Thursday, April 6, 2011 | 8:30am – 4pm
USC Davidson Conference Center
With the failure to secure comprehensive immigration reform in Washington – including the inability to pass even the DREAM Act – two things seem clear. The first is that what is driving the debate is not simply the immigration system per se, but also a deeper anxiety about the changing demographics and economics of our nation. The second is that the challenge of immigration policy is moving down the geographic scale: increasingly, the battles about integrating or restricting immigrants will occur at the state, regional, and local levels.
What are the key issues facing supporters of immigrant integration in the current moment? How can we “break through” the noise of the debate with solid data on the contributions of and progress by immigrants over time? How can new grassroots coalitions of business, community, and civic leaders impact their own regions and bubble up their efforts for a more welcoming approach as a nation?
This conference was made possible with funding from the James Irvine Foundation.
Co-sponsors include:
California Community Foundation, Center for American Progress, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, Los Angeles Area Chamber Of Commerce, and USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
Conference Agenda
Regrouping: What Happened with Immigration Reform and How Can We Carry the Lessons Forward?
Moderator: Manuel Pastor (CSII)
Panelists:
- Deepak Bhargava (Center for Community Change)
- Ernie Cortes (Industrial Areas Foundation)
- Felicia Escobar (The White House Domestic Policy Council)
- Antonia Hernandez (California Community Foundation)
- Angela Maria Kelley (Center for American Progress)
- Dr. Robert Ross (The California Endowment)
Reframing: How Do We Better Link Immigrant Integration and the American Future?
Moderator: Ange-Marie Hancock (CSII)
Greeting: Howard Gillman, Dean, USC Dornsife College
Keynote: Alejandro Mayorkas (Director, U.S. CIS)
Realigning: Where Do We Go from Here – and How Do We Move Forward Together?
Moderator: Manuel Pastor (USC)
Panelists:
- Marqueece Harris Dawson (Community Coalition)
- Pramila Jayapal (OneAmerica)
- Dowell Myers (USC)
- Ai-jen Poo (National Domestic Worker’s Alliance)
- Thomas Saenz (MALDEF)
- Angelica Salas (CHIRLA)
Bringing It Home Introduction of the Los Angeles Council on Immigrant Integration and its Statement of Principles
Introduction: Virginia Mosqueda, California Community Foundation
Presented by: David Crippens (LA. Area Chamber) and Reshma Shamasunder (California Immigrant Policy Center)
Introduction: Manuel Pastor (USC)
Speaker: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa