Panel to Discuss Immigration, Constitution for 'Constitution Day'

In honor of the week when the Constitution was signed more than 200 years ago, the Texas Tech University School of Law and the Department of Political Science are sponsoring a panel of experts to discuss constitutional issues in immigration.

The event runs from 4-5:30 p.m. on Monday (Sept. 12) in the Lanier Auditorium of the Texas Tech School of Law.

"In the last couple of years, the subject of immigration policy and the Constitution has gained more visibility, as more and more state governments pass laws attempting to regulate or police undocumented immigrants," said Mark McKenzie, assistant professor of political science. "In these attempts, state governments have begun clashing with federal authorities over control of immigration policy. Recently, a federal judge in Alabama blocked an Alabama law directed at undocumented immigrants. Meanwhile, some politicians have promoted amending the Fourteenth Amendment to do away with birthright citizenship."

Panelists include David Strange, Texas Tech adjunct professor of law and immigration law specialist; Anna Law, DePaul University associate professor of political science and author of "The Immigration Battle in American Courts"; Arslan Umarov, a native of Uzbekistan who recently became a U.S. citizen, a Texas Tech School of Law alumnus and assistant director of the law school's Center for Biodefense, Law, & Public Policy; and Timothy Nokken and McKenzie, Texas Tech assistant professors of political science.

Federal law and regulations by the U.S. Department of Education require federally funded schools to provide an educational program about the Constitution each year on Constitution Day. The Constitution was signed Sept. 17, 1787. Former West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd, who always carried a constitution in his pocket, was largely responsible for getting this law passed in 2005.