International Briefs
September, 2006
Comprehensive Immigration Reform
On Monday, August 14, NMSU
had the honor of hosting the Mexican Ambassador to the United States,
the Honorable Carlos de Icaza. He spoke to a group of approximately 70
local leaders on U.S.—Mexico border issues, including
immigration. The week before Mr. Icaza’s visit to NMSU, I had the
privilege of witnessing his keynote speech to the USAID Synergy Annual
Meeting of U.S./Mexico university partnerships in Washington, DC. At
that event, Mr. de Icaza gave a very compelling, speech on immigration
and other border issues from the perspective of Mexico. After his
speech, I told him that I would be most pleased were he to be able to
speak to NMSU, Las Cruces, and Dona Ana County leaders on this same
topic. He told me that this might well be possible since the following
week he planned to be in El Paso. We then agreed to consult the Mexican
Consul General of El Paso, Juan Carlos Foncerrada (who was responsible
for arranging the Ambassador’s itinerary), on this
possibility. Christina Chávez Kelley and many others in
the President’s Office and across campus assisted with making
this visit a reality. The entourage that came to NMSU included
Ambassador Carlos de Icaza, Consul General of El Paso Juan Carlos
Foncerrada, and a delegation from the Mexican Embassy in Washington, DC
as well as the Mexico Consulate in El Paso. Those in attendance
included representatives of city and county government, NMSU, state
legislators, staff members for Senators Bingaman and Domenici, and a
number of other local dignitaries.
The remainder of my column
will focus on the main topic of Ambassador de Icaza’s remarks,
comprehensive immigration reform. As I mentioned, he spoke from the
perspective of Mexico, recognizing, of course, the absolute right of
the U.S. government to pass and enforce whatever immigration reform
legislation it deems in its own best interests. In his remarks, Mr. de
Icaza said “Mexico respects the right of the United States to
[pass] and enforce its laws and to secure its borders. But if you
don’t have a comprehensive view, and it’s only one-sided,
there can be unintended effects.”(This quote was also reported in
the August 15th edition of the Las Cruces Sun-News, page 1).
So what is meant by
“comprehensive immigration reform” and why should we be
interested in making this kind of reform? To begin, it should be
fairly obvious to all readers that the current immigration system is
just not working. The problem is only in part the issue of illegal
immigration. The entire immigration system is in need of reform. For
example, here at NMSU we are vitally affected by the “legal
immigration system” insofar as this system affects international
students, scholars and others with expertise and skills we need in this
country. Current immigration laws unnecessarily discourage
international students and scholars from even considering colleges and
universities in the United States. These very same laws also preclude
international graduates of our universities who wish to remain here and
contribute to the U.S. economy and society from doing so. Moreover, our
current laws do not contribute to the advancement of either the
national or the global economy. We do, indeed, need
comprehensive immigration reform that will support a partnership among
the U.S., Mexico, and other nations.
Comprehensive immigration
reform could accomplish two things: (1) It would welcome foreign
talent; and (2) it would recognize that an “enforcement
only” approach will not work.
Comprehensive immigration
reform should encourage international students, scholars and
researchers to come to the United States and to remain here, and in
this way contribute to our society, to our entrepreneurial spirit, to
our economy, and to our national security. More specifically,
comprehensive immigration reform should address the “global
competition for talent.” Our country needs immigration laws that
are welcoming to foreign talent, talent that can bring and/or create
the knowledge, innovation, and skills, we need.
Moreover,
comprehensive immigration reform would view immigration as a
multifaceted issue and one which has to be dealt with systemically. The
U.S. will never be able to build a wall high enough or hire enough
people to patrol the border to fix the broken immigration system.
Ambassador de Icaza stated that a focus only on border enforcement
would not work; rather, a secure border and a humane “guest
worker” program would certainly be a step in the right direction.
I agree--we need to provide appropriate legal avenues for people to
come here legally to work, to study, and participate in American
society.
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2006 International Matching Travel Grants
The International Matching
Travel Grants provide support to faculty/staff members who are seeking
external funding for support of international programs and
activities. Prospective grantees need to articulate their
intended use of funding; clearly identify the institution or agency
with which they hope to work; and why funds are needed. This
grant is not intended to cover salaries nor IDC. A detailed
one-page budget should accompany your proposal. On the budget, clearly
identify how a minimum of 30% cost share will be provided. Proposals
are due October 15 in the Office of International & Border
Programs. Go to our website at www.nmsu.edu/~ip for a complete copy of the application guidelines. If you have any question, please call or e-mail Ida Baca at ibaca@nmus.edu or 646-4528.
Center for Latin American & Border Studies (CLABS) presents its first two events of the semester on Friday, September 8, 2006 at the Nason House. A Mexican Masks Exhibit Opening is scheduled for 6:00pm at the Nason House (directly across from Kinko’s on University Avenue) and a performance by the Ballet Foclórico Sacbé titled Masks in Motions: Mexican Legends and Traditions
starting at 8:00pm at the Music Recital Hall. Tickets for the
ballet are $8.00 for general admission and $5.00 for students.
Tickets can be purchased from CLABS or can be purchased at the
door at the Music Recital Hall on the day of the event.
International Travel
J. Phillip King, Department of Civil Engineering, traveled
to China returning on to the U.S. on September 3. Dr. King
will visit the Xinjiang Water Resources Research Institute as part of
our collaborative agreement with them. He will present a seminar
on basin-scale water management. Dr. King will be accompanied by
his colleague, Henry Magallanez, with the Elephant Butte Irrigation District, who will deliver a presentation on irrigation system management.
Jon Hunner, Department of History,
will attend the National Pedagogy Conference in Morbylanga, Sweden,
September 28-29, 2006. Dr. Hunner will present a paper about the Living
History classes that he teaches at NMSU. He will also consult
with the Kalmar Lans Museum about their Time Traveling program.
Candace Kaye, Department of Curriculum & Instruction, will attend the 2nd
International forum of Teacher Education, in Shanghai, China, October
25-27, 2006. The theme of the Forum is “Teacher
Professional Development for Quality Education for All: Policies,
Research, Innovation Practices and Capacity Building.” Dr.
Kaye will present a paper titled “Teacher Professional
Development, Constructivism and Online Communities.”
Kenneth L. Hacker and Christopher Weaver, Communication Studies Department,
participated in a debate panel and presented a paper concerning the use
of computer-mediated communication (CMC) for depolarizing political
discourse in international conflict situations at the annual
International Communication conference this summer in Desden
Germany. They also had discussions with scholars from Israel in
order to implement a multi-culture CMC field study.
International Student Reception
NMSU faculty, staff and
students are invited to a reception welcoming new and returning
international students. The reception will be held on Friday September 1 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm in the Colfax room (room 210), Corbett Center. Everyone is invited and refreshments will be served.
Study Abroad Fair
The 8th bi-annual Study
Abroad Fair will be held on September 8, 2006 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
on the first floor of Corbett Center. The focus of the Fall 2006 fair
will be international exchange and scholarship opportunities for
students planning to study abroad for a semester or a year. Early
planning is encouraged in order for students to secure exchange
placements for Spring 2007 or Fall 2007.
There are many ways
faculty can encourage students to attend. Faculty can simply
advertise the fair in their classes, offer extra credit to students who
bring back literature from the fair, or even allow class time to attend
the fair and provide activities/assignments that revolve around the
programs of greatest interest.
If you are interested in
attending the fair and would like more information on NMSU's exchange
programs and/or if you would like a staff member to conduct a
presentation about our exchange programs, please contact: Marcia
D. Mundt sapromo@nmsu.edu or (505) 646-5107.
Office of International
&
Border Programs
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