[PAST EVENT] From the Border to the Center: Symposium on Comprehensive and Compassionate Immigration Reform

April 19, 2013
10:30am - 5pm
Location
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Chaote Room, Washington, D.C.
As the US faces mounting pressure to change its approach to the immigration issue, a group of William & Mary students and faculty traveled to the US-Mexico border region to witness the human side of immigration. We met with humanitarian workers, recently deported migrants, government officials, and activists in Tucson, Nogales, and Agua Prieta. We observed ?Operation Streamline? proceedings at the Federal court in Tucson, and we listened while Border Patrol and ICE agents outlined the dangers to national security posed by drug cartels and human smugglers.

As we bring the experiences and voices from the border back to the center of US policy and decision-making, we invite activists, scholars, practitioners, and concerned members of the community to dialogue about the most pressing issues in need of careful consideration. In the wake of the recent election in which Latino voters made their voices heard and as thousands of undocumented youth claim a space in the country they call home, the current moment is ripe for addressing the immigration issue.

Objectives:

To bring together practitioners, activists, scholars and experts who work on issues of importance to immigrant populations to dialogue and network with each other and with faculty and students recently returned from the US-Mexico border region.
To share perspectives and exchange ideas about how current legislative attempts could result in compassionate and meaningful reform, exerting a positive effect on the situation and lives of immigrants.
To build networks of understanding and identify potential future action areas within our own communities and areas of work that would make this vision a reality.
Panelists:

Cindy Brown ('03), BIA Accredited Representative, Legal Services, Hogar Immigrant Services

Sewon Chung ('10) New Media Artist, New York University

Jaime Contreras, Union Organizer, Service Employee International Union,

Matthew Handley, Director, Equal Employment Opportunity Project, Washington Lawyers? Committee for Civil Rights

Liz McGrail, Legal Director, Capital Area Immigrants' Rights

Jose Jorge Mendoza, Assistant Professor, Worcester State University

Dilcia Molina, Project Coordinator, Entre Amigas

Tolu Olubunmi, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Community Change

John Riofrio, Assistant Professor, The College of William & Mary

Space is limited, so registration is required for all attendees.
Contact

Dimelza Gonzales-Flores, dngonzalesflor@email.wm.edu, Latin American Studies Graduate Intern