Summary: Immigration restrictions keep millions of people stuck in impoverished countries – preventing them from improving their lives by moving somewhere else. However, some restrictions are clearly necessary to protect national security. And many say that our current laws do not go anywhere near far enough, arguing that additional restrictions are needed to prevent wage depression and the overburdening of our already-strained safety net. One way or another, immigration restrictions have an enormous impact on poverty, both domestically and abroad. But are such restrictions constitutional? This debate will address that question, along with the complex policy issues involved with the topic. -- This panel was presented at the 2016 National Student Symposium on Saturday, February 27, 2016, at the University of Virginia School of Law. -- Featuring: Prof. John Eastman, Henry Salvatori Professor of Law & Community Service, Chapman University School of Law and Prof. Ilya Somin, Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law. Moderator: Hon. Amul R. Thapar, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Introduction: Mr. Nicholas Rotz, University of Virginia School of Law Student Chapter.
