Chicano/Latino Student Affairs (CLSA) has organized an ongoing series of events addressing issues facing the Latino community.

The series, which began in September and will continue through November, is titled “Immigration: National Impact and Local Implications.” The events are designed to encourage students at the 5Cs to reflect on the current debate over immigration.

The first half of the series, which ran from September to mid-October, was aimed at educating Claremont students about current U.S. immigration policy and practice. A lecture given by Victor Viramontes of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund last Tuesday addressed Arizona Law SB 1070, also known as the “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act.”

SB 1070, which is the strictest immigration law in the country and which generated a huge amount of national controversy, requires Arizona police officers to check a person’s immigration status if they have reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally.

Amid concerns that the law would encourage racial profiling, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a request for an injunction to keep the most controversial aspects from being enforced. The injunction was granted by a federal judge the day before the law came into effect.

Maria Torres, CLSA Dean of Students, said the educational events have been well-recieved and well-attended so far.

“The response has been very favorable at every level,” she said.

The second half of CLSA’s events, which will run from mid-October to November, will focus more on proposed solutions to conflicts surrounding immigration. They will include talks, film screenings, and art exhibitions. Titles of planned lectures include “Immigration Policy and the Latino Community,” “Divided by Borders: Mexican Migrants and Their Children,” and “Undocumented Activism and Civic Engagement.”

The film Students in Limbo: When Dreams are Put on Hold will be screened. The documentary focuses on AB540, a bill that allows undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition at California state-sponsored universities and colleges if they attended high school in the U.S. and plan to apply for permanent resident status after they graduate. AB540 is very similar to the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act, which was part of the Democrats’ defense bill along with the proposal to end Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and which was blocked by Republicans in the Senate this September. The DREAM Act would allow undocumented immigrants to gain legal current residency status via a college education or service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

“We anticipate that there is tremendous interest [in these issues],” Torres said, adding a planned trip to the U.S./Mexico border has generated a particularly large response from the Claremont community. The trip, scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 23, is already fully booked. Torres anticipates that participants will be surprised at the level of militarization at the border. The area the group will visit, Friendship Park, has three fences and sniper towers.

Naddia Palacios, CLSA Assistant Dean of Students, added that there are “lots of contradictions between border policy and human rights,” and that CLSA aims to draw attention to these contraditions.

For students who wish to learn more about U.S. border policy but are unable to go on the trip, there will be a screening of the film The 800 Mile Wall on Thursday, Oct. 21 at 4:00 p.m.

CLSA is also hosting events celebrating traditional cultures, including performances of Mariachi music, traditional Aztec dance, and a commemoration of El Da de los Muertos.

Teresa Wen SC’12, who performed with an Aztec dance troupe Wednesday as part of her class on Pre-Columbian dance, said she enjoyed the experience.

“It’s really interesting,” Wen said. “I’ve never learned anything like this before.”