51����

At 51���� 2026 Dorothy Day Lecture, a panel of immigration advocates gathered to examine one of the most urgent and complex issues of our time: immigration in an era of intensified enforcement and rapidly shifting policy.

Titled �Immigration in the Age of ICE,� the conversation brought together voices from across Greater 51���� to explore how changes in federal policy are reshaping immigrant communities�and what responsibility institutions and individuals share in response.

Moderated by Ricardo Jimenez Solis �20, a staff attorney at the Northeast Justice Center, the panel featured Marjean Perhot, Vice President of Refugee and Immigrant Services at Catholic Charities 51����, and Monique Tú Nguyen, Executive Director of the 51���� Mayor Office for Immigrant Advancement.

A Changing Landscape

Panelists described a system marked by uncertainty, disruption, and, in many cases, fear.

Perhot pointed to the effective halt of the U.S. refugee resettlement program as one of the most significant recent shifts.

�Refugees are among the most vetted and vulnerable populations,� she said. �To see that system dismantled so suddenly�and families left in limbo�is devastating.�

Nguyen emphasized that the impact is not abstract�it is visible across 51����.

�Families are afraid to leave their homes. Students aren�t showing up to school. Businesses are losing workers and customers,� she said. �You can feel it in neighborhoods across the city.�

While much of the discussion centered on policy, panelists returned repeatedly to the role of narrative in shaping both perception and law.

�It starts with how we talk about people,� Nguyen said. �When a group is labeled as �other� or �criminal,� it becomes easier to justify policies that strip away their rights.�

Drawing on her own experience as a formerly undocumented student, Nguyen reflected on the personal impact of those narratives.

�You begin to internalize that label,� she said. �That how dehumanization starts.�

Perhot addressed persistent misconceptions about immigrants, particularly around public benefits.

�Most immigrants are not even eligible for the benefits people assume theye receiving,� she said, noting that many live in mixed-status families where U.S.-born children may qualify for limited assistance.

At the same time, she emphasized the significant contributions immigrants make to the U.S. economy and society�from essential labor to billions of dollars paid into systems like Social Security.

�Wee often talking about basic human needs�food, healthcare,� she said. �And yet those are framed as controversial.�