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Conference

Fifty Years after Reform: The Successes, Failures, and Lessons from the Immigration Act of 1965

Date and Time
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Location
Hayek Auditorium
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Featuring
Featuring Bill Richardson, co‐​chair of the ACAlliance; formerly Governor of New Mexico, Secretary of Energy, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; Jim Gilmore, 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate, and former Governor of Virginia; Ruben Navarrette, Jr., syndicated columnist and a member of the USA Today Board of Contributors; Rep. Ruben Gallego (D‑AZ); Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform; Matthew Kolken, Managing Partner of the immigration law firm of Kolken & Kolken, and the author of the Deportation and Removal Blog; Maria Gabriela Pacheco, Immigrant Rights Advocate and Program Director of The​Dream​.US; Richard Boswell, Associate Dean for Global Programs, University of California Hastings College of Law; Erika Lee, Director of the Immigration History Research Center, and the Rudolph J. Vecoli Chair in Immigration History at the University of Minnesota; Mark Hugo Lopez, Director of Hispanic Research, Pew Research Center; Philip E. Wolgin, Associate Director, Immigration, Center for American Progress; and Alex Nowrasteh, Immigration Policy Analyst, Cato Institute Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity.

On October 3rd, 1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Immigration Act of 1965 into law. Widely viewed as a component of the Civil Rights Movement, the 1965 Act liberalized immigration and replaced the last eugenics‐​inspired portions of the Immigration Act of 1924. For the first time in generations, immigrants from Western Europe were not given legal preference over those from Asia and the rest of the developing world.

This special conference, commemorating the passage of this landmark law 50 years ago, will bring together leading researchers, journalists, and policymakers to examine the effects of the law’s legal reforms and how they can help guide Americans in reforming our immigration system today. Major topics that will be covered include:

  • How the Immigration Act of 1965 affected the demographics and economy of the United States
  • Lessons learned from the 1965 Act since its implementation
  • How these lessons inform discussions of immigration reform in the 21st century

Please join our distinguished speakers on Friday, October 2, to discuss these and related issues.

8:30 — 9:00 a.m. REGISTRATION

9:00 — 9:05 a.m. WELCOMING REMARKS

Alex Nowrasteh, Immigration Policy Analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute

9:05 — 9:30 a.m. INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS




Rep. Ruben Gallego (D‑AZ)

9:30 — 10:30 a.m. PANEL 1: THE IMMIGRATION ACT OF 1965, CAUSES AND EFFECTS




Introduction: Alex Nowrasteh, Immigration Policy Analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute

Richard Boswell, Associate Dean for Global Programs, University of California Hastings College of Law
Mark Hugo Lopez, Director of Hispanic Research, Pew Research Center
Erika Lee, Director of the Immigration History Research Center, and the Rudolph J. Vecoli Chair in Immigration History at the University of Minnesota
Moderator: Philip E. Wolgin, Associate Director, Immigration, Center for American Progress

10:30 — 11:00 a.m. MORNING ADDRESS




Introduction: Alex Nowrasteh, Immigration Policy Analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute

Jim Gilmore, 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate, and former Governor of Virginia

11:00 — 11:15 a.m. BREAK

11:15 a.m. — 12:15 p.m. PANEL 2: THE CURRENT STATE OF THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE




Introduction: Alex Nowrasteh, Immigration Policy Analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute

Matthew Kolken, Managing Partner of the immigration law firm of Kolken & Kolken, and the author of the Deportation and Removal Blog
Maria Gabriela Pacheco, Immigrant Rights Advocate and Program Director of The​Dream​.US
Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform
Moderator: Ruben Navarrette, syndicated columnist and a member of the USA Today Board of Contributors

12:15 — 12:30 p.m. BREAK

12:30 — 1:10 p.m. KEYNOTE SPEECH




Introduction: Alex Nowrasteh, Immigration Policy Analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute

Governor Bill Richardson, Co‐​chair of the ACAlliance; formerly Governor of New Mexico, Secretary of Energy, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

1:10 — 1:15 p.m. CLOSING REMARKS

Alex Nowrasteh, Immigration Policy Analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute

1:15 — 2:00 p.m. LUNCH