What: This Sunday for the first time since his presidency, President Biden will visit El Paso, Texas and the U.S.-Mexico border after continued challenges with the influx of migrants at the border and unveiling a new program for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela on Thursday, 1/5.

American University has several experts in U.S. immigration policy, Latin America, and international immigration issues, that can provide commentary and insights.

When: January 6, 2023 - ongoing

Who: American University experts who are available to comment include:

Ernesto Castañeda is an assistant professor of sociology and is director of AU’s Center for Latin American and Latino Studies. An expert in sociology and politics, Castañeda has published six books on international migration, borders, social movements, and ethnic and racial inequality. He is currently working on research projects about health disparities, Central American migration, and Afghan refugee integration. He can conduct interviews in Spanish and English.

Anthony W. Fontes, assistant professor in the School of International Service, is author of Mortal Doubt: Transnational Gangs and Social Order. He is an expert on and US-Latin America relations, focusing on Central America and Mexico, and Latin American security. He is available to discuss issues of immigration and asylum, prisons, gangs, illicit drugs, crime and insecurity, and US foreign policy.

Tazreena Sajjad, senior professorial lecturer at the School of International Service (SIS), is an expert on transitional justice, refugees and forced displacement, post-conflict governance, and the role of gender in conflict and peacebuilding. Her current research projects include examining the role of fortifications against irregular migrant flows, and refugee reception in the Global South. She currently serves as an advisor to Refugee Solidarity Network (RSN) and is a faculty affiliate of The Transatlantic Policy Center and The Antiracist Research and Policy Center at AU.

Earl Anthony Wayne is the Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer and Distinguished Diplomat in Residence in AU’s School of International Service. In addition to his role at AU, Wayne is a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Co-Chair of its Mexico Institute Advisory Board. Ambassador Wayne served as a U.S. diplomat from 1975 to 2015, including as Ambassador to Argentina and Ambassador to Mexico.

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