Who gets in the country? On what terms? Who gets to decide? Most immigration reform debates can be reduced to these three questions.
Though the questions are simple, finding a solution has proven to be as complex and multifaceted as the population that immigration policy affects. The answers could affect the price of tuition and admission into Georgia State for many immigrant and international students.
That is why the department of economics, the Jean Beer Blumenfeld Center for Ethics and the department of philosophy chose the topic of immigration for their latest symposium.
“Getting people to talk about how significantly this issue is in shaping social policy will help to understand what we can contribute to the conversation about ethics and public policy in immigration,” Georgia State associate philosophy professor Andrew I. Cohen said.
The Immigrant symposium held on March 11 brought together distinguished scholars of economy, ethics and philosophy to have an honest discussion with the community and students about immigrant policy and the possible implications of reform.
Senior Manonh Soumahorro is one of the many students at Georgia State who has personal ties to the immigration debate. Double majoring in spanish and political science, Soumahorro immigrated to America 11 years ago from Abidjan, a city in Africa’s Ivory Coast.
“I think when people think of immigration right now they only think about the U.S. and Mexico, but immigration is much broader than that,” Soumahorro said.
“The scope on the conversation needs to be broadened to include all countries.”
Soumahorro fled her country to escape impending civil war, and her past has given her a passion for immigration reform and the rights of refugees.
“Being an immigrant student gives me a broader perspective. I’m always thinking about the international viewpoint and it gives me some background to go from when I think about the issue.”
Similarly, senior political science major Selomie Debesai Yakob fled from her country on the eve of war. Originally from Eritrea, Yokab came to United States at age nine to escape a border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
“As an immigrant I see people that come illegally, but not just because they want to, but because of the things happening in their country. From the other side I do understand that they are breaking the law, ” Yakob said.
“I see the argument but I feel when you restrict the amount of people coming through you put a block on the diversity and contributions made by immigrants. I just think that their needs to be an open dialogue between both sides,” she continued.
According to Soumahorro, the real issue with the immigration debate lies in politics.
“The biggest problem with immigration is that partisanship clouds the conversation. If people would look at the facts instead of basing decisions off of rhetoric and the sound bites that they hear on television it would allow them a different perspective to discuss this issue, ” Soumahorro explained.
Soumahorro is currently working in government as a senate aide to majority caucus leader senator Butch Miller. She, along with Yokab, founded an immigrant assistance organization here at Georgia State.
“Me and Monah used to volunteer at a Somalian organization tutoring immigrant and refugee kids, and we started talking about providing a service for immigrants or refugees to make it easier for them to find necessities,” Soumahorro explained.
Immigrant Outreach Services was the product of those conversations. The goal of the group is to serve as a middle-man between new immigrant families and existing establishments.
“What we try to do with our organization is to get people people involved who don’t know much about immigrants and show them what it feels like, and what immigrants go through on a daily basis, ” Yokab said.
“One of my hopes for Immigrant Outreach services is to have a discussion between the student who are immigrants and students who are not immigrants to talk about the stereotypes, perceptions, misinformation and the myths about immigration,” Soumahorro added.
The state of Georgia’s immigration policies has been evolving over the past few years, and not always in a linear pattern. Including more students like Soumahorro and Yokab who have experience as both immigrants and U.S. citizens could be the key to fair and long-lasting immigration reform.
