Immigration Conference: Rethinking Migration Narratives – Catholic Immigration Advocacy in 2025 and Beyond

The Catholic University of America and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will be hosting its Second Annual Immigration Conference “Rethinking Migration Narratives – Catholic Immigration Advocacy in 2025 and Beyond.” This conference will explore the various narratives surrounding Immigration and offer a Catholic alternative to them. The conference will be held at The Catholic University of America's Pryzbyla Center Great Room on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. The organizers will host an opening reception and program in Heritage Hall the evening before the conference. If you plan to participate in the advocacy day scheduled for Wednesday, March 5, it is imperative that you register by close of business on Friday, February 21.

For questions or accommodations contact: bustamantej@cua.edu.

Become part of a network of individuals and organizations working to address immigration issues collaboratively, and to educate Catholics about Church teaching on the issue.

 

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Schedule of Events

[Check back for more information.]

Monday, March 3, 2025 (Heritage Hall)

• Opening Reception (5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)
  
  
• Program/Networking Session (6:00 p.m. – 7:30. p.m.)
  The Moment We Are In — Impact of Narratives on the Ground
  Most Reverend Evelio Menjivar Ayala, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington
  Javier Bustamante, Director, Center for Cultural Engagement, The Catholic University of America
  
  

Tuesday, March 4, 2025 (Pryzbyla Center Great Room)

• Breakfast available (8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.)
  
  
• Opening Prayer & Welcome (9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.)
  Dr. Peter Kilpatrick, President of The Catholic University of America (CUA) 
  Most Reverend Mark Seitz, D.D., Bishop of El Paso and Chair of the USCCB Migration Committee
  
  
• Introduction to Conference (9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.)
  Stacy Brustin, Professor Emerita and Director, Immigration Law & Policy Initiative, Columbus School of Law, CUA
  
  
• Session 1 – The Power of Narrative in the Immigration Debate (9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.)
  Drawing on a diverse set of disciplines, this panel will examine the role migration narratives have played in shaping perceptions of migrants and migration and how these perceptions have influenced public opinion in the United States. Panelists will focus on prominent narratives and their impact in both a historical and contemporary context.
  Moderator:
  Dr. Martha Cruz Zuniga, Associate Professor and Chair, CUA Department of Economics
  Speakers:
  Dr. Niki Akhavan, Associate Professor and Chair, CUA Department of Media and Communication Studies 
  Dr. Julia Young, Associate Professor of History and Interim Chair of the CUA Department of Modern Languages & Literatures 
  Dr. Regine Jackson, Professor of Sociology and Dean, Humanities, Social Sciences, Media and Arts Division, Morehouse College
  
  
• Break – (11:00 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.)
  
  
• Session 2 – Immigration Narratives and the Impact on Policymaking (11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.)
  This panel will focus on the ways in which dominant narratives, once widely accepted, function as an important legitimating source for policy proposals across the political spectrum from efforts to implement mass deportation to calls to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
  Moderator:
  Kelly Ryan, President, Jesuit Refugee Services USA
  Speakers:
  Dr. Peter Skerry, Professor of Political Science, Boston College
  Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan, Deputy Director of the International Program at the Migration Policy Institute
  Alex Nowrasteh, Vice President for Economic and Social Policy Studies, CATO Institute
  
  
• Lunch & Keynote (12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.)
  Introduction: Dr. Jo Ann R. Regan, Dean of the National Catholic School of Social Service
  Understanding Migration from a Catholic Perspective 
  Most Reverend Mark J. Seitz, D.D., Bishop of El Paso
  
  
• Session 3 – A Catholic Alternative to Dominant Migration Narratives (1:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.)
  This panel will explore Catholic alternatives to dominant migration narratives. Panelists will discuss the role of Catholic Social Teaching on migration, the Church’s engagement in migrant ministry and its commitment to upholding the dignity of migrants, while recognizing a country’s right to protect its border. Through breakout sessions, participants will explore ways in which a Catholic approach might provide an alternative to existing polarizing, unidimensional narratives.
  Moderator:
  Elena Segura, Senior Coordinator for Immigration – National Ministry, Parish Vitality & Mission, Archdiocese of Chicago (invited)
  Speakers:
  Todd Scribner, Assistant Director of Education and Outreach, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Department of Migration and Refugee Services
  Don Kerwin, Vice President for Advocacy, Research, and Partnerships, Jesuit Refugee Services USA
  
  Breakout session:
  Does the Catholic Church’s position on immigration offer a foundation for building a counternarrative?
  What role can Catholic affiliated organizations play in affecting narrative change on this issue?
  
  
• Break (3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.)
  
  
• Session 4 - Advocacy Day Training (3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) 
  David Spicer, Assistant Director of Policy, Migration & Refugee Services, USCCB
  This session will prepare participants for the advocacy day on March 5. Panelists will provide a broad overview of the migration policy landscape at play in Washington, DC. and will also present an in-depth analysis of the specific policy recommendations participants will offer as they speak with legislators on Capitol Hill.  

Wednesday, March 5, 2025 (Capitol Hill)
If you plan to participate in the advocacy day, it is imperative that you register by close of business on Friday, February 21.

• Advocacy Day