Today one of the most fascinating—and contentious—public policy issues facing the almost forty countries in the wider Europe is the politics of immigration, integration, and multiculturalism. Did the French government violate the civil rights of Muslim women when it prohibited the wearing of the full face veil in public? Why does Switzerland ban the construction of minarets on mosques? Should countries be allowed to select applicants for immigration based on their professional skills and level of education? How do these debates differ from those in the U.S., and what can be learned from a transatlantic perspective on these issues?

Join expert practitioners for a discussion of the dynamics of the U.S. and European debates on immigration, including their effect on politics, law, economics, and most of all, the identities of these nations.

Location: Lipton Hall, 110 West Third Street (at MacDougal Street)

Moderator: Sylvia Maier, Clinical Assistant Professor, Center for Global Affairs, NYU-SCPS

Panelists:

Teresa Fiore, Associate Professor and Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies, Montclair State University

C. Mario Russell, Adjunct Professor of Law, St. John’s University School of Law; Senior Attorney, Catholic Charities, Immigration Legal Services

Jackie Vimo, Director of Advocacy, New York Immigration Coalition