Atlanta Global Studies Symposium: Day 1, Elizabeth F. Cohen, Author of “Illegal”

Elizabeth F. Cohen, the keynote speaker on the opening day of the Atlanta Global Studies Symposium, will discuss her recent book, “Illegal: How America’s Lawless Immigration Regime Threatens Us All.” Cohen will narrate the country’s descent into anti-immigrant panic, tracing the origins of our obsession with illegality to the country’s first comprehensive immigration restriction law. That nativist legislation paved the way for today’s sprawling enforcement apparatus, whose budget and power now dwarf that of any other federal law enforcement agency. She will speak about how past legislation can help us confront this crisis of corruption and abuse and what to expect from the new administration.