DU Center for Immigration Policy & Research
Inaugural Symposium, April 7th & 8th
Schedule of Events
April 7th
4 – 6pm: Student showcase and opening reception (CCOMM 1600) *in person attendance only
April 8th
8am-8:45 Check in & breakfast (AAC 290 or virtual)
9am-10:15 Panel I (AAC 290 or virtual)
10:30am-11:45 Panel II (AAC 290 or virtual)
12pm-1:30 Lunch & Keynote (AAC 290 or virtual)
1:45pm-3:00 Panel III (AAC 290 or virtual)
3:15pm-4:30 Panel IV (AAC 290 or virtual)
4:30pm-5:00 Call to Action (AAC 290 or virtual)
5:00pm-6:30 Closing Reception (CCOM 4th Story) *in person attendance only
In a 2006 article published in the American Journal of Sociology, internationally renowned immigration scholar, Cecilia Menjivar, coined the concept liminal legality to refer to the gray space or status between legal and not legal that migrants inhabit. Since then, liminal legality has been applied broadly to conceptualize migrants’ experiences in the U.S. context and the ways in which law and policies impose on their lives. In 2012, Menjivar and Abrego built on this work, calling attention to how the violence of immigration law—what they term legal violence — impacts migrant journeys and incorporation experiences in the United States, with a focus on work, education, and daily life. Many years later, these works are as relevant as ever in informing our understandings of how migrants navigate illegality.
The DU Center for Immigration Policy and Research (CIPR) is pleased to welcome Professor Menjivar, the Dorothy L. Meier Social Equities Chair at UCLA and President of the American Sociological Association, to DU to serve as keynote speaker at its first ever migration symposium April 7-8, 2022. The symposium will feature presentations from migration experts, immigration advocates and allies, community partners, students, and legal scholars. At this two-day event, panelists will apply Menjivar’s contributions on liminal legality and legal violence to examine current immigration issues in local, state, and transnational contexts. Each panel will focus on CIPR’s three, core pillars: education and health; work; and intersections between the crimmigration system, law, and policy.
The symposium will also provide an opportunity for campus and community members to learn about the work of CIPR, which was launched in 2020 as part of the DU Impact 2025 Strategic Plan Knowledge Bridge Initiative, and to examine pressing migration issues in the Rocky Mountain region.
Panel Descriptions
Panel I- DACA at 10– As 2022 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Obama-era policy, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), this panel will convene scholars, local practitioners, advocates, and former students to explore the impact of legal reforms on undocumented youth and young adults. Panelists will also discuss the potential impact of legislative proposals and the challenges that the current legal limbo poses for recipients and their mixed-status families.
Panel II- Immigrant Worker Justice- Despite a tense labor history, Colorado has recently passed a suite of more worker friendly policies targeted at the most vulnerable and filling gaps left by racialized exclusions embedded in the US Fair Labor Standards Act. Panelists will discuss efforts to bolster worker protections and build worker power amidst obstacles that have eroded protections over the past four decades.
Panel III – Healthcare Amidst COVID- This panel will bring together scholars and practitioners to discuss challenges to immigrant health revealed by, but not exclusive to, the pandemic. It will address efforts to extend insurance coverage to undocumented immigrants, as well as how practitioners and advocates navigate access to care. It will also discuss lingering impacts of the Public Charge rule under the Trump administration and how the pandemic has affected exposure to risk, vaccines, treatment, and access to care.
Panel IV- Policy Directions & Challenges- The last panel of the symposium considers legal and policy approaches under the Biden administration as well as the consequences of immigration enforcement during the Trump administration, which continue to have an impact on migrants, asylum-seekers, and those with temporary statuses. Experts will also address legislative proposals in Colorado.
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Symposium
DU Immigrant & Refugee Rights Colectivo 