NMSU Human Rights Event

Click the following link for info on a local human rights event!

http://iri.nmsu.edu/immigration-reform-and-h.html

Read on for a summary and goals of the conference (taken from the above website):

Summary
It is widely recognized that immigration policy in the United States is in need of major revision. The main reasons for mass migration are well-recognized and include the economic and employment disparities between nations, as well as political persecution and lack of channels for advancing more equitable models of development. However, recent debate in the US has tended to emphasize the security aspects of immigration control, including deterrence strategies and greater border enforcement. This conference will discuss the potential of a human rights framework for informing policy debates and promote a new understanding of the causes and consequences of migration.

Goals
The conference brings together a distinguished group of faculty researchers, community leaders, and students in order to address the following goals and questions:

•To discuss the different pieces of the reform debate, particularly legalization, law enforcement and detention policies, social integration of immigrants, and development alternatives in sending communities. What proposals are being made at the national level, and what are some possible scenarios for advancing reforms that give greater weight to the human rights of migrants? What participation do non-governmental organizations and civil society have in this debate?

•To ensure that immigrants in New Mexico and other border states are heard in national reform debates. What are community organizations doing to raise awareness of the problems facing immigrants in New Mexico? How do they collaborate with counterparts in other border states and in Mexico?

•To build an immigration-focused curriculum and research program at New Mexico State University, in collaboration with other universities in the state, the region, and the world. What current work is being done by NMSU faculty and students to help meet the needs of the immigrant population, particularly in the areas of child protection, civil liberties, education, and employment?