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Symposium on Immigration Law

Immigrants and Immigration Reform:
Civil Rights in the 21st Century

October 19, 2007
Dallas, Texas

At the outset of the 21st Century, United States immigration law and policy has become one of the most pressing issues of our time. In recent years we have witnessed among other things, calls for dramatically restricting immigration in light of an alleged threat to American national identity, increased border law enforcement associated with thousands of deaths on the U.S./Mexican border and vigilante activity, special immigration laws and legal procedures enacted for the “war on terror,” and mass marches protesting draconian immigration reform in cities across the United States, including Dallas, Texas. The conference seeks to deal with these issues.

Program

8:30 a.m.                                Registration & Breakfast

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.           SESSION 1

Opening the Floodgates: Why America Needs to Rethink its Borders and Immigration Laws
Dean Kevin R. Johnson, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o Studies, University of California at Davis

Immigration & Civil Rights
Professor Teresa A. Miller, Professor of Law, The State University of New York, Buffalo

Moderator/Commentator:
Professor George A. Martinez, Symposium Organizer; Professor of Law, SMU Dedman School of Law

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.          BREAK

10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.          SESSION 2

Lawmakers Gone Wild? A Response to Prof. Kobach
Professor Michael A. Olivas, William B. Bates Distinguished Chair of Law, University of Houston Law Center

Immigrants, Markets and Rights: The United States as an Emerging Migration State
Professor James F. Hollifield, Professor of International Political Economy and Director of the John G. Tower Center for Political Studies, Southern Methodist University, and
Professor Valerie F. Hunt, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Southern Methodist University

Moderator/Commentator:
Professor Karen L. Engle, Cecil D. Redford Professor of Law and Director of Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice, University of Texas at Austin

12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.            LUNCH (in Karcher Auditorium)

1:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.             SESSION 3

The Disadvantages of Protectionist Immigration Restrictions as a Policy to Improve Income Redistribution
Professor Howard F. Chang, Earle Hepburn Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania

Providing Sanctuary For Immigrants
Professor Rose C. Villazor, Assistant Professor of Law, SMU Dedman School of Law

Moderator/Commentator:
Professor Nathan Cortez, Assistant Professor of Law, SMU Dedman School of Law

General Information

Registration Fee:
$75 on or before October 15, $100 after October 15. Seating is limited; registration is first-come, first-serve. This Fee covers the symposium session, continental breakfast, lunch, and a copy of the speaker materials. (REGISTER TODAY)

CLE Credits:
The Immigration Symposium has requested MCLE credit approval for 4.5 hrs.

Seminar Site:
The Hillcrest Room in the SMU Dedman School of Law Underwood Library at 6550 Hillcrest Road in Dallas, TX.

Parking:
Free parking is offered in the SMU Dedman School of Law Parking Garage located at Daniel and Hillcrest, near the Underwood Law Library. The entrance to the parking garage is located on the North side of Daniel Avenue.  

Questions:
For Registration, call (214) 768-3341. For questions regarding the symposium, contact Professor George A. Martinez at (214) 768-3065 or email him at gmartine@smu.edu.

REGISTER TODAY