Global Politics of Migration and Refuge

Grinnell College is hosting a Global Politics of Migration and Refuge symposium from Sept. 6-8. Experts, including alumni and a panel of immigrants, will share social, legal, historical, and personal perspectives on immigration and refugee issues of vital concern in today's world.

The symposium, which is free and open to the public, is organized by the College's Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs, International Relations and Human Rights and Institute for Global Engagement. All symposium events will take place in Joe Rosenfield '25 Center, Room 101.

The symposium will start with a faculty panel discussion starting at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6. David Cook-Martin, professor of sociology and assistant vice president for global education, will moderate the panel. The panelists will be:

• Leif Brottom, assistant professor of political science;
• David Campbell, professor of biology and Henry R. Luce professor of nations and the global environment;
• Xavier Escandell, associate professor of anthropology; and
• Sharon Quinsaat, instructor in sociology

Immigrants, Refugees in Iowa to Share Their Stories

A buffet dinner will follow at 5 p.m. and at 5:30 there will be a panel discussion featuring immigrants and refugees who live in Iowa. The College's Center for Prairie Studies is sponsoring the panel. Jon Andelson, professor of anthropology and director of the center, will moderate the discussion.

The day's events will conclude at 7 p.m. with a presentation titled "Shouldering the Refugee Burden: Jordan and the Global Refugee Crisis" by Rawan Arar, a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of California-San Diego and a graduate student researcher at the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies.

The symposium will continue on Wed., Sept. 7, with two talks. The first one, starting at 4 p.m., will feature Kathleen Newland, cofounder and senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute,  discussing "The New Drivers of Foreign Policy and International Relations: People on the Move."

The second talk, by Faranak Miraftab, professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Illinois, will begin at 7:30 p.m. He will address "Global Production of Migration and Displacement: Insights on the Meatpacking Industry in the Midwest."

Author of Lives in Limbo to Speak at Scholars' Convocation  

The symposium will conclude on Thursday, Sept. 8, with a Scholars' Convocation and a panel of alumni who will share their legal perspectives on migration and refugee issues.

Roberto Gonzales, author of Lives in Limbo and assistant professor of education at Harvard University, will give the Scholars' Convocation "From Undocumented to DACAmented: Understanding Legal Status in a New Policy Context." Free copies of his book will be available at the talk, which will start at 11 a.m.

Lives in Limbo explores why highly educated undocumented youth share similar work and life outcomes with their less-educated peers, despite the fact that higher education is touted as the path to integration and success in America.

Alumni to Share Their Views on Legal Issues

Members of the Alumni Legal Perspectives panel, which will begin its discussion at 4 p.m., will be:

• Charles Adkins-Blanch ’84 is vice chairman of the Board of Immigration Appeals in the U.S. Department of Justice
• Dree Collopy  ’04 is a partner and attorney with Benach Collopy LLP in Washington, D.C.
• Deisy Del Real ’07 is a doctoral candidate at the University of California-Los Angeles and an invited doctoral researcher at the University of Buenos Aires
• Jillian Kong-Sivert ’91 is founder of the Law Office of Jillian Kong-Sivert PLLC in Phoenix, Arizona.

The College’s John Chrystal Fund for Distinguished Foreign Visitors is co-sponsoring the symposium.

Grinnell College welcomes the participation of people with disabilities. Room 101 in the Rosenfield Center is equipped with an induction hearing loop system, which enables individuals with hearing aids set to T-Coil to hear the program. Individuals with a disability who need accommodations should contact Laureen Van Wyk, 641-269-4720.

Schedule

Tuesday, Sept. 6

4 p.m., Rosenfield Center, Room 101

Grinnell Faculty Panel

5 p.m., Rosenfield Center, Room 101

Buffet Dinner

5:30 p.m., Rosenfield Center, Room 101

Recent Immigrants and Refugees in Iowa

7 p.m., Rosenfield Center, Room 101

Shouldering the Refugee Burden: Jordan and the Global Refugee Crisis

Wednesday, Sept. 7

4 p.m., Rosenfield Center, Room 101

The New Drivers of Foreign Policy and International Relations: People on the Move

7:30 p.m., Rosenfield Center, Room 101

Global Production of Migration and Displacement: Insights on the Meatpacking Industry in the Midwest

Thursday, Sept. 8

11 a.m., Rosenfield Center, Room 101

Scholars’ Convocation: From Undocumented to DACAmented: Understanding Legal Status in a New  Policy Context

4 p.m., Rosenfield Center, Room 101

Alumni Legal Perspectives