By Gavin Toy
From January 5 – 10, the LMU Center for Asian Business (CAB) hosted a group of 15 university students from Hong Kong and China as part of a two-week program titled “Immigration and Border Policy” in collaboration with the Hong Kong-America Center. Before their arrival in Los Angeles, students spent one week in Arizona where they visited the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales, federal immigration court, immigrant shelter, etc.
During their stay in L.A., students received lectures from LMU professors on various immigration topics and visited several organizations specializing in immigration services including the Mexican Consulate General in L.A., Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, and Catholic Charities, Inc. Special lecture topics included: “Sociology of Contemporary Immigration to the U.S.,” “The Migration Policy: Implications for the U.S. and Mexico,” and “Immigrant Advocacy on the Ground.” As part of their site visits, students learned about the Mexican-American immigration history, immigration procedures, U.S. government laws and regulations on immigration, as well as experiences of migrants trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. Students were also given the opportunity to interact with LMU students to gain more insight into the American culture.
CAB Assistant Director Dr. Marki Jones developed the customized program; and CAB Director Dr. Yongsun Paik led the program and accompanied participants on the site visits along with Gavin Toy, CAB student assistant, who provided additional support and led the peer-to-peer activities.
