The Texas A&M Law Review will host its symposium, “American Immigration Law: The New Colossus,” for timely interactions with members of the community, academics and practitioners and the opportunity to bring together people with differing opinions to have respectful discussions and gain perspective on what immigration law changes mean locally and in the greater community on Friday, April 21 in Fort Worth.

Law Review Symposia Editor Tave Doty said this discussion is important because American immigration laws and the enforcement of the same are rapidly changing.

“Almost daily, there is something in the news related to these issues,” she said. “Our discussions are intended to give historical context and academic perspective to these important conversations and to address the impact of the dynamic and developing immigration laws.”

The symposium will offer timely discussions pertaining to the evolving landscape of immigration law and policy, Doty added.  

“Specifically, preeminent scholars and immigration experts will address relationships between the federal government and state and local governments and agencies in the enforcement of United States immigration laws and the implications of ‘extreme vetting’ for would-be immigrants and refugees,” she said. “As representatives of one of the nation’s leading public research universities, Texas A&M Law Review is committed to upholding the university’s mission of maintaining freedom of inquiry and an intellectual environment nurturing the human mind and spirit and our spring symposium on immigration law will provide a forum to do just that.”

Keynote speakers will be:

• Bill Ong Hing, Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco and Professor Emeritus at U.C. Davis School of Law, and
• Sarah Saldaña, Former Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Morning and afternoon panelists will be:

• Spencer Amdur, ACLU Immigrants’ Right Project;
• Rick Su, University of Buffalo School of Law;
• Victor Viramontes, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund's National Senior Counsel;
• Sabrineh Ardalan, Assistant Director and Lecturer on Law at the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program;
• Denise Gilman, University of Texas Law School; and
• Julie Kornfeld, International Refugee Assistance Project.

Those who wish to attend the symposium at Texas A&M School of Law must register online. The cost is $50 for general admission; $35 for former Texas A&M Law and Texas Wesleyan Law students and Legal Aid employees; and admission is free for 2016 Aggie Law grads, current students from other institutions and current Texas A&M Law students and our faculty.  

“We understand that this topic has broad appeal in today's environment and would consider it a privilege to host any individuals who may be interested in joining us for this valuable conversation,” Doty said.

A live feed of the event will be available on the event page.

- Article by Jennifer Nassar, Communications Specialist, Texas A&M University School of Law