,” co-authored with Laura Danielson and Loan Huynh, June 2008
- “The New Landscape of Business Immigration,” Fredrikson & Byron Immigration Seminar, June 18, 2008
- “What Employers Need to Know About Immigration Enforcement,” Fredrikson & Byron Immigration Seminar, November 9, 2007
- “How To Protect Yourself In An ICE Storm,” co-authored with Loan Huynh, FredNEWS: White Collar & Regulatory Defense, June 2007
- “Hot Topics in Immigration Law,” Fredrikson & Byron’s Annual Immigration Seminar, May 17, 2007
- “Behind Guantanamo: One Man’s Journey,” Immigration Law Today, March/April 2007
- Speaker, Fredrikson & Byron’s 5th Annual Business Immigration Seminar, May 2007
- “The Immigration Quagmire: When to Call for Help,” co-authored with Loan Huynh, The Hennepin Lawyer, May 2006
- “Immigration Strategies for Worker Shortages,” North Dakota Trade Office Seminar, April 6, 2006
- “How to Create an Immigration Strategy for a Stable Workforce,” Fredrikson & Byron’s International Focus Newsletter, March 2006
- Speaker, Fredrikson & Byron’s 4th Annual Business Immigration Seminar, October 2005
- “United States Free Trade Acts Benefit U.S. Employers and Nationals of Mexico, Chile, and Singapore,” Fredrikson & Byron’s International Focus Newsletter, May 2004
Professional Activities
- American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), MN/Dakotas, Member, 2001
- AILA MN/Dakotas Business Immigration Committee, USCIS Exam Committee
- Immigration Law Center of Minnesota, Board Member
- Minnesota State Bar Association
Honors & Distinctions
- Fredrikson & Byron’s Volunteer of the Year Award, 2006