By Gabriella Ciuffetelli and Nicole CaicoSpecial to the Chronicle
Hofstra University celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Immigration and Nationality Act with the special topics forum, “Immigration and the Future: 50 Years After a Landmark Law,” on Wednesday Oct. 14. This law, which was passed in 1965, changed United States immigration policy and replaced the quota system with one that selected immigrants based on their individual skills and familial ties with U.S. citizens, rather than on their country of origin. The forum, which coincided with Latino/Hispanic Heritage Month, was organized by the Labor Studies department. It featured Tarry Hum, an author and professor at Queens College and the Long Island coordinator for the non-profit organization Make The Road New York, Walter Barrientos. Hum spoke first about the struggles faced by immigrant communities as a result of the 1965 Immigration Act, as well as the political, social and economic consequences the sudden influx of immigrants caused. While the central focus of her discussion was Brooklyn’s Sunset Park, Hum painted a broader picture of gentrification by, in her words, “localizing broader trends in international migration and economic globalization” in the United States. “It was really interesting seeing specific statistics and real world examples of how thing[s] like a sudden swell of immigrants or foreign investors can cause the entire economy of a town to change,” said Erica Brosnan, a junior journalism major at Hofstra University. Hum presented the issue as a catalyst for problems that continue to affect everyone – immigrant or otherwise – such as police violence, displacement and environmental abuse. “No one really talks about how intertwined things like police brutality and immigration are, so hearing the statistics and data about it was really enlightening,” Brosnan said. As a Guatemalan immigrant, Barrientos has had firsthand experience with some of these problems and gave insight into the struggles immigrants face, from gaining legal status to falling victim of violence or hate crimes. Barrientos said that “the story of immigration is also the story of Long Island.” He spoke about the challenges that immigrants on Long Island in particular encounter – specifically the lack of affordable housing or available jobs – as well as mistreatment by law officials and employers. Barrientos believes the reason for the current opposition to welcoming immigrants into the country, and specifically into New York, is “deeply rooted in the immigrant experience of past immigrants.” In a question and answer session, both speakers offered potential solutions to these problems. Hum spoke out in favor of eliminating what she called “restrictive covenants” in housing contracts that prevent immigrants from buying houses in predominantly white or more affluent neighborhoods. Barrientos, on the other hand, stressed the importance of expanding programs such as the New York Dream Act and advocated for changes in legislation to help immigrants gain legal status and ensure that their rights are protected. Despite the need for change, he emphasized the fact that there are some people that are helping achieve a successful community for immigrants. “For all the hatred and everything else we might see on TV, there are many more communities that are welcoming and that want to build a Long Island that is representative of the diversity that continues to happen here,” Barrientos said. He told the crowd that despite the amount of progress made in the last 50 years, the only way to reach these goals and bring about substantial change is for the immigrant community to continue to mobilize and to work with allies of the community as well. Barrientos said, “Young people, specifically young people in college, will always be at the forefront of change,” said Barrientos. “They have the power to envision.”