With a new administration, the American public’s understanding of immigration policies has become more essential, a civil liberties spokesperson will discuss tonight.

“Understanding of the issues of immigrant detainees is crucial in order to raise awareness leading to activism,” said Azadeh Shahshahani, director of ACLU Georgia National Security/Immigration Right Project, in a phone interview Tuesday. “Immigration laws are very harsh – there is little discretion and the ways the laws are enforced often lead to the separation of families.”

The Muslim Law Students Association will partner with American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, Hispanic Law Students Association and the Georgia Society of International and Comparative Law to host Tom McCarthy’s “The Visitor,” a movie about a young immigrant couple’s struggle with the legal process and treatment of immigrants after Sept. 11, 2001.

In 2006, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement adopted Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which enables local law enforcement to receive training in immigration enforcement. In other words, local law enforcers can act as detainee officers and identify illegal immigrants.

“When you allow the police to have immigration authority, people become afraid because they fear their legal status will be questioned if they ever go to the police,” said Muneer Awad, a third-year law student from Marietta and president of MLSA.

“Whether you have papers or not, you should be able to go to the cops.”

Immigration policies has been an ongoing political debate. One of the first orders President Barack Obama administered was the closing of Guantánamo Bay last month.

“I’m a pessimist, but I hope laws do change because there’s a lot to be done,” Awad said. “Most politicians don’t want to touch it because it’s a thin line.”

The group hopes the screening and discussion will address immigration policies and the processes executed on illegal immigrants.

“You hear news stories and people talking and it doesn’t actually hit close to home because you don’t know the people involved,” said Daniel Tilley, a third-year law student from Cartersville and president of GSICL. “I definitely think there’s a perception problem with immigrants.”

“It’s funny that we do a lot of work to keep people out – people who will eventually become productive citizens. This is the United States – not Russia,” Tilley said.