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The balance of (migration) power in North America: Critical reflections on the eve of the 2020 US presidential election

Date
October 29, 2020
Time
12:00 PM EDT - 1:00 PM EDT
Location
Online via Zoom
An image of US border

The past four years have seen momentous change in American immigration, asylum and border policies. Restricted intake of skilled immigrants, international students and resettled refugees; expansion of the US / Mexico border wall; increased inland immigration enforcement; troubling detention policies; new asylum procedures; and increased pressure on Mexico and Central American states to contain migrants are examples of the growing power imbalances in North American migration systems. Many policy changes have deeply affected the lives and futures of hundreds of thousands of people with precarious immigration status living in the US and beyond its borders, and have resulted in significant increases in asylum rates in Canada, Mexico and Central America.

On October 29, our panel took stock of the last four years of the impacts of US immigration policy on the eve of the 2020 US presidential election, and critically reflected on the potential for continuity or change in the region. In particular, the panel asked:

  • How have the last four years of US immigration policy affected the relationships between Canada, the US and Mexico?
  • What are the special pressures and implications facing Mexico as a migration hub (an emigration, immigration and transit country)?
  • What are the implications of continuity or change on US (Southern) border, asylum, and inland immigration enforcement policies, and on the Canada / US Safe Third Country Agreement?
  • What are the implications for global migration governance more broadly, particularly in terms of asylum and refugee policies, and attracting other groups like international students and highly-skilled workers?

Speakers

  • Chair Anna Triandafyllidou, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration, Ryerson University
  • Claudia Masferrer, Associate Professor, Centre for Demographic, Urban, and Environmental Studies, El Colegio de México
  • Sarah Pierce, Policy Analyst, US Immigration Policy Program, Migration Policy Institute
  • Craig Damian Smith, Senior Research Associate, CERC Migration, Ryerson University

Panelists discuss the current state of immigration after the past four years of US immigration policy. Speakers include chair Anna Triandafyllidou, CERC Migration and panelists Claudai Masferrer, el Colegio De México, Sarah Pierce, Migration Policy Institute and Craig Damian Smith, CERC Migration.