Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Migration in Africa – Perspective from the Continent on Causes and Impact
David Orth-Moore from Catholic Relief Services will provide an overview of the political and economic reasons for migration in several parts of Africa providing examples from his 25 years living and working on the continent including such places as Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Liberia, Senegal and Ghana. He’ll explore what life is like for those who become either internally displaced or refugees in neighboring countries, and what Catholic Relief Services does to support populations that leave their homes.
Moderator: Allan Deck, SJ, Distinguished Professor, Theological Studies Presentation by David Orth-Moore, Catholic Relief Services Senior Advisor for Africa
Responsiveness in Refugee Crisis Management: A Case Study from Turkey & Seeking Solutions
Through an interactive panel, this session focuses on exploring crisis management practices and discusses managerial and theoretical implications for refugee crisis management which could be useful solutions for policy makers. Small group discussions in a workshop format to follow.
Presentation by Associate Professor of Strategy & Management, N. Oyku Iyigun, Istanbul Commerce University
Immigrant Advocacy on the Ground
Los Angeles is home to the largest population of immigrants, both documented and undocumented, in the nation. The Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic is the primary free legal agency serving indigent immigrants. In partnership with Homeboy Industries and Dolores Mission, LIJC conducts twice weekly intake clinics and with the assistance of law students, pursues immigration relief whenever possible. In this panel, LIJC faculty and staff share the stories of those they serve, the struggles their clients face, and what social justice lawyers are doing to preserve and protect the rights of immigrants.
Moderator: Professor Kathleen Kim, Loyola Law School Panelists: Co-Director Marissa Montes, Co-Director Emily Robinson, Supervising Staff Attorney Yanira Lemus, Staff Attorney Sandra Ruiz, Staff Attorney Alejandro Barajas
Understanding the U.S-Mexico Border
Since the 2016 Presidential election, discussions about building a border wall have been a highlight of this administration. While many people believe that our immigration patterns stem from the lack of a border wall, the reality could not be further from the truth. During this panel, LMU students who took part in the Tucson, AZ alternative breaks trip in December 2017 will discuss their experience while visiting immigration organizations, immigration detention centers, and the border wall. More importantly, students will be able to discuss the many ways in which the border is already highly militarized and geared towards detaining individuals who try to immigrate into the United States.
Moderator: Assistant Professor Claudia Sandoval, Political Science
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Developing Entrepreneurial Skills Among Refugees / Immigrants
In Germany migrant Entrepreneurship is far above the national average, and now seen as economic success and a job machine in all branches and skill levels. Migrant Entrepreneurship training and concepts need customization to the personal situation, to turn their psycho-social experiences of the migration process into successful skills.
Presentation by Professor Harald Meier, Chair in International Management, Projects and Communication, University of Applied Sciences, Bonn, Germany
Contributions of the Foreign-Born to the California Economy
This session will examine the presence and contribution of the foreign-born, and the children of the foreign born, on the diverse sectors of the California economy.
Presentation by Jeff Thies, Director, Institute for Business Ethics and Sustainability, College of Business Administration
Talent Acquisition and the Tech Sector
A panel will examine the needs and challenges of talent acquisition in the technology sector and the role of a global workforce as a competitive necessity. The role and impact of immigration policies will be explored within this context.
Moderator: Assistant Professor Jeff Thies, Management, CBA Panelists: Christopher Soto, Founding Chief Technology Officer, Ylopo and Rowdy Sampietro, Director, Talent Acquisition, The People Department @ Beachbody
The Fight for DACA: Implications for Inclusive Advocacy
Current debates around proposed immigration legislation focus on salvaging protection for beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. A panel of immigrant rights advocates will discuss the current state of DACA and the impact of the uncertain future of DACA. The panel will provide insight into the ongoing advocacy for the passage of a “clean” Dream Act, challenges in the context of anti-immigrant policies, and the implications for more inclusive immigration reform efforts. Moderator: Edward J.W. Park, Professor of Asian Pacific American Studies, LMU Panelists: Abel Valenzuela Jr., Professor of Chicano Studies and Urban Planning, Director of the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, Ignacia Rodriguez, Immigration Policy Advocate, National Immigration Law Center, and Habiba Simjee, Staff Attorney, UC Immigrant Legal Services Center
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Close to Home: Stories from Faculty and Staff
Neno Pervan from CFA, Arnab Banerji from CFA, Rachel Wen-Paloutzian from Special Collections, Hannon Library and Cecilia Gonzalez-Andrieu from Theological Studies discuss their personal stories of immigration.
The conversation will be facilitated by Luis Selgas.
Bridging the Divide: Connecting Migrants with Locals
Contact with host country nationals is one way to learn about the host culture and build a new social network, but many migrants find it difficult to connect. What can we do to bridge this divide? This session aims to raise awareness of the importance of bridging the gap between migrants and locals and what one can do to bridge this gap – both as a migrant and as a local.
Presentation by Dr. Marian van Bakel, Department of Marketing and Management of the University of Southern Denmark
Refuge Beyond Reach: How Rich Democracies Repels Asylum Seekers
Governments in the Global North have developed increasingly elaborate technologies to keep asylum seekers away from territories where they can ask for sanctuary. Many of these polices comply with the letter of domestic and international laws against returning people to face persecution while violating the spirit of those laws to avoid their perceived costs. The policies are constrained by courts, transnational advocacy networks, and foreign policy issue linkages in ways that vary sharply by country and specific techniques of “remote control.” Presentation by David FitzGerald, Theodore E. Gilfred Chair in U.S. – Mexican Relations, Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, University of California San Diego
Passing Over: Migration, Theology and the Eucharist
Amidst the divisive and polarizing rhetoric around refugees today, what does it mean to be witness to the body of Christ? This talk will explore the integral connection between what happens inside Churches and what happens outside of them by looking at the relationship between those who cross borders today looking for a more dignified life and the One who crossed over into our world in the incarnation in order to bring us to our eternal homeland. It will look at some of the arguments around migration today, some of the key challenges we face as a global family, some of the ways of looking at the issue of migration from a theological perspective.
Presentation by Daniel G. Groody, C.S.C., Associate Professor of Theology and Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame
Screening of “People of the Immigrant God” Documentary film by Charles Vijay Kumar, CSsR, exploring a Christian response to the existential crisis of global immigration.
