Fourth Annual Conference of the Library of International Relations
at Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology
International Refugee Law
and U.S. Asylum Policy
 
Friday, October 9, 1998
 
 
Conference Schedule | Registration Information | Global Law and Policy Initiative
Library of International Relations | Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago-Kent College of Law
 
  Refugee and asylum issues have long been a staple of international headline news.  Unrest in many parts of the world has resulted in an unprecedented flow of people seeking refuge in countries not their own, and the United States has always exerted a strong pull on such populations.  But the welcome has not always been a warm one., especially in recent years with state and federal legislation reflecting growing anti immigrant sentiment. 

This intensive one day conference will bring together an impressive array of some of the top names in refugee and asylum law to explore current issues from international, theoretical, and national perspectives.  Program participants from practice, government, and academia will address questions such as whether the United States is fulfilling its international refugee obligations, who qualifies as a "refugee" under the United Nations rubric, and what obstacles to a compassionate asylum policy have been created by the recent anti-terrorism provisions and amendments to the INA.
 
 
Agenda 
 
8:15  Registration and Continental Breakfast
 
9:00 Welcoming Remarks 

Henry H. Perritt, Jr., dean and professor, Chicago-Kent College of Law; vice president for the downtown campus, Illinois Institute of Technology 

Mickie Voges, associate professor, Chicago-Kent College of Law; director, Library of International Relations 
 
9:15 International: Mass Migration, National Security, and U.S. Obligations 

The massive flow of refugees across borders has created immense challenges for the international human rights community and for U.S. refugee law.  This panel will explore the balancing of domestic concerns, such as national security, with international obligations in the context of mass migrations, and whether the United States is abrogating its international obligations in its current Immigration Act. 

Questions and Comments
 
11:45 Luncheon and Keynote Address 
David A. Martin: "Protection, Realism, and Evenhandedness" 

Henry L. & Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation Professor, University of Virginia School of Law; former general counsel, Immigration and Naturalization Service; former special assistant, Human Rights Bureau of the U.S. Department of State; author of a leading casebook on immigration law and many articles on immigration and refugee law and international human rights.
 
1:30 p.m. Theoretical: Defining "Refugee" 

Since the inception of the Refugee Convention, the definition of a "refugee" has continued to provoke controversy.  This panel will focus on the appropriate interpretive approach to the definition, the meaning of such phrases as "membership in a particular social group," and the flexibility of the definition in dealing with a range of fundamental human rights issues such as gender-specific discrimination. 

Questions and comments
 
3:30 Break
 
4:00 National: Asylum Policy and Procedure 

This panel will focus on some of the troublesome aspects of recent changes in U.S. asylum policy, including expedited removal, the "credible fear standard," the impact of new anti-terrorism legislation, and the effects of other new border procedures. 

Questions and comments
 
6:00 Reception
 
 
Library of International Relations  Conference Schedule
Illinois Institute of Technology  Registration Information
Chicago-Kent College of Law Global Law and Policy Initiative
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