Comprehensive immigration reform has been a hot button issue for decades in this country. Immigration policy forces politicians and citizens alike to weigh economic and security concerns against humanitarian interests.
The current administration has approached this issue with an emphasis on “security first” regarding immigration policy, looking to slash immigration to the United States. Measures including the “travel ban,” the proposed border-wall with Mexico, and pledges to deport millions of undocumented immigrants all raise questions on how to balance keeping America safe from terrorism while still being a “nation of immigrants.”
Please join us for our next Jonathan Samen Hot Buttons, Cool Conversation event as we examine the Immigration Debate: Balancing Security and Compassion. This event is co-sponsored by Vilna Shul, Boston's Center for Jewish Culture.
- Matthew Segal, Panelist | Matthew Segal has been legal director of the ACLU of Massachusetts since 2012. Leading a team of civil rights lawyers, he has litigated cases that halted the Muslim ban, overturned 21,587 wrongful convictions and protected cell phone location data. Previously, as an assistant federal defender, Matt led to hundreds of exonerations and re-sentencings.
- Rodrigo Saavedra, Panelist | Rodrigo Saavedra is the Memory Program Director at the Ayni Institute, which focuses on creating a more reciprocal world through the development of training and research for social movements and preserving the wisdom and traditions of indigenous communities from around the world. A DACA recipient and community organizer, Rodrigo has appeared in major nationwide news outlets.
- Jessica Vaughn, Panelist | Jessica Vaughan serves as Director of Policy Studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, DC-based immigration research institute. As an expert on immigration policy and operations, she educates policymakers and agencies on immigration topics. She has been widely published in the media, and has testified before Congress several times.
- Julia Preston, Moderator | Julia Preston is a Contributing Writer at The Marshall Project, a non-profit journalism organization focusing on criminal justice and immigration. She previously worked at The New York Times as the national correspondent covering immigration. Ms. Preston was a member of The New York Times staff that won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for reporting on international affairs, for a series that revealed the corrosive effects of drug corruption in Mexico.
About Hot Buttons
Hot Buttons, Cool Conversations, JCC Greater Boston’s acclaimed discussion series, brings together distinguished scholars, artists and activists to engage in unique exchanges around controversial and difficult subjects. Renowned panelists are led by expert moderators through respectful and thought-provoking discussions on issues of concern to the Jewish community and beyond.
The 2019 Season: Moral Responsibility
This season puts moral responsibility under the microscope, exploring the pivotal role our conscience plays in shaping the community. We look at how our moral compass guides our worldview and our acceptance of others, as well as how it dictates our laws. By examining our moral responsibility across a diverse set of issues, we’ll seek answers to critical questions that define us – not just as a community, but as people in a constantly and rapidly changing world.
