The Conclusion of the Michigan Journal of Law Reform Immigration Reform at 50 Conference
My apologies for getting behind in my blogging from the Michigan Journal of Law Reform Immigration Reform at 50 Conference but I had to make a mad dash to catch a flight in hopes of avoiding the snow forecast in Detroit for today.
The last two panels focused on incredibly timely and compelling issues.
Panel 3 looked at “States, Localities, and Immigration (Non)enforcement.” Over the last few years, many state and local governments have gotten involved in the immigration enforcement business, often only to have the efforts slapped down by the courts (including the Supreme Court in Arizona v. United States). At the same time, some state and local governments — with the California TRUST Act one important example — have resisted efforts like Secure Communities
Rick Su, SUNY Buffalo
Hiroshi Motomura, UCLA Law
Margaret Hu, Washington & Lee
John Sandweg, Frontier Solutions and former Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Moderator: Nicholas Bagley, Michigan
Panel 4 was entitled “Immigration’s Humanitarian Crises and Responses.” In the summer of 2014, the reported “surge” of unaccompanied minors from Central America grabbed the headlines. The latest wave of migrants seeking refuge in the United States — past waves in the modern era included Central Americans fleeing civil war in the 1970s and 1980s and Haitians fleeing political violence and economic devastation in the 1980s and 1990s — again raised issues of what the U.S. government’s response should be. This panel of distinguished scholars and activists offered thoughtful responses to America’s responses to humanitarian crises.
Deborah Anker, Harvard
Sabi Ardalan, Harvard
Fernando Chang-Muy, Penn
Melissa Crow, American Immigration Council
Howard Chang, Penn
Lee Gelernt, American Civil Liberties Union
Moderator: Kristina Daugirdas, Michigan
Closing Remarks by Stephen Legomsky, Washington University Law School. It is always great hearing the last word from Professor Legomsky, in large part because he is one of the most accomplished immigration scholars on the planet but also because he is one of the funniest people in the law professor business.
KJ