SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
On Thursday, September 17, 2020, in observance of Constitution Day, the College of Family, Home, and Social hosted its annual Constitution Day Lecture. This year’s lecture, “President Trump’s Immigration Policies: Are They Constitutional?” was presented by Dr. Anna O. Law. Law is the Herbert Kurz Chair in Constitutional Rights in the Department of Political Science at CUNY Brooklyn College. She is actively involved with research and publication on current political issues, most notably concerning gender and asylum for immigrants. She is the author of The Immigration Battle in American Courts and is currently working on a new book about slavery and immigration federalism. Law’s field of academic expertise lies at the intersect of public law and US immigration policy and history.
Law’s lecture began with an examination of how the Trump administration’s approach to immigration policy has differed from those of past administrations. She stated that the issue is an overwhelming “volume of lies” and an associated disregard for “the rule of law.” According to Law, this rule of law consists of the following:
- A universal application of justice
- Fair and consistent rules
- Robust legal processes where protections of rights are enforced
- A competent population of lawyers and judges
Law went on to examine both the constitutionality and the efficacy of Trump’s many policies concerning immigration, including the border wall and significant changes to the asylum application process. She also discussed how the administration is currently using the COVID-19 pandemic to justify even more restrictions on those seeking to enter the US through the southern border. Law pointed out flaws inboth the Trump and Obama administrations’ treatment of undocumented workers and proposes a more humane approach to immigration management. For her, a reformed immigration policy focuses on the following:
- Pressuring employers of undocumented migrants
- Securing employment verification
- Increasing foreign aid
- Dismantling the Department of Homeland Security
- Implementing stricter gun reform laws
The College of Family, Home, and Social Science is grateful to Dr. Law for taking the time to speak and share her academic and professional insights on this complex and controversial issue. For those that were unable to attend the lecture, a recording is posted and available for viewing below:
