Thread: 'Issues of the Future' takes on immigration

'Issues of the Future' takes on immigration
By: Ashley Pandya
Posted: 4/3/07
The Tufts Democrats, the Students at Tufts Acting for Immigrant Rights (STAIR) Coalition and the Tisch College joined together to host the annual Issues of the Future Symposium on Saturday.

This year's topic, "The Impact of Immigration," was selected to "raise awareness about the immigration debate," according to senior and Tufts Democrats President Kayt Norris.

The keynote address was delivered by Simon Rosenberg (LA '85), the president and founder of the New Democrat Network (NDN), an organization that seeks to bring politics up to speed with the modern era. Rosenberg will join the Tisch College Board this month.

Concern about immigration is "one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century," Rosenberg said.

But a "durable and sustainable" approach is necessary, he argued, since migration is unlikely to let up. "As the pain of immigration is lessened due to the ease of travel and transition, migration will increase globally," he said.

In this climate, the United States' current stance leaves a lot to be desired, he said. "No one is happy with our current stance on immigration," Rosenberg said.

Passing progressive legislation, he said, is a necessary step in reforming current policies.

He said that an example of such legislation is the Kennedy-McCain immigration bill that made it through the U.S. Senate last year. He called it "an oasis of sanity."

The bill sought to increase border security while at the same time addressing the legal status of undocumented immigrants. In doing so, it aimed to appease both Democrats and Republicans. The bill never passed in the House of Representatives, however, because it was met with substantial opposition.

Though bipartisan solutions may be in order, Rosenberg said Democrats have a lot to offer immigrants. "Throughout the 20th century, the Democratic Party left America much better off [than] when we found it, and we can do the same in the 21st century," he said. "The reason I know we can do it is that we already have."

Support for immigrants could also help Democrats in the 2008 presidential election, he said.

Especially important for candidates will be attracting the support of Hispanic voters, who have been a strong source of support for current President George W. Bush.

Rosenberg argued that the Democrats are prevailing in the battle for Hispanic votes. "The Republican Party is handing us immigrant support," he said, adding that "the Democratic Party looks like 21st century America."

According to Rosenberg, the 21st century features a new set of politics in which the media is increasingly important.

He said that the Democratic Party's "mastery of new media" affords them an edge in the 2008 election and beyond.

As examples of this dedication to media outlets, he cited Barack Obama's and Hillary Clinton's online announcements about their presidential ambitions, referring to the Internet as a "media earthquake."

After the keynote address, there were panels on "Immigration and National Politics," and "The Local and Economic Impact of Immigration."

The goal throughout both of them was to foster discussion on a controversial discussion, according to senior Unaza Khan, a STAIR member who played a key role in organizing the event.

"The topic of immigration is often so polarizing that people can't talk about it," she said.

Khan, who immigrated to the United States from Pakistan eight years ago, said that she understands both sides of the debate, "having lived both outside of the United States and in it."

In her experience, empathy is a necessary component of discussions about immigration.

"I've been through the process - going to the embassy, applying for a visa," she said. "All you need is a little bit of empathy to put yourself in [immigrants'] shoes."
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© Copyright 2007 Tufts Daily

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socialist communists abound in academia.

Let's brainwash the kiddies by stifling debate!
One sided crap is all they have to offer.