Gollobin, Ira, 1911-

Ira Gollobin, an immigration rights attorney and author, served as pro bono counselor to refugees from all over the world including Nazi Germany and Duvalierist Haiti. His work with Haitian refugees, the purview of this collection, began in 1974. In this capacity he served as lead counsel on several major cases that were pivotal to the rights of Haitian refugees, the so-called "boat people." Gollobin's critical role as lead counsel was as important as his active role in developing grassroots organizations that made the public aware and active in Haitian refugee legislation issues. Through his affiliation with major organizations such as Church World Service and the communist founded American Committee for the Protection of the Foreign Born, he created channels for Haitian-American led coalitions such as the National Coalition for Haitian Rights and Haitian Refugee Center, two prominent activist organizations, to form and help steer the campaign for the rights of Haitian refugees. He organized a broad-based strategy that combined legal advocacy to secure basic freedoms for Haitians with long-term policy arguments aimed at granting thousands of Haitian immigrants the right to due process in filing asylum claims.

Ira Gollobin (1911-) is a New York City attorney and author noted for his practice in immigration and civil rights law.

Gollobin served in the Philippines during World War II and later joined the Committee for a Democratic Far Eastern Policy where he met China specialist Maud Russell. For many years he was General Counsel to the American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born. Gollobin has written on the topics of immigration, East Asian affairs, dialectics and Marxist theory.

Ira Gollobin, a renowned civil rights and immigration lawyer, has practiced law in New York City for over 60 years, acting as attorney in many high profile immigration and extradition cases from the 1950s to the 1980s. During World War II he served in the Pacific and afterward became a regular contributor to the newsletter of the American Veterans of the Philippine Campaign. He joined the Committee for a Democratic Far Eastern Policy, where he met China specialist, Maud Russell. He became her advisor and close confidant and acted as her executor upon her passing in 1989. He also served as general counsel to the American Committee for the Protection of the Foreign Born.

Gollobin has written numerous periodical articles on immigration, dialectics, East Asia, and Marxist theory. He is the author of Dialectical Materialism : its laws, categories, and practice (1986) and "Winds of change: an immigration lawyer's perspective of fifty years" (1987).

Ira Gollobin (1911-2008) was a civil rights attorney who focused on immigration law. Gollobin began working with the American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born (1933-1982) in 1936, and he would later serve as general counsel for the organization. During the 1980s, Gollobin served on the the National Coalition for Haitian Refugees. Gollobin also did pro bono work to protect the rights of immigrants and refugees and was involved in other left-wing causes, including defending individuals under investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Gollobin also authored a book titled Dialectical Materialism: Its Laws, Categories, and Practice .