Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Remder 11/19 Talk: Politics of Immigration Reform

From PSA:

We wanted to let you know that the second PSA professor lecture of the semester will be by Professor Robin Jacobson. The event is this Thursday, November 19th at 6:30pm in WY 101 and is entitled Interest Groups and the Politics of Immigration Reform.We are wondering if you would be willing to announce the lecture in your classes on Wednesday and Thursday. Be sure to tell the students there will be food!

Here is the description of the lecture:
Interest Groups and The Politics of Immigration Reform
PSA Professor Lecture: Professor Robin Jacobson
Thursday, Nov. 19th at 6:30pm
WY 101
Snacks will be provided!

Interest groups are at the center of the debate over immigration. Groups ranging from ethnic associations, business, religious or environmental organizations, all have something to say about this fraught political issue. In fact, they all have more than something to say, they have multiple and sometimes contradictory positions on the issues. How does the Christian Coalition decide if they want to support expanded access to citizenship for family members in defense of family values or closing the borders in defense of our national sovereignty? Does the Sierra Club support stronger border enforcement to limit population growth in the United States or do they oppose such enforcement because of the potential environmental damage to the border regions? Why does the AFL-CIO at one moment argue to restrict employment of undocumented immigrants and at another tries to organize the undocumented to protect their labor rights? We will explore these and other similar puzzles as we try to get to the bottom of how interest groups set their agendas on the politics of immigration.