Immigration will be a hot topic on campus next week. Oglethorpe will welcome Charles “Chuck” Kuck, one of the world’s leading immigration attorneys, on April 9 for Immigration 101: Smashing the Wall, and just two days later, Guatemalan filmmaker Luis Argueta for a screening of his newest film The U Turn: A Transformational Journey.
Luis Argueta will be on campus April 11 to discuss his film The U Turn
The U Turn is a documentary about the transformational story of a group of immigrant women and underage workers, their courage to break the silence surrounding their abuse, and the community that accompanies them on their journey. The screening will be followed by a talk with the director, Luis Argueta.
Kuck’s lecture will focus on common myths, what DACA is (and isn’t), and why there is no such thing as an illegal person. Members of Oglethorpe’s Class of 2019 will be on hand accepting donations to the senior class gift campaign, aimed at helping students to stay enrolled in school, including DACA students who are not eligible for federal or state financial aid.
“I have always invited an immigration attorney to visit campus to talk each year about visa options after graduation for individuals who hold visas,” said Marisa Atencio, assistant dean and director of global education in the TLCC. “After I learned about the Senior Class Campaign, I immediately wanted to be sure Chuck returned to campus to do a public talk to provide an overview on immigration reform and to demystify the terms DACA and undocumented.”
Immediately following the lecture, Kuck will hold an information session U.S. Immigration: Finding Your Way Through The Maze to assist current visa holders to explore pathways to work through the “immigration maze” to obtain work sponsorship (H1B visa and other visa options) or a green card.
Top immigration attorney Chuck Kuck.
Kuck previously visited Oglethorpe in 2017 after President Trump’s Executive Orders impacting visas to Citizens of Muslim majority countries. He is responsible for the lawsuit against the University System of Georgia over their “lockout” policies which make undocumented and DACA students ineligible for in-state tuition at all USG schools and prevent them from enrolling at the selective USG schools.
“In my experience, Chuck has by far been the favorite attorney to talk with (students),” said Antencio. “I expect this is associated with his advocacy for the immigrant community in Atlanta and beyond.”
Kuck is the Managing Attorney at Kuck Baxter Immigration in Atlanta. He served as the National President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) from 2008-2009, served as President of the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers from 2010-2014, is currently an Adjunct Professor of Law at Emory Law School, and adjunct professor of Law at the University of Georgia for 13 years.
He was named one of the top five immigration attorneys in the world by Chambers & Partners again in 2018, the “Best Lawyer-Immigration” in Georgia by Best Lawyers in 2018, and was previously named one of the “100 Most Influential Georgians” by Georgia Trend magazine.
Kuck has testified in Congress on immigration issues. He has practiced immigration law for 30 years, has spoken to numerous legal and business conferences on all types of immigration related topics, has testified in Congress on various aspects of Immigration Law and Immigration Reform, is frequently quoted in the national press, and appears regularly on national and local television and cable news outlets.
