April 7, 2011  7:00 p.m.  
Student/Conference Center  
 
The 2011 Boyer Colloquium, “Immigration: America’s Past, Present and Future,” a panel presentation and discussion is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, 2011. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend this presentation, which will be held in the Highland Community College Student/Conference Center.

The Boyer Colloquium, an annual event sponsored by the late Dr. M. E. Boyer, was created in 1994 to help students and the community understand the importance of the inter-relationships between ethics, economics, and ecology. The impact of immigration, legal and otherwise, affects each of these in an interrelated fashion. The Boyer Colloquium Committee believes that if communities understand the issues, the history of previous decisions, and ramifications of prior actions, they will be better positioned to make informed decisions. The May 2008 Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on a Postville, IA meat packing plant resulting in the arrest of nearly 400 undocumented workers will be discussed as a microcosm of issues facing many American communities. The panelists will draw lessons and suggest solutions for the broader American society, but particularly rural areas.

The panelists will include:

Erik Camayd-Freixas 
A federal interpreter who was involved in the 2008 Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on the Agriprocessors meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa.

Donald Harstad 
Donald Harstad served as deputy sheriff in Clayton County Iowa for twenty-six years. Part of Clayton County runs through Postville, and Mr. Harstad has had intimate experience with immigration issues from a rural and law enforcement perspective.

Daryl Watson 
HCC Social Sciences Instructor, former Director of the Galena Historical Society and Galena city administrator.

Sara Dady 
Rockford, Illinois immigration attorney. Adjunct Instructor of Contract Law and Business Law at Rockford Business College.