The Beacon of Liberty Does Not Shine Brightly For All

Guest: University of Minnesota Regent’s Professor of History & Asian American Studies Erika Lee

Immigration is one of America’s most divisive issues. Congress has thus far failed to come up with a comprehensive immigration reform plan that enjoys bipartisan support. Donald Trump made illegal immigration a key component of his presidential campaign platform. Now, as president, Trump continues to focus on immigration, and his administration’s policy of separating families who cross the border with Mexico has generated considerable controversy. Despite the image of the US as a melting pot, fear and distrust of immigrants has waxed and waned throughout the country’s history. This week on Dialogue Minnesota, we have a conversation with Erika Lee, an Andrew Carnegie Fellow, Regents Professor of History and Asian American Studies, a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and the Rudolph J. Vecoli Chair in Immigration at the University of Minnesota. She is currently on leave as the Director of the U’s Immigration Research Center, and is the author of a new book titled America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States. A book launch event and roundtable discussion is taking place on December 3 from 6:00 pm-8:30 pm at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs.