jews in the d

Attorney
On The Frontline

Meet Ruby Robinson, trusted counselor and advocate for immigrant rights.

Ruby Robinson, activist, advocate, attorney

VIVIAN HENOCH SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

G

iven the focus and controversies over immigration, it’s got
to be the best of times — or the worst of times — to be
an attorney in the practice of immigration law. For some
clarity, we turn to Ruby Robinson, 34, co-managing attorney for
the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC), a statewide legal
services nonprofit. In his role, Ruby is on the forefront in advanc-
ing and defending the interests of immigrants through advocacy,
direct representation, impact litigation, pro bono mentorship, coa-
lition building … and so much more.
“Our laws are complicated,” Ruby says. “Our ‘modern’ immigra-
tion system goes back to 1965, and the numbers of green cards in
many categories have not changed since then. If you are undoc-
umented, there is no ‘line’ you can get in, no application you can
just fill out to fix your immigration status. And, if citizenship were
as simple as marrying a U.S. citizen, I’d be out of a job.
“What I want people to know — and to be attuned to hearing
— is that language matters when talking about immigrants. The

immigration law text itself refers to non-citizens as aliens, but we
prefer not to describe any person as an ‘alien.’ The words ‘ille-
gal alien’ or ‘illegals’ are jarring, degrading and (grammatically)
wrong. In fact, ‘illegal alien’ is used only once in the Immigration
and Nationality Act. Immigrants can be undocumented, they can
be asylum-seekers; their names can be Mohamed, Jose or Frank.
But to quote Elie Wiesel, ‘No human being is illegal.’”
It is no surprise that Ruby Robinson is a former marathon run-
ner. Wired for endurance, persistence and patience over the long
distance, Ruby has found his calling with MIRC — as an attorney
with the temperament of a rabbi. “I’d say I’m a social worker/edu-
cator/counselor 80 percent of my time,” he said. “When people ask
me what I do, I tell them I manage expectations.”
A resident of Hubbard Farms in Southwest Detroit and listed
this year in the Detroit Jewish News/The Well’s Class of 36 under
36, Ruby is an active volunteer in the community at large. He is
a board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council/

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October 25 • 2018

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