This deeply personal perspective from a hu man rights lawyer&mdash\;whose work on the front lines of the fight agains t family separations in South Texas intertwines with his own story of immi grating to the United States at thirteen&mdash\;reframes the United States &rsquo\; history as a nation \;of \;immigrants but also a nation&n bsp\;against \;immigrants.
\nIn the summer of 2018\, Efré\ ;n C. Olivares found himself representing hundreds of immigrant families w hen Zero Tolerance separated thousands of children from their parents at t he U.S.-Mexico border. Twenty-five years earlier\, he had been separated f rom his own father for several years when he migrated to the U.S. to work. \;
\nHe discusses not only law and immigration policy in access ible terms\, but also makes the case for how this hostility is nothing new : children were put in cages when coming through Ellis Island\, and Japane se Americans were forcibly separated from their families and interned duri ng WWII. By examining his personal story and the stories of the families h e represents side by side\, Olivares meaningfully engages readers with the ir assumptions about what nationhood means in America and challenges us to question our own empathy and compassion.
\nEfré\;n C. Oli vares is the Deputy Legal Director of the Immigrant Justice Project at Sou thern Poverty Law Center. He was the lead lawyer in a successful landmark petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on behalf of fam ilies separated under the Zero Tolerance policy. \;
\n*Presented by Adult Services D epartment
\nhttps://gwinnettpl.libnet.info/event/8170036 URL;VALUE=URI:https://gwinnettpl.libnet.info/event/8170036 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/gwinnettpl/AS_Efren_Olivar es.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR