Immigration and America’s Future

Immigration and America’s Future

 On Nov. 5, UMBC’s Interdisciplinary Studies program is sponsoring its third Mosaic Roundtable (http://www.umbc.edu/mosaic/), a panel discussion by a diverse cross section of UMBC experts on controversial, timely issues.  This semester’s Mosaic examines changes in attitudes and laws regarding immigration after 9-11, and the impact of those changes on research, higher education and the high-tech economy. The panel is made up of four immigrants – an international educator, a physicist, a computer engineer, and a sociologist – three of whom are now U.S. citizens – all with unique perspectives on the issue.

Dr. Arlene Wergin, Director, International Education Services

Arlene Wergin helps over 1,000 international undergraduate and graduate students and 150 international faculty and visiting researchers at UMBC navigate increasingly restrictive federal regulations governing student and exchange visitor visas.

“Our international students and scholars contribute not only to the academic mission of the university, but they also add a valuable intercultural diversity to the campus,” she says. “For many of our domestic students, interactions on campus with international students are their first close and extensive contacts with people from other countries.

Wergin adds, “Current immigration policies and lengthy security checks at U.S consulates abroad make it increasingly more difficult for even the best and brightest international students to enter the U.S. to study.”

Dr. Philip Rous, Professor, Physics

Philip Rous, a physicist and a U.K. citizen, will examine both the history and future of immigrant scientists in the U.S. “Immigrants make up 28 percent of all Ph.D.s currently doing research and development in America,” he says. “Between 1901 and 1991, 44 of 100 Nobel Prizes were awarded to immigrant U.S. researchers or their children.”

Rous will discuss how stricter security policies have made it tougher for high-tech immigrant professionals to get visas. One example is the little-known but controversial “Technology Alert List” used by the Homeland Security Department to “red-flag” students based on their field of research.

“Scientific advancement underpins the development of defense and security technology,” says Rous. “Given that a third of people working in high-tech fields are immigrants, perhaps we might think about whether or not an exclusive immigration policy enhances or degrades U.S. security.”   

Dr. Ray Chen, Professor, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

Ray Chen is interested in how immigration affects the information technology industry. He will examine the question of whether or not Silicon Valley is moving overseas as a result of the U.S. failing to recognize that “immigrants and U.S. citizens are partners in the global competition arena.” 

If America fails to recognize this importance, Chen says, “One in 10 tech jobs could move overseas by the end of 2004.” 

Chen believes that America is currently very friendly towards immigration. But he will argue that America should not only welcome immigrants, but try to keep U.S.-educated immigrants in the States in order to to keep up with global competition. “We are in a global competition for the brightest brains,” he says. “The U.S. will be in the best position if we embrace immigration.”

Dr. Sara Poggio, Associate Professor, Modern Languages and Linguistics

Sara Poggio is a sociologist who studies international immigration, especially from Central and South America. She will discuss the historical, cultural and socioeconomic forces surrounding immigration and whether America can afford to not have immigrants.

“Immigration is not easy,” she says, “So there must be reasons for these migrations. Aside from freedom and economic gains, most migrations from one country to another are partly due to political intervention by the receiving country, which leads to the displacement of certain groups.”

Poggio will also discuss stereotypes such as “immigrants are uneducated” or “immigrants take jobs away from Americans.” “These American perceptions and attitudes are not new or recent,” she says. “They have persisted through time, and remind us that many immigrant groups, past and present, have faced these economic, racial, and cultural rejections.”

“Immigration and America’s Future: Paradox & Perception” takes place Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on the 7th floor of the Albin O. Kuhn Library.