For the first time, the UF Center for Latin American Studies hosted the fifth Conference on Immigration in the U.S. South on Thursday.
The three-day “immigration reform and beyond” conference is hosting panels focusing on immigration, including immigrant detention, immigrant health care and education issues, and legal and policy issues.
Philip Williams, conference co-chairman and director of the Center for Latin American Studies, kicked off the day’s program in Emerson Alumni Hall.
At the event, he said UF students should gain a deeper understanding of immigration because there are multiple dimensions to it.
“Many UF students come from immigrant families and are immigrants themselves, so this issue hits home,” Williams said.
He said there are several myths and stereotypes about immigration, and he hopes the conference will spark conversation.
Thomas Wenski, keynote speaker and Archbishop of Miami, also spoke during the conference.
One panel out of the six held Thursday, titled “Immigration and Public Opinion,” discussed how less-educated Americans and those who have a pessimistic view about the state of the economy are most threatened by immigrants.
Carla Frais, a 20-year-old UF international studies junior, attended the first day of the conference. She said in order for immigration reform to occur, the information made public about immigration must change.
“The world is changing; People have to adapt,” Frais said. “I wish people would be more informed. Young people aren’t really into politics, so there’s a disconnect between them and the issues.”
For participants who registered before the Oct. 17 deadline, the conference continues through Saturday.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 10/24/2014]
