BUFFALO, NY – The Canisius University Borders and Migrations Event Series presents “Migration with Dignity,” a panel presentation discussing border realities and collective action, on Monday, October 6, at 5:00 p.m. The event will take place in the Grupp Fireside Lounge, located on the second floor of the Richard E. Winter ‘42 Student Center, and is free and open to the public.
The panel discussion will be led by Inigo Casares Pérez, the education coordinator of the Kino Border Initiative and Canisius University students Kaitlin O’Meara ’26, Gabriel Rodriguez León ’26 and Mackenzie Jordan Harmon ’26, who recently returned from a service immersion trip to the U.S.-Mexico border. The panel will discuss the political context of the borderlands, the realities of migrants and what individuals and organizations can do within their own communities to accompany them.
During their trip to Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, the Canisius students engaged in immersive experiences designed to provide firsthand understanding of migration challenges. Their activities included hiking through the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge to experience desert conditions faced by migrants, visiting federal court proceedings, meeting with border ranchers, sharing meals with migrants at the Kino shelter, and speaking directly with individuals who had been deported after decades in the United States. The students also visited historic missions that contextualize the borderlands as places of longstanding cultural contact and human movement.
The Borders and Migrations Initiative is a collaborative space where Canisius students, faculty and staff, together with members of the Western New York Community, work to understand and support the lives of immigrants and refugees around the globe. The initiative develops programs, events and opportunities for the campus community to support justice for migrants, refugees and those who meet and cross borders.
This Borders & Migrations event is co-sponsored by the Campus Ministry.
Please contact Richard Reitsma, PhD, associate professor of modern languages and director of the Borders and Migration program, at @email for more information.
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
