Immigration solutions conference set for Oct 8.

The Arizona immigration solutions (AISC) one day conference will be hosted at Arizona Western College 3C on Saturday, Oct. 8. The doors open at 8:30 a.m., the conference begins at 9:30 a.m.

The Yuma conference will feature nationally recognized immigration experts, elected officials, as well as Arizona business, faith and community leaders. Among the event’s speakers are the authors of several groundbreaking studies and essays on immigration: Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda, UCLA; Magnus Lofstrom of the Public Policy Institute of California; Jaime Aguila, Arizona State University; and Phoenix commercial lawyer and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints member Daryl Williams.

The Yuma conference is the fourth in a series of five statewide examining the impact of Arizona’s immigration laws on businesses, communities and the economy in order to come up with alternative solutions. The conferences are sponsored by The Real Arizona Coalition, One Arizona/Interfaith Leaders Coalition, Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform in cooperation with organizations.

“We’d like to make sure {people} know about this conference so they can learn about the facts of the impacts of Arizona’s immigration laws on the state and to hear different ideas about how we can address this critical issue,” said conference coordinator Todd Landfried, spokesman for the Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform, in an email last week.

“The main goal of this series of conferences is to encourage policymakers to work from a solid base of facts in discussing the best ways to address immigration,” said Landfried. “Yuma and Southern Arizona has been hard hit by the economic recession in recent years, so as we consider Arizona’s approach to immigration we believe it’s fair for citizens to ask whether these policies work and if our tax dollars are being spent wisely.”

Other speakers include Fox News analyst Alex Nowrasteh, Competitive Enterprise Institute; Stan Rasmussen, Sutherland Institute; Uvalda, Georgia Mayor Paul Bridges; Utah Rep. Holly Richardson; Yuma farmer Tim Dunn; and Julie Erfle of Politics Uncuffed.

“This conference is a great example of the discussions we should be having in our state, not only about immigration, but other critical issues as well,” said Glenn Hamer, president of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“The pain in the lives of families, our nation’s economic situation, and the conflict between the basic core values of our faith compels us to find alternatives to the current approach to immigration,” said Rev. Phil Reller of One Arizona/Interfaith Leaders Coalition, who adds that his group is working to encourage clergy and leaders of every faith to take a more active role in addressing the issue.

The fee to get in, including lunch, is $10 and reservations and payment for that must be done online. For AWC students, we’re allowing them to attend for free, but they will need to bring their own lunch or buy it at the cafeteria. Guests must purchase tickets and pre-order lunch online at www.azeir.org/aisc/. This web site for the conference is also has all of the relevant agenda and registration information.

Here are some websites that offer prepatory reading about the immigration issue:

Lessons from the Legal Arizona Workers Act (SB 1070)

http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_311MLR.pdf

Illegal Immigration, an Essay by Daryl M. Williams, Esq.

http://media.phoenixnewtimes.com/6219894.0.pdf

A Rising Tide or Shrinking Pie:

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/03/rising_tide.html

Raising the Floor for American Workers: The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform

http://immigrationpolicy.org/special-reports/raising-floor-american-workers

Utah House Bill 466 – Migrant Workers [As Signed]

http://le.utah.gov/~2011/bills/hbillenr/hb0466.pdf

The High Cost of Immigration Enforcement