Biden’s Bold Immigration Bill: A Conversation w/ Ilya Somin

Good Law | Bad Law

Aaron Freiwald, Managing Partner of Freiwald Law and host of the weekly podcast, Good Law | Bad Law, is joined by Professor Ilya Somin, of the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School, to discuss immigration and the expansive changes proposed by the new Biden Administration. What is included in Biden’s new agenda? How will it affect immigration? What are the major initiatives? What about DACA?

As we post today’s episode, President Joe Biden has only been in the White House for a little more than a week and has already announced an expansive, pro-immigration agenda aimed at not only dismantling the previous administration’s harsh restrictions but also, as Professor Somin explains, to significantly move the political conversation forward. Today Aaron and Ilya are talking about what Biden’s plans seem to be, what they mean for the future, and delve into what some of the key provisions are, touching on governance, executive orders and actions, open borders, and more. What are the pathways to citizenship now and what is likely to change? What is Congress’ role? What is likely to be enacted? Ilya and Aaron discuss illegal immigration and legal immigration, raising the refugee limit, the backlog of immigration courts, and more.

Ilya Somin is a Professor of Law at George Mason; his research focuses on constitutional law, property law, democratic theory, federalism, and migration rights. The author of several publications, Professor Somin’s most recent book, Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom (Oxford University Press, 2020), explores how broadening opportunities for foot voting can greatly enhance political liberty for millions of people around the world. Ilya’s work has appeared in numerous scholarly journals, including the Yale Law Journal, Stanford Law Review, Northwestern University Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, Critical Review, and others. Professor Somin has also published articles in a variety of popular press outlets, including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Law Angeles Times, CNN, The Atlantic, USA Today, among others. He has been quoted or interviewed by several news channels and his writings have been cited in decisions by the United States Supreme Court, multiple state supreme courts and lower federal courts, and the Supreme Court of Israel.

Professor Somin has served as a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School as well as a visiting professor or scholar at the Georgetown University Law Center, the University of Hamburg, Germany, the University of Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Zhengzhou University in China. Before joining the faculty at George Mason, Professor Somin was the John M. Olin Fellow in Law at Northwestern University Law School and clerked for the Hon. Judge Jerry E. Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Ilya earned his BA at Amherst College, MA in Political Science from Harvard University and his JD from Yale Law.

Listen now!

To learn more about Professor Ilya Somin, and to access a full list of his publications, please click here.

To check out Professor Somin’s most recent book, Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom, please click here.

Host: Aaron Freiwald

Guest: Ilya Somin

Follow Good Law | Bad Law:

YouTube: Good Law | Bad Law

Facebook: @GOODLAWBADLAW

Instagram: @GoodLawBadLaw

Website: https://www.law-podcast.com