“Who belongs?” Saint Leo professors answer the hard questions on immigration on Constitution Day

By Elijah Penn, Staff Writer

On Sept. 17, a panel of four Saint Leo University professors from a range of departments gathered in TECO Hall to answer questions about immigration and national security for Saint Leo University’s annual Constitution Day event.

Each year, the organizers of Constitution Day try to pick a topic that is not only controversial, but also timely. For example, in 2022, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Constitution Day focused on the topic of abortion and the 14^thAmendment. Last year, the topic was elections.

Now, in the height of the debate surrounding the Trump Administration’s immigration policies, the topic chosen for the event was, naturally, immigration and the idea of “Who belongs?”

The panel consisted of Francis “Frank” Orlando, Instructor II of Political Science, Harold Tucker, an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice and former Unit Chief for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Washington, D.C., Daniel DuBois, Director of Honors and Associate Professor of History, and Marco Rimanelli, Full Professor of Political Sciences and International Studies.

Assistant Professor of Political Science, Dr. Austin Trantham, moderated the event, but his tasks started well before the event began. One challenge that Trantham faced was writing balanced questions to stimulate discussion, both about policy and the panelists’ experiences. He realized then that those personal stories really made the event resonate with the audience.

The opening question Trantham asked was about how each of the panelists had been personally affected by immigration. Orlando told of being treated differently at school for being from an Italian family, and Rimanelli discussed why he decided to make America his new home. Tucker talked about his time working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and DuBois revealed his rich ethnic background.

“I learned so much about my faculty colleagues and their own personal experiences with these topics,” Trantham stated. Orlando told a story that drew laughs where a teacher had told kids in his school, “Don’t borrow money from Frankie because his uncles will break your legs if you don’t pay him back.”

“I think, you know, having a panelist who is a son of immigrants and having a panelist who is a legal immigrant, really added to the dynamic nature of what we’re discussing,” Trantham added.

While the panel members agreed on most of the major points, there were some differences in opinion on specific policies that should be put in place for immigration. Rimanelli did not shy away from discussing the effectiveness of the past three presidential administration’s immigration policies. Tucker answered a question about his thoughts on Alligator Alcatraz and similar facilities, which he saw as “political grandstanding.”

“It’s most important for me, for the students to be able to hear from faculty having a civil discourse and … how some of the panelists disagreed with each other on certain aspects of the topic, but … they can still engage in meaningful conversation,” Trantham said, tying in the University’s value of “Respect.”

“Each year, I think what the Constitution Day program allows the University to unite in a spirit of intellectually engaging conversation while continuing to demonstrate our core value of Community and how we really are better together than we are apart,” Trantham said. He expressed excitement for next year’s Constitution Day event and encouraged students to attend it for another relevant discussion.

Matthew Efem, a political science sophomore, found this year’s topic to be particularly relevant to current times. It was Efem’s first time attending Constitution Day. He found the event to be very engaging.

“I learned quite a lot of valuable information regarding it,” Efem said.

“I would like to learn a little bit more when it comes to immigration … It was very interesting when it comes to the process of immigration, and … from what I’ve heard from the panel, that it was very convoluted when it comes to the process, so looking into that, and how immigration actually works … is very interesting to me,” Efem said.

What really stood out to Efem was the idea of belonging. He remembers the panelists discussing that those who belong are “those people that really are willing to give up everything that … they knew and loved to become someone better.”

The event was a very informative one for all who attended, students and staff alike. Even after the panel had ended, the discussion had just begun. Several students remained behind to ask the panelists their opinions on questions that they hadn’t been able to get to in the limited time of the event. They were able to have a more personal dialogue about topics like birthright citizenship, national security, and whether immigration should be limited.

The event gave students new insights into modern issues and a greater understanding of “Who belongs?” and what it means to be an American, whether someone was born here or not.

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