Immigration Panel To Be Held At Tilles

By Caroline Ryan
Editor-in-Chief

Long Island University has joined in a letter sent to leaders of Congress by hundreds of colleges urging Congress to continue supporting Dreamers, children who were brought into the country by immigrants.

University President Kimberly Cline informed students and faculty about the letter in an email on Oct. 20. “It is in that spirit that Long Island University joins nearly 800 colleges and universities from throughout the nation to urge Congress to take bipartisan legislative action to support Dreamers, young men and women who have known no home but the United States of America,” Cline wrote in the email. “Colleges and universities have seen these remarkable people up close, in our classrooms and as our colleagues and friends. Despite the challenges they face, they have made incredible contributions to our country and its economy and security. They should continue to be able to do so. We are proud that students from around the nation and throughout the world have chosen to pursue their education at LIU.”

The Pioneer has already reported this semester on the impact that the phaseout of DACA has had on college students. In “DACA Phaseout affects Local College Students,” by Jacqueline Escobar, on Sept. 26, the Pioneer reported about local students who are among the 800,000 college students who were protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program. President Trump has phased out the program and given Congress a directive to take action.

Amid this ongoing immigration debate, the Steven S. Hornstein Center for policy, polling and analysis, which conducts independent polling, empirical research, and analysis on a wide range of public issues, has planned a panel on immigration policy in America.

The panel, which will be held on Oct. 30 from noon until 2:30 p.m., will feature Duarte Geraldino, a special economics correspondent for PBS NewsHour and TED Resident at the TED Talks media organization; Karina Moreno Saldivar, assistant professor in the school of business, public administration and information sciences at LIU Brooklyn; and Duleep Deosthale, the new dean of LIU Global.

Saldivar will be speak about President Trump’s plan to build a wall along the U.S. – Mexico border. Saldivar will also speak about a combination of new policies on border security, terrorism, crime and voting.

The panel, which will be moderated by Jon Schneider, LIU’s director of public relations, will also address the Trump administration’s proposed travel ban, and the repeal of DACA. The discussion will cover current immigration policy and where it will be going, including its impact on higher education. After the discussion, the panelists will take questions from the audience.

“I think public policy and public conversations about these issues are crucial to informing the public. Any students who go, I think will learn a lot about these issues and maybe get more interested in it. It’s a major topic in the United States right now and I think it will only benefit them to learn about it,” Andrew Batcheller, assistant director for policy and communications at the Steven S. Hornstein Center, said.

According to the LIU website, “The Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling, and Analysis conducts independent polling, empirical research, and analysis on a wide range of public issues. Our studies inform the public and policymakers about critical issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.”

The immigration panel, which will be held in the Tilles Center Patrons Lounge, is free and open to all faculty and students. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Batcheller at 516-299-3802 or Andrew.Batcheller@liu.edu