Seeking Asylum: Refugee Deportation in the United States

Horizons of Knowledge Lecture, Free and Open to All

WHO:             Hope Karekezi, Political Activist and Workshop Leader

                        Christie Popp, Director of Immigrants and Language Rights Center

WHEN:           Friday, Sept. 30, 2011, at 1 p.m.
WHERE:         Hutton Honors College, Great Room, 811 E. Seventh Street

Facing retribution in Rwanda, death threats in South Africa, and deportation from the United States, Hope Karekezi’s family is in the midst of transnational struggle. Their story leads us to ask: What does it take to obtain political asylum in the United States?' What are the criteria, the processes, and the most frequent outcomes for people seeking asylum status? What are the challenges people confront when seeking refuge in the United States from violence or comparable harms abroad?

Hope Karekezi is a workshop leader for the American Civil Liberties Union and a mother of three. Joined by Christie Popp, directing attorney from the Immigrants and Language Rights Center at Indiana Legal Services, Karekezi will narrate her experience fighting legal battles in the United States immigration system. The panel will then lead a discussion on refugee issues. Join us for a conversation about immigration, deportation, and the politics of asylum.

Sponsored by a Horizons of Knowledge Grant, the Department of History, the Department of American Studies, the African Studies Program, the Graduate Students in African Studies (GSAS), and the Hutton Honors College, the program is free and open to all. If you have a disability or need assistance or an interpreter, arrangements can be made to accommodate most needs. Please call 812-855-5296 by Friday, September 23.