Cornell Law invites the leader of the Center for Immigration Studies to speak on campus

Students and alumni are in an uproar after Cornell Law School invited the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), Mark Krikorian, to speak at a conference for Dreamers on Friday Oct. 5.

Bothered by her alma mater a Cornell Law alumna, Kica Matos, started an online petition. Matos is the Director of Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice at the Center for Community Change.

On the petition, Matos wrote that Cornell Law has invited the leader of the anti-immigrant

hate group, CIS.

“CIS is recognized as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for many reasons, including the more than 2,000 times CIS has distributed white nationalist and Holocaust-denying content. CIS is also part of a shadowy anti-immigrant network of groups linked to white supremacist and pro-eugenicist beliefs.”

Krikorian is one of three speakers on a panel for this conference. The panel, "No Way Forward, Yet No Way Back: Dreamers as Part of a Comprehensive Immigration Reform Solution," is going to discuss an overview on the precarious nature of immigration quasi-status.

In regards to Krikorian speaking, in a statement Matos said, "The fact that Cornell has asked Krikorian to speak at a conference for Dreamers, when Dreamers (and others deeply impacted by CIS’ mass deportation agenda) will be in the audience is astounding."

Over 4,000 people signed the petition within 24 hours of it being posted. Mato’s goal is to reach 7,000 signatures.