For information about the Ethics of Immigration Enforcement Symposium program schedule, please visit the detailed event listing.

Call for Papers

Deadline to Apply: December 15, 2021 

Many aspects of immigration law and its enforcement, in the United States and elsewhere, fall short of what justice demands. Some aspects of immigration enforcement—like family separation—are especially egregious and the easiest to criticize. But it is far more challenging to formulate a coherent vision of what immigration policy should be beyond just what it should not be. Equally challenging is determining the ethical responsibilities of policymakers and law enforcement officials who must act under nonideal conditions. Moreover, histories of colonialism, racial discrimination, and violence and their lasting legacies complicate the requirements of justice for present-day immigration policy.

The Symposium on the Ethics of Immigration Enforcement—which will take place March 17 and 18, 2022, at the Penn State University Park campus—will explore these and other issues. This interdisciplinary event aims to bring together researchers at Penn State in the humanities, law, and social sciences engaged in research at the intersection of immigration and policing. The event will feature as keynote speakers Bridget Cambria, co-founder of Aldea—The People’s Justice Center and an immigration attorney, and José Jorge Mendoza, assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Washington. See below for the full schedule. Sponsors for the event are the Rock Ethics Institute, Penn State Law Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, Latina/o Studies, Department of Philosophy, and Schreyer Honors College.

Penn State graduate students, postdocs, and faculty are all invited to (1) submit a paper proposal to present at the conference and/or (2) apply to be a discussant for one of the panels. Those interested in presenting should submit an abstract of 150–200 words. If your proposal is accepted, you will be expected to circulate your paper to your fellow panelists by March 1, 2022. Those selected as discussants will receive a small honorarium in appreciation of their service. To apply for either role, please visit the following link and submit an application by December 15, 2021: https://forms.gle/9gDf2nStHYhTjkzeA.