Forum Looks at Latino and Israeli Immigration
September 11, 2002
Los Angeles Loyolan
Discussion: LA community leaders meet to address immigration issues.
By Anabel Marquez, Campus News Editor
THE EVENTS OF Sept. 11 quickly led to talks about stricter immigration laws. One year later, the topic of immigration remains widely discussed — especially in California with the influx of Latino immigrants. On Monday, Sept. 9 LMU hosted a conference in University Hall’s Ahmanson Auditorium, entitled “To the Promised Land: Immigrants in California and Israel.”
The day-long conference began at 9:15 a.m. with welcoming remarks from LMU’s President Fr. Robert B. Lawton, S.J. who thanked the experts for visiting the university.
The event, sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, the Loyola Marymount Center for the study of Los Angeles and the American-Jewish Committee, was aimed at initiating dialogue among the political, academic and other sectors representing Israel and Latino Communities in the U.S.
Attendees were provided an opportunity to speak closely with experts in the areas of economic, political, cultural and demographic ramifications of immigrants to Israel and Latino immigrants to the U.S. This was done during four seminars entitled “The Challenge of Diversity: Identity, Assimilation, and Acculturation,” “The Politics of Absorption: Immigration Policy and Practice,” “The Bottom Line: Patterns and Changes in Immigrant Societies” and “The Role of the State in Processing Immigrants.” Guests had an opportunity to attend two of the four seminars.
During the “Politics of Absorption” session, senior research associate for LMU’s Center for the Study of Los Angeles, David Ayon, expressed that there is a lack of encouragement for people who want to become U.S. citizens.
“Prior to the rise of the Federal Immigration Policy, becoming a citizen was like getting married, any judge could do it. Nowadays, if you’re allowed as a permanent resident to the U.S, there’s no requirement, no encouragement for you to become a citizen.”
Sam Edelman was a speaker at this same discussion. Edelman, who is a professor and program coordinator for Modern Jewish and Israeli Studies at Cal State Chico, mentioned the difficulties certain immigrants experience in leaving their motherland.
“For Israeli immigrants, there is no other place to go. And once they leave, they cannot go back. Returning for them would result in their death,” said Edelman. “For Latinos, the possibility exists to go back home any time.”
Other speakers throughout the day included Frank Del Olmo, assistant editor of Los Angeles Times, Barbara Okun, department of demography at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Fernando Guerra, director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles, among others.
Following the lunch break, conference speakers and guests reconvened at Ahmanson Hal,l where the closing discussion was based on the challenges emigration and immigration pose and an emphasis on the importance of dialogue.
“Each experience of immigration both in Israel and California teaches the other about different options and thinking about these different options leads to good public policy and ultimately to improving the quality of life of immigrants in California and of all California,” said Guerra.