He grew up in a suburban barrio of Los Angles, son of Mexican immigrants. He knows first-hand the challenges faced by new immigrants both in the United States and Canada. He obtained his PhD at the University of California on a prestigious Ford Foundation Scholarship. Dismayed by the growing alt right movement in the USA and Donald Trump’s presidency, he and his wife emigrated to Canada to raise their young family. He will share his academic and personal perspectives on the current world-wide immigration issues.