University of Denver Winter 2023

F A M I L Y

COMPLEX IMMIGRATION ISSUES DEMAND TRANSFORMATIVE SOLUTIONS

By Janette Ballard

Migration is one of the urgent issues of our time, but also one of the most misunderstood, according to migration scholars Lisa Martinez and Rebecca Galemba, co-founders of the Center for Immigration Policy and Research (CIPR) at the University of Denver. Launched in 2020, CIPR is a hub for faculty, students and community partners who work in migration to address press ing issues facing migrant and immigrant communities in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West. The center disburses small grants for research projects that will provide a more accurate understanding of those issues. In this conversation with the University of Denver Maga zine, Martinez, a professor of sociology in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Galemba, an associate professor of anthropology in the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, explain how a better understanding of immigration issues can lead to transformative solutions. What are some major issues facing immigrants in this region? They are the same issues currently facing many commu nities, such as inflation, affordable housing, jobs, accessing education and health care. The difference is that, on top of these issues, immigrants in the region must also navigate the precarity of their status, whether they are green-card or TPS holders, refugees or asylum seekers, “DACAmented” people [a reference to individuals protected under a provision known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] or those ineligible for relief based on legal reforms. For them, the specter of en hanced immigration and deportation is ever-present in their daily lives, which dictates how they live, work and engage in their communities. Moreover, given the number of mixed- status families and households—where some members are citizens or documented and others are not—there are often ripple effects insofar as a parent’s migration status affects everyone in the family.

Lisa Martinez

Rebecca Galemba

WINTER 2023 • UNIVERSITY of DENVER MAGAZINE | 25