Border Patrols: The Legal,
Racial, Social and Economic Implications of United States
Immigration Policy
From the time of our nation’s founding, immigration has been
crucial to the growth of the United States, yet also a source of
conflict.While there has been no significant movement toward
federal immigration reform to address unauthorized immigration
since 2007, there has been a wave of controversial legislation at
the state level, most notably with the passage of statutes in
Arizona and Alabama that have authorized state officials to enforce
immigration laws.
The federal government has been paralyzed in enacting immigration
reform.Those opposed to a pathway for legal status for unauthorized
immigrants express moral outrage about unauthorized immigrants
breaking the law, job competition, wage pressures, the perceived
social costs of unauthorized immigrants, and border security.
Proponents of a pathway to legal status, on the other hand, argue
that there should be justice for individuals who have been members
of their communities for decades and focus on the contributions
that unauthorized immigrants have made to U.S. growth and
prosperity.
This symposium provides a multi-disciplinary exploration of these
issues that is thoughtful, intellectually rigorous, and
provocative.
Host
Journal of
Civil Rights and Economic Development
The
Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and Economic
Development
Co-Sponsors
St. John’s University Committee for
Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS)
St.
John’s School of Law Education Law Society
Date
Friday, March 16, 2012
Time
8 a.m.–7:30 p.m.
Location
St. John’s
School of Law
8000 Utopia Parkway
Queens, NY 11439
Symposium Agenda
8-8:45 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:45-9 a.m.
Welcome
Andrew J.
Simons
Vice Dean Emeritus
St. John’s School of Law
Aaron Barham ‘12
Symposium Editor
Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development
St. John’s School of Law
Remarks
Alina Camacho-Gingerich, Ph.D.
Chair, CLACS
Professor, Languages and Lituratures
St. John’s University
9 -10:20 a.m.
The Landscape of U.S. Immigration
Panelists will explain how immigration has changed the demographics
of the U.S. and examine the laws, processes, and social factors
that affect immigrants.
Moderator: Dr. Alina Camacho-Gingerich, Chair, Committee for Latin
American & Caribbean Studies (CLACS), Professor, Languages and
Literatures, St. John’s University
- Dr. Natalie Byfield, Professor of Sociology, St. John’s
University
- Dr. Clover Hall, Vice President, Institutional Research and
Academic Planning, St. John’s University
- Dr. Rafael Art. Javier, Professor of Psychology, St. John’s
University
- Shanna Lorenz, Professor of Music, Occidental College
- Anna W. Shavers, Professor of Law, University of Nebraska
School of Law
10:30 -10:50 a.m.
Featured Speaker
Ira Mehlman
Media Director
Federation for American Immigration Reform
11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Politics and Immigration Reform
Panelists will discuss how different presidential administrations
have approached immigration law enforcement and will evaluate the
likelihood for bipartisan immigration reform.
Moderator: Janai Nelson, Associate Professor of Law,
Associate Director, The Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and
Economic Development, St. John’s School of Law
- Nora V. Demleitner, Dean and Professor of Law, Hofstra Law
School
- César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández, Professor of Law, Capital
University Law School
- Dr. Frank Le Veness, Professor of Government and Politics, St.
John’s University
- Michelle R. Slack, Professor of Law, University of Oregon
School of Law
- Katherine L. Vaughns, Professor of Law, University of Maryland
Francis King Carey School of Law
- Vivian Vescovacci, Graduate Student, CLACS Program, M.A.
Women's Studies Program, St. John’s University
12:35 -1:50p.m.
Lunch
Luncheon Speaker Honoree
Gregory W. Meeks
Congressman
New York's 6th District
2:00.-3:20 p.m.
The Role of State and Local Government in Immigration
Enforcement
Panelists will analyze and evaluate the constitutionality of recent
state immigration laws.
Moderator: Marc O. DeGirolami, Assistant Professor of Law, St.
John’s School of Law
- Patrick J. Charles, Historian, U.S. Air Force
- Dr. Saby Ghoshray, Vice President for Development and
Compliance, WorldCompliance Company
- Huyen Pham, Professor of Law, Texas Wesleyan University School
of Law
- Maureen Sweeney, Clinical Professor, University of Maryland
Francis King Carey School of Law
- Liliana C. Yanez, Clinical Professor, CUNY School of Law
3:25.- 3:45 p.m
Featured Speaker
Michael Olivas
William B. Bates Distinguished Chair of Law
The University of Houston Law Center
3:50-5 p.m.
Immigration and Individual Rights
Panelists will discuss topics revolving around individual and
constitutional rights of immigrants such as immigrant students’
rights, immigration detention reform, and immigration of LGBT
couples under U.S. immigration law.
Moderator: Rosemary Salomone, Kenneth Wang Professor of Law, St.
John’s School of Law
- Dr. Yvonne Pratt Johnson, Professor of Human Services and
Counseling, St. John’s University
- Mark Noferi, Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School
- Scott Titshaw, Professor of Law, Mercer University School of
Law
- Dr. Roberta Villalon, Professor, St. John’s University
5:10 pm.-6:20 p.m.
Immigration and the Economy
Panelists will discuss the legal, economic and financial impact of
unauthorized immigration.
Moderator: Leonard M. Baynes, Professor of Law and Director the
Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and Economic Development,
St. John’s School of Law
- Nicholas Espiritu, Staff Attorney, MALDEF
- Angelo Paparelli, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP
- Michele Waslin, Senior Policy Analyst, Immigration Policy
Center
- Madeline Zavodny, Professor of Economics, Agnes Scott
College
6:30.-7:30 p.m.
Reception
Admission
There is no fee to attend the symposium, but registration is
required. Please complete and submit the
online registration form if you wish to attend.
Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
The full-day symposium qualifies for 7.5 non-transitional CLE
credit hours. No partial credit will be awarded. The CLE fee is
$175. Hardship tuition reduction is available. For CLE credit,
please complete and return the
CLE payment form.
More Information
Aaron Barham
Research and Symposium Editor
Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development
St. John’s School of Law
AaronBarhamJCRED@gmail.com
(718) 990-6074