Immigration and asylum are becoming two of the largest - and most controversial - issues worldwide. Political upheaval, displacement crises, changes in border security, and increases in nationalistic viewpoints have limited mobility for those escaping conflict, persecution, and seeking a better life.
In the U.S., the Trump administration's commitment to ending two programs, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) and Temporary Protection Status (TPS), has created uncertainty for thousands of immigrants as well as organizations who work primarily in developing countries marred by humanitarian crises, natural disasters, and economic stagnation. In addition, the zero-tolerance policy for those entering the U.S. illegally, the threats of deportation, and the debate over chain migration has divided individuals on the hill and in neighborhoods across the country as we collectively grapple with who is able to call themselves "American."
Join us, the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, Global Cleveland, International Partners in Mission, and the Northeast Ohio Consortium for Middle Eastern Studies (NOCMES) for a conversation on the evolving state of immigration, why women and children from El Salvador and Nicaragua flee to the U.S., and how the proposed changes to immigration legislation affects those seeking a new home, especially women and children from Central America.