Sociology

What are "illegals"? This newly coined term forms together both words: illegal immigrant and illegal alien; the word "illegals" is formed in a negative manner referring to immigrants. Angelo Paparelli, Partner of Seyfarth Shaw LLP, discusses the behavior of people reacting to the undocumented and the wrongdoings of people. Paparelli aims to explain and make sense of the backlash against the undocumented.

How much can a city's immigration laws actually effect a state? To what extent do states preempt local immigration initiatives? Angela Garcia, a graduate student of University of California, San Diego studies state and city regulation of immigration and asks "what the range of possibilities?" Garcia's research allows the study of state preemption of local immigration initiatives as cities become a catalyst for change in the state. States become influenced by cities' local immigration initiatives and ultimately get projected on a higher level. Garcia develops a typography that brings together demonstration effects, steam valve effects, the opposing preemption, and the state leadership/exclusivity when there is no action at the local level.

Fear is a barrier that creates a lack of relationships. Miguel Hernandez, Community Organizer at the Orange County Congregation, explains that the lack of relationships and the lack of access to power because of it causes problems in our society. In this lecture, Hernandez discusses his objective and his job in creating these relationships and bridging these gaps between immigrants who live in fear and higher powers.

Unaccompanied minors are individuals who have come to the United States with no legal guardian in the United States or no legal guardian to provide care and custody for that child. Many come here alone from other countries all over the world for many reasons such as to join family members, to escape abuse, exploitation in their home country, and even to seek employment and educational opportunities. In this lecture, Lisa Ramirez, an attorney for the Immigration Policy Center focuses on first, unaccompanied minors, adults in detention, then the "justice" system.

"To abate the nuisance of illegal immigration and to liberate U.S. citizens and lawful immigrants from the debilitating economic and social effects of illegal immigrants"; these are the terms of the Hazleton Pennsylvania Immigration Law. Similarly, Hazleton has paved the way for other cities and states to take action and enact similar laws. In this lecture, Marisa Cianciarulo, professor at Chapman University and past immigration lawyer, discusses "The 'Arizonification' of Immigration Law" which emphasizes illegal immigration reform ordinances, the Arizona SB1070, and the 2007 Legal Arizona Workers Act. Cianciarulo lectures on the causes of these types of legislation which include a combination of perceived negative consequences of illegal immigration and the perceived failure of the federal government to enforce federal immigration law.

Can immigration law and enforcement be viewed through a civil rights lens? Kevin Johnson, Dean of Law at University of California, Davis, thinks so. When we think about immigration enforcement and state laws, we should think about civil rights issues and its impacts on communities. These complex issues regarding immigration laws continue to increase and more problems begin to arise. In this lecture, Johnson discusses the immigration law impact on racial minorities and how it effects society today.

Is immigration always a choice? Some may not know, but many people are actually forced to leave their countries because of harsh situations that occur. Assistant Justice Coordinator and Master's student at Chapman University Karina Macias discusses the role of foreign policy as an overlooked aspect of immigration in this lecture as well as the disconnect between the implementation and the management of unattended consequences that this causes. Macias focuses on globalization and migration to take a deeper look foreign policy and how it effects immigration. globalization, migration, do people have a choice? most are forced to come forieng policy- trade, institutions, world trade org, world bank, all have great influence

How does media really portray immigration? In this lecture, Jennifer Merolla and Chris Haynes discuss the changes in media frames on immigration since 2000. Together, they focus on primarily looking at the role of leads framing immigrants and immigration policies and also the effect of those different frames have public opinion toward both immigrants and immigration policy. In their book project, Merolla and Haynes takes a broader look at the different frames in media, the extent media discusses immigration, the Dream Act, and the way media describes undocumented immigrants.

"It's a no-win situation for immigrants", journalist Jose Luisa Sierra says. According to the National Human Rights Commission, nearly 10,000 migrants were kidnapped in Mexico during a six-month period in 2009. Immigrants must go through great dangers in Mexico in order to reach their 'freedom' but even when they make it to the states, they still struggle. In this lecture, Sierra discusses violence that occurs on the border and the dangers that immigrants have endured to reach new opportunities. However, crossing the border still brings forth danger as many of these immigrants are subject to a life of deprivation.

Is there actual truth in the criminality of immigrants? Just last year, over 400,000 immigrants have been deported/detained and this number constantly increases. This pertains to the criminality of immigrants, this enduring myth that is prevalent in our society today. This stereotype has been proven so categorically false over decades of research as a notion that immigrants are disproportionally likely to participate in criminal activity. In this lecture, Jesse Diaz a Professor of Sociology, University of California, Riverside, breaks this notion of immigrant criminality and stereotype through his research. Diaz examines this culture of fear, a "political piñata", that is so relevant in today's society and looks at different eras that coincide with immigration to better understand our societal ways regarding immigration.