The Kegley Institute of Ethics and CSUB Pre-Law are hosting an expert panel and community conversation on immigration at the U.S. - Mexico Border and practices of family detention. The event is titled “Immigration Behind Bars: Activist, Legal, and Education Perspectives,” and will be held on February 13^th(6:00 p.m.) in the Dezember Reading Room of the CSUB Walter W. Stiern Library. The event is free and open to the public and exempt parking is provided in lots D, M, and K1.

Both our local community and nation continue to debate issues of immigration, detention, and family separation, as refugees enter the United States seeking asylum, economic opportunity, and safety. Kern County feels this impact intimately, as it is home to the Mesa Verde Detention Facility, an Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) processing center. 

“Immigration Behind Bars” is dedicated to informing our community and engaging in respectful discussion on the activist, legal, and education impacts of immigrant and refugee detention, including the experiences of detainees in Kern County. To facilitate this, the Kegley Institute of Ethics and Pre-Law Society and Program will host a panel of local activists, volunteers, attorneys, and scholars to help educate the community on this important issue. 

This event is co-sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, Adventist Health Bakersfield, the Kegley Family, Kern Schools Federal Credit Union, CSUB’s Office of the Provost, the Institute for Religion, Education, and Public Policy, and the Office of Equity, Inclusion and Compliance.