Migration Lab Events

The Migration Lab at the University of South Carolina aims to promote interdisciplinary research, ongoing scholarly discussions, and community involvement to deepen understanding of modern migrations. Through events and speaker invitations, we cultivate collaboration, drive dialogue, and generate insights into migration complexities.

Workshops (25/26)

Date	Time	Location	Speaker	Title
October 15	4-5pm	Hamilton 322	Evren Özselçuk (Assistant Professor, English)	Aesthetics of the Abstract in El Mar La Mar
November 12	4-5pm	Hamilton 322	Jill Thornton (PhD Candidate, Geography)	Employment, Recycling, and Heaven: Comparative Migrant Definitions of ‘Integration’ in Germany
February 3	4pm	Hamilton 322	Austin Crane (Walker Institute and Geography)	"We work at the edges of the law": how migrant-facing NGOs negotiate humanitarian care in Assisted Voluntary Return counseling.
February 18	12pm	Hamilton 322	Austin Kocher	In advance of his afternoon keynote lecture, Dr. Austin Kocher will have a brownbag lunch conversation with the USC Migration Lab on the theme of engaging the politics of migration through public scholarship.
March 24	4pm	Hamilton 322	Caroline Nagel (Geography) and Kara Brown (Education)	"Nativism, non-immigrant visas, and the precarious position of international teachers in South Carolina public schools"

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Austin Kocher

Making Sense of Immigration Enforcement in 2026

Date: 18 February 2026, 4:00 p.m.

Location: Gambrell 429

One year into the second Trump administration, immigration policy has been fundamentally transformed. What began as a rapid series of executive actions has now become an expansive and well-funded enforcement paradigm, one that has tested constitutional limits, reshaped federal institutions, and redefined what immigration enforcement looks like in America.

This talk offers a clear-eyed assessment of where things stand after twelve months: how enforcement has evolved on the ground, how the administration's justifications for aggressive tactics have failed to withstand legal and empirical scrutiny, and what the long-term consequences are for immigrant families, communities, and the rule of law itself. Kocher contextualizes the current moment within broader historical patterns, identifies what truly is unprecedented, and looks ahead to what we can expect in the year to come.

Beyond analysis, Kocher will share practical tools and strategies for students and scholars trying to navigate this fast-moving policy landscape, including how to find, interpret, and critically assess immigration policy and enforcement data.

Biography: Dr. Austin Kocher is a geographer and Assistant Research Professor in the Office of Research and Creative Activity in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University. He also has a faculty appointment in Syracuse University’s Department of Geography, an affiliated expert at the Institute for Democracy, Journalism, and Citizenship, and he is a research fellow at the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS) at American University. His work critically examines how immigration enforcement agencies use legal mechanisms, data collection, and surveillance technologies to exert control over noncitizens, often with profound consequences for due process and human rights. He also investigates the role of public records, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and data-driven analysis in exposing systemic patterns of enforcement and government accountability. Through interdisciplinary methods, including legal case research, counter-mapping, and large-scale data analysis, his scholarship highlights the intersection of immigration policy, sovereignty, and state power. Ultimately, his research seeks to challenge dominant narratives about immigration enforcement and provide empirical insights into the evolving landscape of U.S. immigration control.

See flyer here