This all-day conference will assess the unfolding immigration crisis, highlighting the perspectives of labor unions, worker centers, community organizations, and local government. The Trump administration’s efforts to restrict immigration, expand deportations, thwart sanctuary cities, and intensify border enforcement mark dramatic shifts in immigration politics and policies. This event convenes a range of national and local experts and leaders to explore the implications of these national shifts, especially for local immigrant communities and the possibilities for resistance.

The conference will be held on Thursday, May 11th from 10am-6pm at the CUNY Murphy Institute for Labor Studies, in midtown Manhattan. It is co-sponsored by the Murphy Institute and the New York City chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network.

Program

10:00am: Introductions and coffee
10:30am-12:00pm: Background and Context

Speakers:
Muzaffar Chishti – Migration Policy Institute, Director of MPI’s office at the NYU School of Law
Mae Ngai – Columbia University, Professor of History and Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies

Moderator: Ruth Milkman, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, CUNY Graduate Center

12:00-1:00pm: Lunch (provided)
1:00-2:30pm: Labor Responses

Speakers:
Esther Lopez – United Food and Commercial Workers, International Secretary-Treasurer
Eliseo Medina – Service Employees International Union, Former International Secretary-Treasurer
Gonzalo Mercado – National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), New York City Regional Coordinator, and Executive Director at La Colmena – Staten Island Community Job Center
Javaid Tariq – New York Taxi Workers Alliance, Co-Founder and Senior Staff
Modesta Toribio – Make the Road New York, Senior Organizer

Moderator: Ed Ott, Murphy Institute/CUNY, Distinguished Lecturer of Labor Studies

2:30-3:00pm: Coffee Break
3:00-4:30pm: Community and Local Government Responses

Speakers:
Anu Joshi – NY State Immigrant Action Fund, Deputy Director
Abraham Paulos – Families for Freedom, Executive Director
Donna Schaper – Judson Memorial Church, Senior Minister
Monica Sibri – CUNY DREAMers, Founder, and New York Fellow at IGNITE National

Moderator: Els de Graauw, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Baruch College-CUNY

4: 30-6:00pm: Closing Reception (wine and cheese)

RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/immigration-politics-in-the-trump-era-labor-and-community-perspectives-tickets-33712572211

The event is free and open to the public.