This year's Immigration Law and Policy Conference, organized by MPI, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., and the Georgetown University Law Center, will be on Monday, September 30. The in-person conference will be held at Georgetown University’s main campus in Washington, DC, and livestreamed for virtual attendees

The conference will feature thoughtful policy and legal analysis, and discussion of some of the most important immigration issues that have surfaced in the U.S. policy debate, bringing together leading experts, including government officials, policymakers, attorneys, and advocates. Email events@migrationpolicy.org with any questions.

Keynote Speaker

Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration 
 

Panelists Include:

• Anna Gallagher, Executive Director, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)
• Muzaffar Chishti, Senior Fellow and Director, Migration Policy Institute (MPI) office at NYU School of Law
• Victoria Dittmar, Investigator and Project Manager, InSight Crime
• Lanae Erickson, Senior Vice President for Social Policy, Education & Politics, Third Way
• Marcela Escobari, Coordinator for the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection & Special Assistant to the President, National Security Council, The White House
• Felipe Gonzalez Morales, former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants and Professor of Law, University Diego Portales in Chile
• Mike Madrid, Republican Political Consultant and Author, The Latino Century
• Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow and Director, U.S. Immigration Policy Program, MPI
• Ana Saiz Valenzuela, Head of the Legal Counsel Unit, Mexican Federal Institute of Public Defense; former Executive Director, Sin Fronteras
• Andrew I. Schoenholtz, Professor from Practice and Faculty Director, Human Rights Institute and Center for Applied Legal Studies, Georgetown Law
• Tara Watson, Director, Center for Economic Security and Opportunity, Brookings Institution
   

Panel Discussions

State of Play: Clashing Worldviews, Narratives, and Policy Approaches

Rarely in U.S. history has the immigration policy debate been presented with such starkly differing policy agendas and competing realities than the ones unfolding at present. One worldview, led by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and channeled through conservative media, sees immigration and immigrants as security and economic threats to be shut down or removed. The other, epitomized by the Biden-Harris administration, sees immigration and immigrants as positive economic, demographic, and societal forces. But in the face of record levels of border encounters, the Democratic administration has been accused of engaging in Trump-like actions in its efforts to establish border control while also creating humanitarian pathways. With immigration at the center of 2024 election debates and conversations about the country’s future, moderator Doris Meissner and a panel of economic, political, and communications experts will examine the clashing narratives, competing facts about the role of immigrants and immigration in the U.S. economy and labor market, changing undercurrents in public opinion, and how the policy conversation may evolve.
 

The Aging U.S. Immigration System Is Made Even More Brittle by Executive Orders and Litigation

In the vacuum created by more than a quarter century of inaction by Congress, U.S. immigration policy is increasingly shaped by an accelerating number of executive actions by administrations of both parties. Followed by the race to the courts by critics. This has resulted in stop-start policies and operations, a growing policymaker-of-last-resort role for judges and justices, and uneven application of immigration polices across states and judicial districts. The immigration system is also made more volatile by the proliferation of policies, programs, and grants of immigration status/protection that can be revoked at the stroke of a pen when new administrations take office. Complicating this executive vs. judicial landscape is the recent Supreme Court decision overruling the 40-year old doctrine of Chevron deference to federal agency interpretation of federal statutes. This panel of government officials, legal experts, and political observers will explore recent consequential executive actions, including the new border rule and various immigration parole programs, delve into key litigation challenges, and look ahead to how the landscape and particular actions may fare post the November elections.

Unilateral No More: The Rise of Regional Cooperation on Migration

Migration in the Western Hemisphere and globally continues to increase in connection with a complex array of factors, from humanitarian crises and climate change to insecurity and uneven economic advances. In becoming signatories in 2022 to the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, 22 Western Hemisphere countries, including the United States and Mexico, committed to “strengthen national, regional, and hemispheric efforts to create the conditions for safe, orderly, humane, and regular migration and to strengthen frameworks for international protection and cooperation.” They also pledged to expand efforts to address the root causes of irregular migration, improving conditions in countries of origin. What policies and practices have governments and international organizations adopted to achieve the goals of greater regional cooperation? How successful have these efforts been? What other regional approaches should governments adopt? And what roles are nongovernmental organizations playing, and in what new ways are they communicating with peers in other countries as well as with migrants? Panelists will explain and assess the state of affairs, particularly with regards to the United States and Mexico, and will also look towards the future of cooperation on migration.

The Multibillion Dollar Smuggling Industry: Who Pays, Who Wins, Who Loses? 

More people are on the move around the world than ever and in the absence of adequate legal channels, vast smuggling networks and economies have developed to facilitate movements. Over the last decade or so, smuggling has evolved from a loose network of “coyotes” to a multibillion-dollar transnational business, often with ties to other criminal networks. Despite government efforts to combat this illegal movement and the many physical dangers and hardships experienced along arduous journeys, ranging from dangerous transports to treks across jungles or seas, migrants continue to arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border from Central and South America, along with growing numbers from countries in Asia and Africa. What do we know about the growing smuggling industry? Are changing origins and migrant demographics driving its increase? What happens during the journey? What risks do migrants face and what is the role of social media and other factors in shaping a migrant’s decision to embark on the journey? What is the effect of smuggling on local economies, and the role of cartels and their business models? And how can governments better combat smuggling and ensure safe and orderly migration? Panelists will examine these questions and address the responses to smuggling, while also considering the security risks and human rights of the most vulnerable seeking access to protection.

More information on the agenda and speakers to follow soon.

Complimentary registration is offered to accredited journalists. Media seeking registration should contact Michelle Mittelstadt at mmittelstadt@migrationpolicy.org

If you are a Georgetown student wishing to register, please email ldixon@migrationpolicy.org. Limited in-person complimentary registration is available to Georgetown students using their student email and a valid student ID. Complimentary registration does not include lunch.