LANCASTER, Pa. - "Immigration Reform in America: Which Side of the Fence are you On?" will be the topic of a panel discussion on Wednesday, March 28 at 7 p.m. in Franklin & Marshall's Stahr Auditorium, Stager Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
The panel will feature Steven A. Camarota, Director of Research at the Center for Immigration Studies, Professor Michele Pistone, Director Clinical Program & CARES Clinic, Villanova University School of Law, and Jack Martin, Special Projects Director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform. The panel will be moderated by G. Terry Madonna, Director of Franklin & Marshall's Center for Politics and Public Affairs and the Keystone Poll. Camarota is director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, an independent, non-partisan, non-profit Washington D.C.-based research organization that identifies itself as "the nation's only think tank devoted exclusively to research and policy analysis of the economic, social, demographic, fiscal, and other impacts of immigration on the United States." Camarota has testified before Congress and his articles on the impact of immigration have appeared in both academic publications and the popular press including Social Science Quarterly, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The National Review, and Campaigns and Elections. His most recent works published by CIS are: "The Slowing Progress of Immigrants: An Examination of Income, Home Ownership, and Citizenship, 1970-2000;" "Without Coverage: Immigration's Impact on the Size and Growth of the Population Lacking Health Insurance;" "Reconsidering Immigrant Entrepreneurship: An Examination of Self-Employment Among Natives and the Foreign-born," and "Importing Poverty: Immigration's Impact on the Size and Growth of the Poor Population in the United States." He holds a master's degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in public policy analysis from the University of Virginia. Pistone came to Villanova from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a teaching fellow and received an LL.M. in Advocacy. Professor Pistone received her J.D. cum laude from St. John's University School of Law, where she was a member of the St. John's Law Review. Following law school, Pistone joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher in New York City as an associate, first in their general corporate and securities practice, and later as a telecommunications associate in the firm's Washington, D.C., office. While at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, Pistone served as a volunteer lawyer representing indigent clients seeking asylum in the United States. She also served for approximately a year as Acting Legal Director of the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, where she emerged as a leading advocate for justice in the immigration law system. Pistone's latest article, The New Asylum Rule: Improved But Still Unfair, was published in the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal. Her article, Justice Delayed is Justice Denied: A Proposal for Ending the Unnecessary Detention of Asylum Seekers, was published in the Harvard Human Rights Journal. In addition to serving as Director of Clinical Programs at Villanova, Pistone teaches and directs the Clinic for Asylum, Refugee, and Emigrant Services (CARES).In addition to serving as Director of Clinical Programs at Villanova, Professor Pistone teaches and directs the Clinic for Asylum, Refugee, and Emigrant Services (CARES). Martin, who joined FAIR in 1995, is a retired U.S. diplomat with consular experience. He has testified before the U.S. Congress, U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform and has authored studies of immigration issues. His national and international print, TV, and talk radio experience is extensive (including in Spanish). The Federation for American Immigration Reform is a national, nonprofit, public-interest, membership organization of concerned citizens who share a common belief that our nation's immigration policies must be reformed to serve the national interest. FAIR seeks to improve border security, to stop illegal immigration, and to promote immigration levels consistent with the national interest—more traditional rates of about 300,000 a year. With more than 250,000 members and supporters nationwide, FAIR is a non-partisan group whose membership runs the gamut from liberal to conservative. Its grassroots networks help concerned citizens use their voices to speak up for effective, sensible immigration policies that work for America’s best interests. -30- |
