Panel 1: Managing Asylum and Migration: International Cooperation, Public Costs and Policy Choices
Date: September 24, 2026
Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 am (Doors open at 9:30 am)
Location: The New School, Wolff Conference Room, Albert and Vera List Academic Center, Room D1103, The New School, 6 East 16th Street, New York, NY
As governments increasingly turn to third-country agreements, offshore processing, return hubs, and other forms of externalization, this panel will examine whether these policies are lawful, effective, and worth their significant public cost. Bringing together legal, policy, financial, and lived-experience perspectives, the discussion will assess the safeguards required under international law, compare externalization with domestic processing and community-based alternatives, and identify practical approaches that balance refugee protection, responsible border governance, state capacity, and public confidence.
Moderator: Kendra Frith, Co-Chair of USRAB and Rainbow Road Senior Program Officer, Integrated Support
Gabrielle Apollon, Coordinator of Hemispheric Network for Haitian Migrants' Rights and Director of Haitian Migration Project, Global Justice Clinic, NYU School of Law.
Allehone Abebe, Senior Policy Advisor at UNHCR New York Office.
Maria Claudia Pulido Escobar, Assistant Executive Secretary, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
Royce Bernstein Murray, former Assistant Secretary for Border and Immigration Policy at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Senior Counselor to the DHS Secretary for immigration under the Biden Administration.
Panel 2: Losing the Narrative? How Media, Politics, and Public Fear Shape Perceptions of Refugees and Migrants
Date: September 24, 2026
Time: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Location: The New School, Wolff Conference Room, Albert and Vera List Academic Center, Room D1103, The New School, 6 East 16th Street, New York, NY.
Refugees and migrants are increasingly at the center of political polarization, public anxiety, and media debate, while their everyday contributions often remain overlooked. This panel will explore how political framing, media coverage, misinformation, and fear shape public perceptions and influence policy, particularly during elections and periods of uncertainty. It will examine why many existing counter-narratives have failed to resonate and identify trusted messengers, stronger communication strategies, and practical alliances that can help refugee and migrant leaders, governments, journalists, researchers, and civil society rebuild public trust.
Mohammed Naeem, Senior Director for Advocacy Strategy at Refugees International
Shauna Siggelkow, Co-Executive Director of Define American
Meagan Thiessen, Migration Program Manager & Counsellor (Migration and Refugee Protection) of the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations
Clifford Young, President of Ipsos Public Affairs at Ipsos
Moderator: Hafsat Muhammed, Independent Journalist and Founder of Choice for Peace Gender and Development, NIG