The Future of Immigration: Colorado and the Nation

On Friday, we officially announced our topic for next year: immigration. Without a doubt, immigration is one of the most difficult and challenging issues facing Colorado and the nation. Partly so because debate on the subject tends to spark passion without necessarily bringing to light the facts and reality surrounding this complex issue.

Watch the video of our announcement here

It is the goal of our program to find a pathway through this complicated issue. As an institution of higher learning, the University of Denver has a responsibility and an obligation, as Chancellor Coombe said, to address these types of key issues facing Colorado.

Our process includes assembling a non-partisan panel of accomplished and respected Colorado citizens who will discuss the issue based on the information they receive as a member of our panel. The result will be based on the consensus of this varied group, and our hope is that their findings and recommendations will provide a framework with which policy makers can address immigration.

Our program will bring in speakers who will present to the panel in meetings that will run from January to May. Our speakers include current and past state officials (Governor Ritter, Mayor Hickenlooper, Gov. Lamm, Gov. Owens), attorneys, law enforcement officials, advocates, hospital and school administrators, and business and labor representatives, among others. Our goal is to bring in speakers from all sides of the debate to present our panel with the facts on which to base their findings.

As Jim Griesemer, the Director of our program explained at the announcement, “The issue of immigration must be solved.” Our mission is to start with the problem rather than the solution.