(Photo courtesy JRS/USA)
A one-day conference at the Intercultural Center Auditorium on the campus of Georgetown University this Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 seeks to educate and inspire students and others to greater knowledge, commitment and action for immigration reform. Jesuit Father Sean Carroll, Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative, will be on hand to speak during one of the panels.
A series of panel discussions will put a human face on the migrant experience by: sharing personal narratives of individuals crossing the border; exploring political/legal, economic, ethical and law enforcement perspectives on the current immigration system; making the case for policy changes, discussing ways in which the current system is failing immigrants and our communities. It also will explore the prospects for immigration reform, discuss the key players in the process and talk about what such reform may look like.
Scheduled speakers include: Bishop Gerald Kicanas of the Diocese of Tucson, Vice President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Fr. Sean Carroll, S.J., Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative; Chris West, CRS organizer with the Justice for Immigrants campaign; Don Kerwin, Vice President for Programs at the Migration Policy Institute; Jessica Owens, Counsel to Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D.–N.Y.); Prof. Alexander Aleinikoff, Dean, Georgetown University Law Center; Rev. Delle McCormick, Executive Director of BorderLinks; and Adrian Gonzalez of Frontera de Cristo; Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice; and Chief Tom Manger of the Montgomery County, Md., Police Department.
Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, the Jesuit Conference of the United States, Georgetown University’s Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service, the Institute for the Study of International Migration, and the Woodstock Theological Center will host the conference in the Intercultural Center Auditorium on the campus of Georgetown University Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Schedule:
8:30 a.m. – 9:05 a.m. Registration
9:00 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. Human Rights/Human Dignity – Understanding the Need for Immigration Reform from a Border Perspective
Dan Porterfield, Sr. VP for Strategic Programming for GU; Most Rev. Bishop Gerald Kicanas, Vice President of USCCB and Bishop of Tucson; Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice
10:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. And You Welcomed Me - Humanitarian Responses to the Border
Fr. Sean Carroll, S.J., Executive Director of Kino Border Initiative; Adrian Gonzalez, Board Member of Frontera de Cristo; Rev. Delle McCormick, Executive Director of BorderLinks
11:40 a.m. – 12:55 p.m. “A Problem Begging to be Fixed,” - The Costs and Consequences of our “Broken” Immigration System
T. Alexander Aleinikoff, Dean of GU Law Center; Ana Avendaño, Associate General Counsel for AFL-CIO; Police Chief J. Thomas Manger, Montgomery County, Maryland.
1:15p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Strangers No Longer – Comprehensive Immigration Reform and You
Don Kerwin, VP for Programs for Migration Policy Institute; Jessica Owens, Immigration Counsel to Senator Schumer; Chris West, CRS Representative to Justice for Immigrants Campaign
2:30 p.m. – 3:55 p.m. Open Forum: Responding to the Crisis on our Borders: Ways that you can get involved
Justice for Immigrants Campaign; Border Awareness Experience; DC Schools Project; Interfaith Immigration Coalition; Jesuit Refugee Service and Kino Border Initiative; Center for Social Justice; Woodstock Theological Center.
This event is free and open to the public.
