News > September 20, 2007

By Wasif Huda | Contributing writer

The university will be hosting a three-day conference Oct. 3-5 on one of the most controversial issues confronting America today – immigration. As part of the “Voices of Our Time” series, this summit, called “Immigration: Recasting the Debate,” aims to create debates and dialogues about an issue that plays a vital role for the upcoming presidential campaign.

Martinez

Both the opening ceremony, to be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 3, and the closing ceremony, to be held at 4 p.m. Oct. 5, will take place in Wait Chapel, while the various sessions tackling specific aspects of immigration will take place in Brendle Recital Hall.

The keynote speakers will be Ray Marshall, U.S. Secretary of Labor during the Carter Administration and Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida.

Marshall has held positions in the New Commission on the Skills of the American Economy, the Industrial Relations Research Association and the American Economic Association and Council on Foreign Relations, among others.

He has also contributed to over 30 books and monographs, and approximately 200 articles and chapters, including “Getting Immigration Reform Right,” recently published in Challenge.

Martinez is a Cuban-American and the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George W. Bush. Martinez came to the United States at age 15, earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Florida State University and then practiced law for 25 years.

In the Senate, Martinez sits on the Armed Services committee, the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs committee and the Energy and Natural Resources committee.

According to Peter Siavelis, associate professor of political science and co-organizer of the event, the goal of the conference is to bring to the surface challenges and obstacles, while explaining necessary solutions encompassing U.S. immigration.

Siavelis and the other co-organizer David Coates, Worrell professor of political science, said that they generated the idea for the conference after having an informal discussion about the ugly tone of the debate on immigration in the United States.

“Our goal for this conference is to recast the debate toward realistic solutions that balance U.S. national interests with the fundamental rights charged by all human beings by virtue of their humanity,” he said in the Wake Forest Magazine about the “Voices of Our Time” series.

The main focus is on the Latino populace because the largest portion of incoming immigrants is from Mexico, Siavelis said.

“We hope the conference will begin to build bridges with the emerging Latino communities in North Carolina,” Coates said.

In the same interview, Siavelis said that he hopes students will learn from the debate.

“Students increasingly tell us that they want to hear intellectual debates,” he said.

“As voters, students will want to make informed decisions among the candidates, and this conference, we hope, will help shape the way they think about immigration as a national issue.”

The conference will feature “Crossing Arizona,” which is an award-winning documentary about illegal immigration and border security on the US/Mexico border, followed by a question-and-answer session with Director Dan DeVivo.

Policy makers on the national level, such as Sen. Chuck Hagel, will be debating solutions to the immigration issue while exploring the effects of immigration with local activists, Siavelis said.

Sessions Oct. 4 will feature discussions on migration and its consequences, addressing topics that look into the history of migration in the United States.

The sessions will range from the broader scope, the experience of migrating north, and narrow down to more local issues such as immigration in North Carolina. Sessions Oct. 5 will center on the politics of immigration, presenting the points of view of both Republicans and Democrats on the issue.

Furthermore, the discussion will carry out debates about the policy choices that should be in play and the effects of the current ones in place.

There will also be interactive workshops with panelists and university faculty on contemporary immigration issues, where any question will be answered.

“This event will help to consolidate Wake Forest’s role as a national center for intellectual debate on the most pressing issues facing the country,” Siavelis told the magazine.

Lunch and a book signing will be available from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. Oct. 4-5.

Panelists will be available for signing books at the lobby of Brendle Recital Hall, where books will be available for purchase.