CHICAGO -- More than 40 of the nation’s leading experts convene for E Pluribus Unum: The Immigration Conundrum, a two-day conference exploring immigration issues from birthright and nativism to border security and due process. Presented by the Seventh Circuit Bar Association Foundation, the program will be held March 3^rd and March 4^th at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Thorne Auditorium and offers up to 12 CLE credits.

“Immigration is one of the most divisive social issues in our country today. This program is designed to provide all views and offers a unique perspective on how we should understand immigration in America,” said Michael T. Brody, President of the Seventh Circuit Bar Association and a partner with Jenner & Block in Chicago.

Added co-chairs Thomas Campbell, a partner with Baker & McKenzie and Doug Carlson, a partner at Doug Carlson Law, “We’ve hand-picked our speakers and topics so that we can add depth and substance to the national conversation on immigration. From judges to law professors and a wide range of immigration experts, our speakers will address the critical how’s and why’s of immigration as we all work toward a balanced national approach.”

Other featured speakers include Hon. Ruben Castillo, Chief Judge of the Northern District of Illinois, Hon. Diane Wood, Chief Judge for the 7^th Circuit Court of Appeals, Hon. Richard Posner of the 7^th Circuit Court of Appeals and Hon. Dana Leigh Marks of the National Association of Immigration Judges. Other speakers include representatives from the Department of Homeland Security, Northwestern University, Stanford Law School, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, the University of Chicago, the National Immigrant Justice Center and law firms including Jenner & Block, Sidley & Austin, Barnes & Thornberg and others.

The full agenda (and list of speakers) for the program is on the website.

The Seventh Circuit Bar Association and the Foundation not-for-profit organizations dedicated to the fair and efficient administration of justice. For more information, visit www.7thcircuitbar.org.

TOPICS include:

The Birthright Citizenship Debate

Most legal experts agree that the 14th Amendment requires the granting of citizenship to most children born in the United States, regardless of the status of the parents. Some question the implications of the language “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” in the Amendment.  The Supreme Court in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, decided in 1898, addressed the issue and since then, children born of immigrants illegally in the U.S. have been citizens from birth. The speakers will discuss the policy arguments for and against a more restrictive interpretation of the Amendment or possible changes to it.

Nativism and Immigration Restrictionist Movements in the U.S.

Nativism - the policy of protecting the interests of native born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants - has been part of U.S. immigration history for nearly 200 years. The speakers in this panel will review the historical record and compare past movements to current proposals. Topics included will be the Know Nothing Party, Dillingham Commission and the more recent immigration restriction campaign, born out of the environmental movement. From the Tea Party to Donald Trump, nativism continues to carry sway in the American immigration conundrum. 

Family Reunification in Immigration

This panel will discuss an important underpinning  of U.S. immigration law: family reunification, reviewing the implications of the National Origins Quota and the 1965 amendments abolishing it.  It will address the overall immigration selection system, with emphasis on the family categories, numerical limitations, exclusion grounds, backlogs, the separation of families and a particular look at family immigration from Mexico.


Economic Impact of Immigration

This panel will feature a debate on whether U.S. immigration is good for our economy, or whether it hurts it, causing financial loss to federal, state and local governments. The panelists will take a particular look at the implications on wages, at both the low and the high skill levels.


Impact of Immigration on State and Local Governments

This panel will discuss the number of issues affecting state and local governments, and the various ways they have been addressed, from drivers licenses, to education, to police interaction, housing and employment. This panel also discuss the law suit brought by 26 states against the Obama Executive Action (certiorari granted).

 
Political, Economic and Social Implications to Chicago and Illinois

This panel will comment upon the issues facing the city of Chicago and the State of Illinois, from demography, to business development, to international relationships.

Border Security and Humanitarian Considerations

This panel will address security issues with emphasis on the border, both land and air. It will also focus on the recent influx of unaccompanied minors at the border, as well as family detention.


Interior Enforcement and the 11 Million

This panel will examine interior enforcement issues, including employer sanctions and removal policies, prosecutorial discretion (DACA/DAPA)(certiorari granted), national IDs, human trafficking, and worker exploitation.


Immigration Courts and Due Process

This panel will focus on the realities of the immigration removal system. The docket for the immigration court cases stretches out into 2020. Immigrant respondents have no right to counsel and immigration judges have very little administrative support.

 
Asylum, Assimilation, and Security

This panel will address some of the problems facing countries around the globe, particularly the U.S., Mexico and Europe, that are faced with the migration of refugees of all kinds: political, religious, economic, fleeing war and natural disaster.