2023 Academic and Policy Symposium Videos

Opening Remarks:
C. Mario Russell
Executive Director, Center for Migration Studies of New York

Keynote Address: Reconceptualizing the International Protection Regime: Will Climate Change Lead the Way?
T. Alexander Aleinikoff
Dean, The New School for Social Research
Director, Zolberg Institute for Migration and Mobility, The New School

Panel 1: Forcibly Displaced Populations: the Where, Why, and How
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a record 110 million persons were forcibly displaced in 2022. This does not include persons moving because of natural disasters, the longer-term impact of climate change, or the many victims of gang, domestic and communal violence who do not qualify for asylum. This panel looked at displaced populations around the world and the push factors which drive them from their homes. Panelists discussed their common characteristics and how nations are responding to this unprecedented level of displacement.

Moderator:
Holly E. Reed, Professor of Sociology
Queens College, City University of New York
Editor, International Migration Review

Panelists:
-Ellen Percy Kraly, Professor Emerita of Geography and Environmental Studies, Colgate University

-Lori Hunter, Professor of Sociology, Director of the Behavioral Science Center, University of Colorado-Boulder

-Elizabeth Ferris, Research Professor and Director, Institute for the Study of Migration, Georgetown University

-Veronica Fynn Bruey, Assistant Professor, Athabasca University, Canada and President, the International Association for the Study of Forced Displacement

Remarks: Administration Priorities and Immigrant Integration
Eva Millona
Assistant Secretary for Partnership and Engagement
US Department of Homeland Security
&
Update on Federal Litigation
Lee Gelernt
Deputy Director, Immigrants’ Rights Project
American Civil Liberties Union

Remarks and Discussion:
Anne Williams-Isom
Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services
City of New York

Panel 2: The US Response to Select Immigrant and Refugee Populations in Need of Permanent Status
This panel reviewed the status of US responses to select immigrant and refugee populations who seek and raise particularly compelling cases for permanent legal status. It covered select asylum-seekers, refugees, Afghans and Ukrainians, humanitarian parolees, climate-induced migrants, minors, and DACA recipients. The panel examined the US response to these populations, and discussed particular programs such as “Safe Mobility Offices” and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. It also explored the drivers of child migration to the United States. Finally, it identified barriers to migration, protection, and permanent legal status for these groups, such as border enforcement policies, detention, state “bussing” programs, immigration court backlogs, and Congressional gridlock.

Moderator:
Donald Kerwin
Senior Research Associate, Keough School of Global Affairs
University of Notre Dame

Panelists:
-John Slocum, Executive Director, Refugee Council USA

-Estela Rivero, Senior Researcher and Co-Director of the Central America Research Alliance, Pulte Institute for Global Development, Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame

-Tom Hare, Senior Researcher and Co-Director of the Central America Research Alliance, Pulte Institute for Global Development, Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame

-Karen Grisez, Pro Bono Counsel: Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver, and Jacobson, LLP, Washington, D.C.; Chair of the Board of Trustees, Center for Migration Studies of New York

-Charles Wheeler, Senior Attorney and Director Emeritus, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)

Panel 3: Global, National, and Local Policy Solutions to Displacement
This panel explored best practices and policies for humanely addressing global migration flows, including the use of legal pathways, legalization strategies, and a more flexible and comprehensive global protection system.

Moderator:
Kevin Appleby
Senior Fellow for Policy and Communications
Center for Migration Studies of New York

Panelists:
-Asise’ Mateo, Senior Liaison and Policy Officer, United Nations Network on Migration

-Victor Genina, Former Director of Development and Policy, Scalabrini International Migration Network

-Anna Greene, Senior Protection Officer, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Washington, DC

-Kathryn Anderson, Deputy Chief, Office of Policy and Strategy, US Citizenship and Immigration Service

-Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer, Catholic Charities of New York