Experts Use Legal Perspective to Identify Human-Focused Solutions to Migration Crisis

CONTACT
Kristi Turnbaugh
Director of Communications, School of Law
kturnbaugh@LUC.edu 

ROME—Loyola University Chicago School of Law convened religious leaders, policymakers, and migration experts to discuss the global migration crisis during the Conference on Global Migration and the Rule of Law April 11 and April 12 at Rome’s Pontificia Università Gregoriana.   

Superior General of the Society of Jesus Rev. Arturo Sosa, S.J., serving as the event’s distinguished speaker, opened the conference with a call to continue to collaborate and find solutions that recognize migrants’ dignity.  

“Our Jesuit universities are…on the front lines of social conflict, engaging in research, debate, analysis regarding the root causes of migration, the social conditions and destructive ideologies that force people to move,” Sosa said. “Therefore, I am grateful that this conference continues the tradition of keeping the Society of Jesus on the front lines of social conflict, seeking solutions and providing hope to the brokenhearted.” 

Over the course of the two-day conference, experts analyzed the various factors and contemporary stressors that have led to more than 281 million people around the world living outside their country of birth.

“Migration is one of the defining social justice issues of our time,” said Katherine Kaufka Walts, clinical professor of law, director of the Center for the Human Rights of Children, and co-director of the Holistic Immigration Hub. “This conference united local and global voices to confront it with both urgency and imagination.” 

The six panel discussions focused on topics such as the growing impact of climate change on dislocation, solutions to the human displacement crisis, and the connections between human trafficking and migration.

For the discussion focused on climate change, panelists explored how to provide vulnerable populations resources to adapt, relocate, or resettle if their homelands have been threatened by extreme temperatures and severe weather.  

“Climate change is an injustice rather than misfortune,” said Morris I. Leibman Professor of Law Carmen G. Gonzalez, who served as a moderator for the climate change and human displacement panel. “Caused primarily by the greenhouse gas emissions of the world’s most affluent populations, climate change inflicts its worst consequences on those who contributed least to the problem and have the fewest resources to protect themselves from harm.”

Juliet Sorensen, clinical professor of law and director of the Rule of Law Institute and Program in Rule of Law for Development, moderated the final panel, which focused on the future and opportunities to strengthen policies that help migrants flourish.

“My own panel sought to identify a path forward for global migration and the rule of law that was both equitable and human-centered,” Sorensen said. “Panelists focused on law and policy initiatives on the African continent; forced migration and the war between Russia and Ukraine; and asylum considerations for Syrians in the post-Assad era.” 

The conference, cosponsored with Loyola’s College of Arts and Sciences, was an important extension of Loyola’s work to bring together cross-disciplinary experts to identify how the rule of law can work to protect the dignity of migrants throughout the world. In December 2024, Loyola launched the Holistic Immigration Hub, which brings together experts from various sectors to train future leaders, support Chicago community organizations, and catalyze change.

“Loyola’s Conference on Global Migration and the Rule of Law could not have been timelier,” said Sarah J. Diaz, co-director of the Holistic Immigration Hub, director of the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic, and associate director of the Center for the Human Rights of Children. “While the rule of migration law is being undermined, this conference reinforced our call to elevate the human dignity of the migrant people at the center of our work—in keeping with our Jesuit mission and our shared values.” 

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About Loyola University Chicago
Founded in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is one of the nation’s largest Jesuit, Catholic universities, recognized for its academic excellence, commitment to community engagement, and leadership in sustainability. A Carnegie R1 research institution, Loyola leverages its status as one of an elite group of universities with the highest level of research activity to advance knowledge that serves communities and creates global impact. With 15 schools, colleges, and institutes—including Business, Law, Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences—Loyola operates three primary campuses in the greater Chicago area and one in Rome, Italy, that provide students a transformative, globally connected learning experience. Consistently ranked among the nation’s top universities by U.S. News & World Report, Loyola is a STARS Gold-rated institution that is ranked as one of the country’s most sustainable campuses by The Princeton Review and has earned distinctions from AmeriCorps and the Carnegie Foundation for its longstanding record of service and community engagement. Guided by its Jesuit mission and commitment to caring for the whole person, Loyola educates ethical leaders who think critically, act with purpose, and strive to create a more just and sustainable world. Visit Loyola Today to find the latest University news.

About Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Founded in 1908, Loyola University Chicago School of Law is a student-focused law school inspired by the Jesuit tradition of academic excellence, intellectual openness, and service to others, with a distinctive social justice mission. Students receive a superior legal education in a diverse, welcoming environment, learning from faculty members who have earned a reputation for excellence in teaching, research, service, and public policy. The School of Law offers full-time JD and part-time JD degree programs as well as Master of Laws (LLM) and Master of Jurisprudence (MJ) programs. School of Law programs are consistently ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report. At the School of Law, students can enhance their experience and career prospects while serving the community through renowned centers, institutes, and programs, including the Holistic Immigration Hub and the Center for the Human Rights of Children.