“Immigration raises a series of ethical issues,” said Noah Pickus, director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics. “How we treat people, what our obligations are toward newcomers (and theirs toward us), and ideas of belonging and identity—all of these questions come into play.”

Tamar Jacoby, President of ImmigrationWorks USA, argued for raising the number of visas provided to meet the country’s economic needs, to make it easier to enforce the rule of law and address security concerns, and to make for fairer competition for jobs between native-born citizens and new immigrants.

On the question of “assimilation” vs. “integration,” John Herrera, the first Hispanic immigrant to be elected to municipal government in North Carolina, argued that the former term is a patronizing one. By contrast, Juan Rangel, CEO of Chicago’s largest Hispanic community-based organization, disagreed, saying that assimilation and meeting a firm set of expectations is necessary to becoming part of the American national identity.

Jacob Vigdor of Duke University presented his findings that current levels of assimilation are lower than they were 100 years ago, owing to a large influx of immigrants in the last few decades. However, the immigrants of the last 25 years are assimilating at a much faster pace than those who arrived in the early part of the 20^th century, he said.

Paula McClain of Duke University and José David Saldívar of Duke University suggested that whether or not immigrants enter under refugee status, the size and location of their countries of origin, the choices immigrants are making in regard to assimilation, and the opportunities this country provides all determine whether and why immigrants are or are not assimilating.

One common theme raised by speakers was the problems posed by treating immigration issues in isolation. Hiroshi Motomura of UNC-Chapel Hill and Peter Skerry of Boston College pointed out how referring to immigrants as “illegal” vs. “undocumented” or focusing on behavior rather than legal status often define the problems and solutions advanced in the immigration debate. Both Motomura and Skerry suggested that a truly comprehensive approach to immigration policy would have to account for both formal rules and informal community norms.

In closing, Noah Pickus said to move forward, Americans must clarify the expectations that native-born and new residents should have toward each other, particularly on the state and local level. “Ultimately it comes down to being able to say, ‘Here are the expectations if you’re here, and here’s what we offer in return,’” he said.