Legal and political experts to take part at May 19 event.
Princeton Public Library will host a second program on illegal immigration, this one focusing on political and legal issues, 6:30 p.m. May 19.
"In Pursuit of Happiness: Economic and Political Perspectives on Illegal Immigration," co-sponsored by the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund, will feature legal and political experts who will share their views and provide insights into the questions posed by illegal immigration.
Carol M. Swain, professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University, will be on hand to discuss the political and legal ramifications of immigration policy.
She is the founding director of the Veritas Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting justice and reconciliation among people of different races, ethnicities, faith traditions and nations. She is also the author of several books and has received numerous honors and awards.
Also participating, Alejandro Portes, director of the Center for Migration and Development, has studied the adaptation process of the immigrant second generation and the rise of transnational immigrant communities in the United States. He chairs the sociology department at Princeton University and is the author of more than 200 articles on international migration.
Other panelists include Douglas Palmer, mayor of Trenton; Yina A. Moore, a member of the Princeton Regional Planning Board; and Barrie Peterson, co-director of the Institute on Work at Seton Hall University.
Mayor Palmer, Trenton’s first black mayor, is president of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors. Ms. Moore is consultant principal of YAM Design and Development and a member of Princeton Future. Mr. Peterson, an employment consultant, has been instrumental in helping immigrants find jobs.
Maria Juega, chair of the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund, will introduce the speakers.
In Pursuit of Happiness is a follow-up to a Jan. 31 program that examined social perspectives of illegal immigration.

