The New Yorker’s Jonathan Blitzer to speak at Notre Dame on how immigration became a political crisis
The Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, is bringing The New Yorker’s Jonathan Blitzer to campus later this month for an in-depth discussion about immigration.
Blitzer's talk, “Getting Beyond the Border: How Immigration Became a Political Crisis,” will take place at 4 p.m. on Feb. 26 (Wednesday) in the auditorium of the Hesburgh Center for International Studies. The event is free and open to the general public; no tickets are required.
Mary Gallagher, the Marilyn Keough Dean and professor of global affairs in the Keough School of Global Affairs, will introduce Blitzer at the event. After the lecture, Blitzer will take audience questions and have a conversation with Jennifer Mason McAward, associate professor of law at Notre Dame Law School and director of the Klau Institute.
Blitzer’s presentation ties in with the Klau Institute’s Migration Initiative, which launched last year through collaboration with other experts from across the Keough School and the University as a whole. The Migration Initiative is supported in part by the Notre Dame Poverty Initiative, a University-wide effort to expand knowledge about what works to alleviate poverty.
“We are thrilled to host Jonathan Blitzer for this timely discussion on immigration,” McAward said. “His reporting from the U.S.-Mexico border offers important perspectives to help us understand the human experience, and the issues of human dignity, related to migration.”
Blitzer, a staff writer for The New Yorker, has won several awards for his immigration reporting.
His book, “Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis,” is a deeply reported history of the political conflicts, policy choices and corruption that have led to the current crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. He tells this history through personal stories of Central American migrants as well as American activists, government officials and politicians. “Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here” has received widespread praise and was named one of the best books of 2024 by The New York Times and several other publications.
A reception with hors d’oeuvres will follow the event. “Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here” will be available for sale, and Blitzer will remain on hand to sign copies of the book.
The event is co-sponsored by the Institute for Latino Studies, Institute for Social Concerns, Kellogg Institute for International Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the Gallivan Program in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy.
Originally published by at klau.nd.edu on Feb. 14.
Contact: Tracy DeStazio, associate director of media relations, 574-631-9958 or tdestazi@nd.edu
Latest Colleges & Schools
- ND Ethics Week explores business and sustainabilityThe annual Ethics Week series, sponsored by the Mendoza College of Business, brings in experts from diverse perspectives to explore current ethics-related issues.
- PAM-M partners with civil society in baseline report, shedding light on Bangsamoro peace process in the PhilippinesThe Peace Accords Matrix-Mindanao (PAM-M) project, part of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies within the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, released a civil society baseline report detailing progress and challenges in the Bangsamoro peace process in the Philippines.
- Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development to deliver Keeley Vatican LectureRev. Msgr. Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo, undersecretary of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, will deliver the Keeley Vatican Lecture on Monday (Feb. 10) at 5 p.m. at the University of Notre Dame.
- Liam O’Connor selected as 2025 Richard H. Driehaus Prize Laureate at the University of Notre Dame; Philippe Rotthier wins Henry Hope Reed AwardLiam O’Connor has been named the recipient of the 2025 Richard H. Driehaus Prize in honor of his lifelong dedication to and outstanding achievements in creating distinctive private, public and civic projects. In conjunction with the Driehaus Prize, Philippe Rotthier was named the next Henry Hope Reed Award laureate for his lifelong success in elevating new traditional architecture and urbanism to public prominence.
- Aspects of marriage counseling may hold the key to depolarizing, unifying the country, study findsResearch has shown that polarization undermines democracy by driving citizens to prioritize partisan preferences over democratic principles, encourages democratic gridlock and threatens democratic attitudes and norms, such as tolerance for opposition. A recent study from the University of Notre Dame found that “reciprocal group reflection” — an intervention inspired by marriage counseling — helped reduce affective polarization among opposing political parties.
- Nanovic Institute awards 2025 Laura Shannon Prize to Megan Brown, author of ‘The Seventh Member State’The Nanovic Institute for European Studies, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, has awarded the 2025 Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies to Megan Brown, associate professor of history at Swarthmore College, for her book “The Seventh Member State,” published by Harvard University Press.
