GW Law’s International and Comparative Law Program hosted a panel on “Immigration, Family Separation, Detention, and Beyond: Where is the U.S. Heading?” The event provided an opportunity to discuss the enforcement of immigration laws in the United States and the recent matters attracting significant media coverage.
The panel of speakers included Alberto M. Benítez, Director of Immigration Law Clinic, GW Law; Michelle Brané, Director, Migrant Rights and Justice Program, Women’s Refugee Commission; and Royce Murray, Policy Director, American Immigration Council. Rosa Celorio, Associate Dean for International and Comparative Legal Studies, moderated the panel.
Ms. Celorio opened the discussion by sharing the effect that immigration has had on her own life. Her father, a Cuban immigrant, fled a repressive regime to live in the United States.“To him, the United States was the land of hope, of freedom, of potential. It was a land where he was able to rebuild his life and something that he really treasured as an immigrant,” she said. “And observing and following the current news and everything that has been happening on immigration recently, it has greatly concerned me and made me really question what the United States is about when it comes to immigration law and its application.”
During the panel, the experts addressed many pressing challenges with the current application of immigration laws in the in the United States, shedding light on family separation policies, the practice of detaining families seeking asylum, and the plan advanced by the Trump Administration affecting immigrants seeking welfare benefits.
Paulina Vera, Supervisory Attorney, Immigration Law Clinic, GW Law, provided closing remarks with a message of hope. “Practitioners, law students, and concerned citizens alike should not despair…we are going to get through this and that is because all of us here today believe in a humane and rational immigration policy that falls on the right side of history and reason.”
The event was followed by a question and answer session with students.