September 19, 2006

Immigration continues to be a hot-button issue as our country marks the 5th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Experts from across the country, including Linda Chavez, Peter Brimelow and Bill Ong Hing, gathered at Grand Valley State University to discuss and debate American immigration. The Constitution Day celebration was sponsored by Grand Valleys Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies, the Gerald R. Ford Library, Museum & Foundation, and the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan.

Immigration is one of the most unsettled and potentially unsettling challenges facing Americans today, especially with important midterm elections around the corner, said Gleaves Whitney, director of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies. There are a lot of myths surrounding immigration, but with several world-class debaters participating, we hope to throw light on this contentious issue.

Schedule of events:
8:30-9:45 a.m.: Expert panel
10-11:15 a.m.: Immigrant voices panel
11:30-12:45 p.m.: Luncheon address, Kirkhof Center, room 215
1-2:15 p.m.: The debate
7:30 p.m.: Keynote address, Gerald R. Ford Museum