The United Nations Association of New York is pleased to co-host a special UN Day panel with the SUNY Global Center on the impact of immigration issues in New York state.
DENISE BELL, Esq., JD
Researcher, Refugee and Migrant Rights
Former Senior Campaigner, Amnesty International
RUTH HASSELL-THOMPSON, DHL
NYS Special Advisor for Policy & Community Renewal
Former Democratic member of NY State Senate
ANETH MORENO, Esq. LLM
Founding Attorney, Moreno Law
Humanitarian and Immigration Law (Boston)
WILLIAM C. SILVERMAN, Esq., JD
Partner, Proskauer Law
Introductions by
GEORGE A. GARLAND
President, UNA-SNY Division
AHMAD TIPU
Founder, UNA SUNY New Paltz Campus Chapter
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
9 a.m. | Registration
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Panel Presentation
SUNY Global Center
116 East 55th Street
New York, NY 10022
Increasingly vulnerable immigrant populations were further impacted when, earlier in May, the U.S. government took measures to curtail domestic violence survivors’ ability seek asylum in the United States. The attorney general issued a reversal of two key decisions by the Board of Immigration Appeals concerning gender-based asylum protections. These decisions had recognized that women who endured severe violence at the hands of their perpetrators, and who could not avail themselves of their own government’s protection, could qualify for asylum on account of their status in a “particular social group” based on international refugee law.
Although the long-term impacts of the decision are still unclear, reversal of this long-standing policy endangers the lives of women fleeing extreme violence. For many of them, claims of violence that would have been successful might now be eliminated, and the administration has also implemented a zero tolerance policy for the southern border that separates children from their parents.
The panel of speakers at this event (see below) will discuss the impact of U.S. immigration policy on children and families, including those seeking asylum, as well as domestic violence legislation in New York. A special highlight of the panel will be a focus on the 2019 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill, and an strong recommendation which would limit the ability of the DHS to use appropriated funds to separate parents from their children, and additional recommendations for funding community-based alternatives to detention.
A selection of brief videos will be presented, and audience members will be able to participate via social media.
The event is offered as part of the SUNY Global Engagement Program, along with the participation of UNA-USA Southern New York State Division, UNA New York City, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Tau Omega and Eta Omega Omega Chapters. Admission to this event is free and refreshments will be provided.
Guest Speakers
GEORGE A. GARLAND
Dr. George Garland is currently President of the Board of the Southern New York Division of the United Nations Association-USA. He is a board member of HEART in Haiti.
Dr. Garland’s career with US-EPA spanned 34 years, culminating in a Distinguished Career Award. From 1988 to 1992, he was Chief Technical Advisor for Toxic Chemicals and Pollutants for the UN-WHO Regional Office for South East Asia and worked in India, Indonesia, Burma, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. He has done consultations with the World Bank and USAID in the Russian Federation to establish a national hazardous waste management system and specifically in Nizhni Tagil to improve the water supply system.
Over the last ten years Dr. Garland has held several positions in NGOs. He has been Director of the World Energy Forum, Executive Director for National Membership at the United Nations Association of the USA, and Executive Director of the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area.
His many publications include articles in Biocycle magazine on organics management and composting.
Recent volunteer activities include supporting NGOs designing improved cook stoves and sustainable fuel using biogas, ethanol, and coconut husks in Haiti. His numerous speaking engagements have recently been concentrated on UN Sustainable Development Goals and climate change policy. His many teaching assignments include “The Energy Puzzle” for Collegium at Westchester Community College and international affairs at EF International in Tarrytown.
AHMAD TIPU
Ahmad Tipu is founder of the SUNY New Paltz chapter of the UNA. He is a fourth year international relations student at SUNY, a corporate social responsibility intern at Swarovski, and a student intern at the UN NGO Committee on Financing for Development.
Tipu is also a research assistant for SUNY New Paltz Professor Stephen Pampinella, working on constructivism guided liberal foreign policy.
During summer 2018 he worked as a political and research fellow at the Atlas Project where he conducted opposition and defense campaign research, compiled 2018 election cycle digests, and helped maintain Atlas databases and campaign toolkits.
In the spring of 2018 Tipu also worked as an intern at the Office of Senator Schumer, with a focus upon policy analysis, constituent relations, and issue-specific political research.
His areas of interest include international affairs, public-private partnerships, sustainable development, corporate social responsiblity, political organizations, and foreign policy.
RUTH HASSEL-THOMPSON
Ruth Hassell-Thompson is New York State Special Advisor for Policy & Community Renewal. She was a former Democratic member of the New York State Senate in New York’s 36th Senate District, representing parts of the Bronx and Westchester County.
Hassell-Thompson has served in the New York State Senate since 2000. She is also a former City Council President and Acting Mayor of Mount Vernon, having been first elected to the City Council in 1993. She is also a retired nurse for Mount Vernon Hospital, specializing in pediatrics and substance abuse counseling. She is the founding President and CEO of “The Gathering,” a volunteer-staffed women’s center in Mount Vernon that provides counseling and support services, and has also worked extensively with individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS.
Prior to holding an elected office, she was President/CEO of Whart Development Company, Inc., a real estate development company that also provided consultant services to small and developing businesses. She was also the Executive Director of the Westchester Minority Contractors Association, helping to bring opportunities for growth and economic development to minority- and women-owned businesses in the region. Previously, she led the Westchester Community Opportunity Program, which provided medical, social and related support services to local residents in need.
Hassell-Thompson is the recipient of two Honorary Doctorate degrees; Mercy College, Doctor of Humane Letters; and Eastern Theological Consortium, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Christ Theological Seminary, Doctor of Humanities. She is an alumna of Bronx Community College.
DENISE BELL
Denise Bell is the Researcher for Refugee and Migrant Rights, and was previously Senior Campaigner for Refugee and Migrant Rights, leading implementation of Amnesty’s I Welcome campaign on refugee rights.
Bell came to AIUSA from the U.S. Department of Justice, where she was an Attorney Advisor on the New York Immigration Court. She was a Sudan Country Specialist for AIUSA and the campaigner for its Darfur campaign.
She has worked in various capacities on forced displacement issues since the mid-1990s, when she worked with refugees and IDPs in Croatia following the Dayton Peace Accord.
Bell is barred in the state of New York and sits on the City Bar’s Immigration and Nationality Law Committee.
JANETH MORENO
Janeth Moreno is the founding and managing attorney at Moreno Law, Humanitarian and Immigration Law, a boutique law firm located in the heart of Boston’s legal and financial community. Moreno Law provides professional advice and representation in matters related to business immigration, family based immigration, deportation defense and humanitarian reliefs.
Moreno is experienced in international law, human rights, and immigration law, with a strong interest in refugee protection, migration, global affairs, and gender equality. She participated as a delegate during the Commission on the status of Women 58th session at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in March 2014. In April 2014, she obtained a certificate from the Worldview Institute at the United Nations Association in New York where she completed an executive program in International law and human rights.
She participated in the United Nations Global Affairs and refugees’ protection program held by the New York University at the Palais Des Nations in Geneva Switzerland in June 2015. In April 2015, Moreno was appointed under the program Legal Assistance for Mexican Nationals, as the Immigration Attorney of the Consulate General of Mexico in Boston.
Moreno is admitted to practice law in Mexico and in the State of New York. She was born in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, and moved to Boston to continue with her legal studies, where she completed a LL.M. program at Suffolk University Law School.
She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), a member of the New York Bar Association, a member of the Boston Bar Association (BBA), member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, a board member of the Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys (MAHA), and a member of the United Nations Association New York Chapter (UNA).
WILLIAM C. SILVERMAN
William C. Silverman is a partner responsible for leading Proskauer’s global pro bono efforts, which provide assistance to individual clients and nonprofit organizations in litigation as well as transactional matters. He focuses on identifying and securing pro bono opportunities and partnerships for Proskauer lawyers and ensuring widespread participation in these projects.
Bill has robust private and public sector experience and a strong criminal and civil background. He has worked extensively on government investigations and white collar criminal matters, as well as complex civil litigation in federal and state courts. He also served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he led criminal investigations, conducted trials and handled Second Circuit appeals.
Throughout his career, Bill has dedicated himself to the promotion of equal access to justice through pro bono service, particularly in the area of family court, anti-trafficking, and unaccompanied minors in immigration proceedings.
Bill spearheaded a partnership among several law firms, corporations and the New York City Family Court to provide free legal advice to pro se litigants. The New York City Family Court Volunteer Attorney Program now has more than 400 volunteer attorneys from 40 major firms and corporations. Bill also helped build a coalition of organizations in a successful effort to secure additional Family Court judges in New York. He was also part of the successful effort to raise the age of criminal responsibility in New York, which, until recently, was one of only two states where 16 and 17 year olds are automatically placed in the adult criminal justice system.
NOTE: Please remember that your registration represents your commitment to attend this event — however, if you have registered and cannot attend, please notify us at the earliest possible notice, to enable others to attend.