Jordan Dez

Jordan Dez is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, specializing in constitutional law, migration law, and human rights. Previously, she practiced US immigration law and international law. She teaches constitutional law in the Dutch Law Bachelor's and comparative public law in the Law in Society program. Her research employs legal anthropology to study how migrant organizing shapes human rights frameworks, focusing on undocumented migrants' political agency. She directs ancillary law practice Dez Law in Haarlem.

Education:

• PhD in Law (cum laude), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2019–2025)
• LLM International Migration and Refugee Law (cum laude), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2018)
• JD (Highest Honors), University of Utah (2015)
• BA Anthropology & Spanish (magna cum laude), University of Connecticut (2015)

Research Interests: Dez’s work bridges constitutional law, migration, and human rights, emphasizing how marginalized groups’ political actions redefine legal norms. Key themes include undocumented migrants’ rights-making practices, transnational legal advocacy, and pandemic-era policy impacts. Her research combines empirical fieldwork with doctrinal analysis, often highlighting decolonial and intersectional perspectives.

Awards & Honors:

• PhD Cum Laude (VU, 2025)
• LLM Cum Laude (VU, 2018)
• J.D. Highest Honors (Utah, 2015)
• B.A. Magna Cum Laude (Connecticut, 2015)

Teaching & Grants: Leads courses on migration policy and constitutional law. Principal investigator for NWO-funded project Claim-making as Rights-Making: Irregular Migrants Reshaping International Human Rights Law (2018–2024). Active in interdisciplinary initiatives like the Migration and Borders Working Group.

Labs & Collaborations: Collaborates with global scholars on migrant rights, including co-organizing the NNHRR/DAMR seminar series. Engages with NGOs and policymakers to translate research into practice, notably advising on the Amsterdam Covenant for undocumented youth education access.