Fortress (North) America (03/12/21 – 03/13/21)
The papers presented in this workshop will examine the fortification of North America. For several years, immigration scholars have engaged in a critical and robust discussion on “Fortress Europe,” studying the social, political, legal, technological, and military measures that have allowed the transition of Europe into a citadel against immigration, which excludes migrants through the use of a variety of legal mechanisms and agreements, physical barriers, military force, and advanced surveillance technology. Through a comparative perspective and through the lens of international law, this webinar seeks to explore the parallels with the process of fortification of the United States. Relevant U.S. policies include the Migration Protection Protocol (MPP); the Asylum Cooperative Agreements (ACA) with Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador; the Travel Bans of 2017-2018 and the COVID-19 related travel and immigration restrictions; and the growing reliance on immigration detention—even at the heavy cost of family separation—as well as on advanced technologies. The compounded effect of these measures has meant effectively blocking many avenues of documented and undocumented migration and rendering the protection granted to refugees and asylum seekers quite minimal.
The Workshop is co-sponsored by the American Society of International Law Immigration Law Interest Group.
Workshop organizers: Tally Kritzman-Amir, Daniela Caruso, Tyler Heneghan
More Info & Registration: https://www.bu.edu/law/2021/02/12/international-law-journal-workshop-fortress-north/
