Rancho Mirage Writers Festival examines immigration policy under Trump admin
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) - The Rancho Mirage Writers Festival hosted a panel focused on current immigration policy, called Crossroads: America’s New Immigration Reality this morning. The panel featured journalist Meena Ahamed, historian Russell Shorto and columnist Bret Stephens. They examined immigration policy under the Trump administration and how immigrants have shaped American society.
"We absolutely need a policy that secures the border. The complaints about immigration are not entirely illegitimate, and we have to be the ones who enforce these laws," said Stephens, a columnist for The New York Times often writing about politics.
"One couldn't have imagined that the streets of America would see federal agents in masks and uniforms coming in and threatening its own citizens," said Meena Ahamed, who recently authored a book about the contributions of Indian immigrations to the U.S.
Attendees say they joined the event in hopes of making sense of current immigration policy.
"My heart breaks for what's going on now. But this conference, because it talks about history and how we've survived in the past, gives me hope," says Jo Kaplan.
