College Hosting Immigration Discussion

02/14/2017 

The topic of immigration has made headlines and led newscasts for weeks, as new federal immigration limits were announced, quickly enforced then followed by a series of successful court challenges that left many people wondering what all of it actually means.

SUNY Cortland hopes to help answer that question Friday, Feb. 17, when it will welcome immigration attorneys from Miller Mayer LLP of Ithaca for a wide-ranging discussion on immigration and its future between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in the Corey Union Exhibition Lounge. The attorneys will discuss what the latest developments mean for the international community and higher education institutions.

The talk is open to the public. Students, faculty, staff and community members are encouraged to attend. A question-and-answer session with the audience will follow the presentation.

Miller Mayer LLP specializes in immigration law and its team of experts have an up-to-the-minute understanding of the legal twists and turns that have occurred over the past few weeks.

“They are just a really well-respected immigration practice around the country,” said Mary Schlarb, SUNY Cortland’s director of International Programs, one of the event co-sponsors.

President Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 27 banning those with non-immigrant or immigrant visas from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for a period of 90 days. A federal judge overturned the order on Feb. 3 and a panel of federal appellate judges rejected a reinstatement of the travel ban on Feb. 9.

SUNY educates students from more than 100 nations around the world. State University of New York chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher pledged support for undocumented students in a memorandum on Jan. 24.

Schlarb said International Programs organized this session in part to educate SUNY Cortland’s international students and visiting scholars on their immigration status.

The panelists from Miller Mayer LLP also may discuss employment visas and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which offers protection from deportation for undocumented immigrant youths, many of whom happen to be college students.

“It’s really geared for information on more broad immigration policy; and on what’s happened in the last few weeks; and also the immigration system and how it is right now and how that could change,” Schlarb said. “I really hope that we can get an audience of people from the community and from students, staff and faculty.”

The event also is sponsored by the Provost’s Office, the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies, Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, the Multicultural Life and Diversity Office, and the Clark Center for Global Engagement.

For more information, contact Schlarb.