The rules, status, and enforcement of the US immigration system seem to be in flux almost daily, weaving uncertainty into the fabric of our communities as well as our economy. While it may be especially chaotic now, it has been considered "broken" by many on both sides of the aisle for decades. 

Professor Dr. Melissa Siegel is a Professor of Migration Studies at United Nations University-MERIT and Maastricht University and Head of Migration Studies at UNU-MERIT in the Netherlands. She will be a visiting professor at the College of Charleston in January and has agreed to share some insights with us while she is here, giving us context on national immigration policy, the deep impacts it has on a country, and how the US system compares to others. She argues that the US immigration system doesn't work well for anyone - it lets down everyone from refugees and skilled workers applying for visas to US citizens to US employers.

Later in the spring we hope to study the impact of federal immigration policy and enforcement on South Carolinians - something we know is on the minds of our members and also our community - and this discussion will provide the context we all need to better understand state and local developments.

This talk is free and open to the public.