Keynote Speaker: Dr. Austin Kocher

One year into the second Trump administration, immigration policy has been fundamentally transformed. What began as a rapid series of executive actions has now become an expansive and well-funded enforcement paradigm, one that has tested constitutional limits, reshaped federal institutions, and redefined what immigration enforcement looks like in America.
 
This talk offers a clear-eyed assessment of where things stand after twelve months: how enforcement has evolved on the ground, how the administration's justifications for aggressive tactics have failed to withstand legal and empirical scrutiny, and what the long-term consequences are for immigrant families, communities, and the rule of law itself. Kocher contextualizes the current moment within broader historical patterns, identifies what truly is unprecedented, and looks ahead to what we can expect in the year to come.
 
Beyond analysis, Kocher will share practical tools and strategies for students and scholars trying to navigate this fast-moving policy landscape, including how to find, interpret, and critically assess immigration policy and enforcement data.
 
Dr. Austin Kocher is a geographer and Assistant Research Professor in the Office of Research and Creative Activity in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University. He also has a faculty appointment in Syracuse University’s Department of Geography, an affiliated expert at the Institute for Democracy, Journalism, and Citizenship, and he is a research fellow at the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS) at American University. 
 
His work critically examines how immigration enforcement agencies use legal mechanisms, data collection, and surveillance technologies to exert control over noncitizens, often with profound consequences for due process and human rights. He also investigates the role of public records, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and data-driven analysis in exposing systemic patterns of enforcement and government accountability. Through interdisciplinary methods, including legal case research, counter-mapping, and large-scale data analysis, his scholarship highlights the intersection of immigration policy, sovereignty, and state power. Ultimately, his research seeks to challenge dominant narratives about immigration enforcement and provide empirical insights into the evolving landscape of U.S. immigration control.