COVID-19 Conversations: Angela Maria Kelley on Immigration

The Riley Institute’s Center for Critical Issues “brings the world to Furman” by hosting a diverse roster of speakers on campus each year. While our events are on hold due to COVID-19, The Riley Institute’s Advance Team students are (virtually) bringing notable past speakers into their own homes for thoughtful conversations about the coronavirus’s impact on many facets of life.

As the global community seeks to slow the spread of COVID-19, countries have imposed strict travel restrictions and shut down their borders. In the United States, the health crisis has complicated the nation’s long-standing immigration debate.

What unique challenges do immigrants face as a result of the coronavirus? How has the crisis taken shape along the U.S.-Mexico border? How will President Donald Trump’s executive order to pause the distribution of green cards effect immigration in the long term?

In this episode of COVID-19 Conversations, Advance Team members Vanesa Rodriguez, Shekinah Lightner, and Grace Guynn pose these questions and others like them to immigration expert Angela Maria Kelley.

Kelley currently serves as the senior strategic advisor for immigration at the nonpartisan nonprofit Open Society Foundations and Open Society Policy Center. In 2014, she served as a White House advisor on immigration executive actions. Earlier this year, Kelley spent several days on Furman’s campus as the Riley Institute’s Woodrow Wilson Fellow in Residence.

View all COVID-19 Conversations episodes

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this recording are those of the individuals appearing in the video and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Riley Institute or Furman University.