LITTLE ROCK, AR -- On Thursday, February 9th the Hispanic Law Students Association at UALR Bowen School of Law provided a lunch and panel discussion on a hot topic in Congress right now -- immigration reform.



The panelists covered current legislation, its problems, and why comprehensive reform is much necessary.



Guest panelists included, Steve Patterson, Senator Lincoln’s Chief of Staff. Patterson presented policy issues driving the immigration reform debate and the need for comprehensive reform.



John Yates, Esq., from Catlett & Stodola. Yates, a bilingual immigration attorney in Little Rock, discussed the current state of affairs in immigration law and its inability to serve American business, families and immigrants.



Sheila Gomez representing the Catholic Charities of Arkansas presented the faith-based institution’s point of view. She discussed the impact of bills such as H.R. 4437 (the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act) on faith-based charities. “If this Bill becomes law, organizations like ours and volunteers will break the law and will be treated as criminals,” she told the crowd.



Barry Hyde, President of Hydco, Inc., provided the construction industry perspective on immigration reform. He discussed the industry’s difficulty with compliance, and the need for a system that works without penalizing employers.



The UALR Hispanic Law Students Association is made of 15 students, eight of which are of Hispanic descend.