David Thronson is Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Michigan State University College of Law. He also teaches immigration law at the University of Michigan as a visiting professor. Thronson’s research focuses on the intersection of family law and immigration law, in particular on the impact of immigration law on children.

U.S. immigration law is hotly debated yet widely misunderstood. Even as intense political battles surround immigration law and policy, such fights are often unencumbered by accurate perceptions of the general nature and details of our nation’s immigration system. Immigration is an issue that implicates fundamental national and personal values, but we cannot attempt to find common ground on these without a shared and accurate understanding of how our immigration system actually functions.

This is the third in a series of six weekly lectures. The subject is immigration. The next lecture will be on November 15. The title is THE REAL IMMIGRATION DEBATE: WHOM TO LET IN AND WHY.