Panel of specialists to discuss immigration reform, this month

Alessandra Vasquez/ Contributing Writer

news@fiusm.com

Last year in December, the United States and Cuba ended more than a half-century of aversion and announced that they would reestablish diplomatic relations and begin dismantling the last pillar of the Cold War.

The move, following 18 months of secret negotiations, fulfilled one of President Obama’s key second-term goals.

Following the Dec. 17 announcement that called for the revision of the relations between the two countries, the Center for Humanities in an Urban Environment and the Cuban Research Institute set up a discussion panel to explore the relations between Cuba and the United States and the immigration reform.

“These 50 years have shown that isolation has not worked,” Obama said in a televised address, according to the Washington Post. “It’s time for a new approach.”

The president also said that he was “under no illusion about the continued barriers to freedom that remain for ordinary Cubans,” and that he was convinced that “through a policy of engagement, we can more effectively stand up for our values and help the Cuban people help themselves.”

For many states, this sparked the discussion on immigration reform.

Now the university is bringing a panel to further discuss the different perspectives of these relations.

The panel will host four speakers, including Archbishop Thomas Wenski from the Archdiocese of Miami; Helen Aguirre Ferré, an award-winning journalist covering topics in the Hispanic community; Gepsie Metellus, executive director at Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center; and Dahlia Walker-Huntington, an immigration lawyer.

Wenski will be discussing moral issues in the immigration legislation, while Metellus and Walker-Huntington will be discussing the varied immigrant groups affected by the possible reform and the roles of lawyers as they interpret and implement immigration law.

Among the speakers considered for the event was Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who co-teaches a political science course at the University, along with Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director for Political Science Dario Moreno.

A topic that has been discussed heavily, immigration reform is not only a timely topic, but also a very important topic to the South Florida community and to the University.

On Wednesday, Feb. 25, Obama was on campus to hold a town hall meeting, in which the discussion revolved around immigration reform in the United States.

According to the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., the state of Florida is the fifth state with the largest population of eligible immigrants — with over 253,000 candidates who can apply for relief from deportation through the Deferred Action program, an initiative by the government that seeks to temporarily provide relief to immigrant children and parents under unlawful status.

This initiative not only helps integrate the large immigrant population, but also keeps families together, which too often consist of undocumented parents and documented children.

The University and Miami Dade College were among the first institutions in Florida to allow DREAMers — students under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — to attend and enroll at the in-state tuition rate, giving many young hopefuls the opportunity to pursue a degree when out-of-state tuition would have served as a deterrent from pursuing opportunities in higher education.

For Yusein Gonzalez, junior modern languages major, this is what helped him continue his education.

“I’m an immigrant here,” he said. “Without that in-state tuition, I wouldn’t be able to study because there’s no way I can afford out-of-state. I’m glad that FIU incorporated this to its curriculum because it can impact many, many other people like me… that’s why I love Florida. Because I feel at home here and there are many other immigrants.”

States like California and Texas have an immigrant population that comes primarily from Mexico, whereas Miami and the state of Florida house an immigrant population that includes groups who migrate from various countries across the Caribbean and all of South and Central America.

Jorge Duany, director of the Cuban Research Institute and professor of anthropology in the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies, said that this reform can have a huge impact in the community of Miami.

Duany also stressed the importance of informing the public about a topic that can affect the dynamic and diverse immigrant community in this region.

“This is an important topic to be addressed now, even if there are few expectations that the topic will be addressed in Congress anytime soon,” he said.

The panel will take place on Wednesday, March 18 at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus. It will be held in the Green Library Room 220 at 2 p.m.

It is free and open to the public.

Additional reporting was done by Nicole Montero.

1 Comment on "Panel of specialists to discuss immigration reform, this month"

  1. DENISE STEVENS | March 6, 2015 at 3:49 AM | Reply

    THE LAWS THAT ALLOW BIRTH RIGHTS FOR CHILDREN OF ILLEGAL ALIENS SHOULD BE ABOLISHED. NO ONE SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO ANY BENEFITS IN THE UNITED STATES IF THEY ARE NOT AMERICAN CITIZENS AND PROCESSED THE LEGAL WAY. WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES FOR OUR OWN COUNTRYMEN AND WHY IN HELL SHOULD ANYTHING BE GIVEN TO PEOPLE WHO BREAK THE LAW. LAW BREAKERS SHOULD BE DEPORTED OR SENT TO PRISON. IF THE ILLEGALS WANT CITIZENSHIP THEY SHOULD FIRST LEARN ENGLISH AND GET PROCESSED THROUGH THE QUOTA SYSTEM. THE COST TO PROCESS THE ILLEGAL ALIENS IS TREMENDOUS, EITHER IF THEY ARE BEING SENT BACK TO MEXICO OR BECOMING CITIZENS. WHO IS GOING TO PAY THE COST???

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