Building Cases Against ICE: FTCA & Section 1983 Fundamentals

EVENT DESCRIPTION

The National Police Accountability Project (NPAP) will host a two-day intensive training in Austin, Texas on October 8–9, 2026, focused on building civil rights cases against state and federal law enforcement. Attendees may participate in person or virtually.

Sessions will cover the fundamentals of Section 1983 litigation, bringing claims against ICE and other federal law enforcement officers under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), and practical strategies for investigating and developing civil rights cases. The curriculum will build on NPAP's previous bootcamps, with additional focus on issues and strategies relevant to practitioners and communities in Texas and the surrounding region.

Priority registration is for residents of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

Audience & Learning Goals

Designed for attorneys who are newer to police misconduct and civil rights litigation, the training will provide practical tools for identifying actionable misconduct, developing claims, and strengthening litigation strategies. Legal workers, law students, and advocates working alongside impacted communities are also encouraged to attend.

This training is limited to individuals based in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, or Arkansas, as well as practitioners who represent clients or take cases in one or more of these states.

Topics will include:

• Current landscape of federal law enforcement accountability
• Common FTCA legal issues
• FTCA claims involving immigration enforcement and detention
• Section 1983 fundamentals
• Identifying actionable misconduct
• Election protection and responding to law enforcement presence at the polls

Panels include:
Current Landscape of Federal Law Enforcement Accountability 
Common FTCA Legal Issues 
FTCA Actionable Conduct: Use of force,  stops and on-the-street detentions  
FTCA Actionable Conduct: Detention-related claims

Confirmed Speakers (this list will be updated as additional speakers are confirmed): 
Eliana Machefsky, Staff Attorney at NPAP
Lauren Bonds, Executive Director at NPAP
Khaled Alrabe, Senior Staff Attorney at The National Immigration Project
Zachary Manfredi, Democracy Forward 
Kassandra Gonzalez, Senior Staff Attorney, Texas Civil Rights Project
Christopher Benoit, Benoit Legal, PLLC
UA Lewis
Hannah Alexander, Deputy Legal Director at Local Progress
Karen Munoz Trevino, Policy Attorney at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Sam Benavides         
Jordan Buckley    

DATE and TIME

Thursday, October 8, 2026
Federal Law Enforcement Accountability: FTCA Litigation & Claims Involving ICE

• 8:00am - 4:00PM MST
• 9:00am - 5:00PM CST

Friday, October 9, 2026
Federal Law Enforcement Accountability: Section 1983 Basics and Election Protection 

• 8:00am - 1:00PM MST
• 9:00am - 2:00pm CST

ACCOMMODATIONS

We have secured a hotel room block for attendees at the Hilton Garden Inn - Austin University Capitol District. If you plan to stay at the conference hotel, please make your reservation using the link below.

Please note that the hotel block rate will expire on September 25, or earlier if the block sells out.

Reserve your room here:  https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/npapinaustintexas2026/

LOCATION

This event is being held in-person and will also be recorded. The event location is below:

KMFA Austin (41 Navasota Street, Austin, TX 78702)

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

This event is free for all attendees.

ACCESSIBILITY

It is our priority to ensure accessibility for all attendees - please contact KG at [email protected] if you have specific inquiries regarding the in-person experience.