An interdisciplinary Symposium on the Ethics of Immigration Enforcement will take place on March 17-18, 2022, on the Penn State University Park campus. This event aims to bring together researchers at Penn State in the humanities, law and social sciences engaged in research at the intersection of immigration and policing.
Those interested in presenting research or serving as a discussant at the symposium should submit an application by Dec. 15.
Various aspects of immigration policy in the United States and elsewhere have come under criticism in recent years. It is far more challenging, though, to formulate a coherent vision of what immigration policy should be beyond just what it should not be. Equally challenging is determining the ethical responsibilities of policymakers and law enforcement officials who must act under imperfect conditions. Moreover, histories of colonialism, racial discrimination and violence and their lasting legacies complicate what a just immigration policy would consist of today.
The Symposium on the Ethics of Immigration Enforcement will explore these and other issues. It will feature as keynote speakers Bridget Cambria, co-founder of Aldea – The People’s Justice Center and an immigration attorney, and José Jorge Mendoza, assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Washington.
Sponsors for the event are the Rock Ethics Institute, Penn State Law Center for Immigrants’ Rights, Latina/o Studies, Department of Philosophy, and Schreyer Honors College.
Penn State graduate students, postdocs and faculty are all invited to (1) submit a paper proposal to present at the conference and/or (2) apply to be a discussant for one of the panels.
Those interested in presenting should submit an abstract of 150-200 words. Applicants whose proposals are accepted will be expected to circulate their papers to their fellow panelists by March 1, 2022. Those selected as discussants will receive a small honorarium in appreciation of their service. To apply for either role, visit the following link and submit an application: https://forms.gle/9gDf2nStHYhTjkzeA.
For questions about the event, contact Rock Ethics Institute Assistant Director Ben Jones (btj7@psu.edu).