University of Texas Arlington

ARLINGTON - Immigration solutions must include legalizing Mexican residents living in the United States without papers and providing an orderly process for future immigrants, according to Dr. Jorge G. Castañeda, foreign minister of the Republic of Mexico from 2000 to 2003.

Dr. Jorge G. Castañeda

Castañeda is The University of Texas at Arlington's Center of Mexican American Studies Distinguished Lecture 2010 speaker. The free event is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 14, in the UT Arlington Library's sixth floor parlor, 702 Planetarium Place.

"Ex Mex: From Migrants to Immigrants" is Castañeda's topic. It also is the title of his book, which draws on his experience as foreign minister and as a well-known scholar on immigration issues. The author reveals the intricate negotiations between Mexico and the United States in 2001-02 as only an insider could do.

"Ensuring an orderly process in the future secures the American economy," said Castañeda, who teaches fall courses at New York University.

Castañeda also is the author of "El narco: la Guerra fallida" (Santillana, 2009) and "Un Futuro para Mexico" (Santillana, 2009) in Spanish. He serves on the board of several institutions and businesses, works as a political consultant and writes for several newspapers and magazines, including a weekly column in Reforma. He also appears on "Es la hora de Opinar," a weekly Mexican television show on which he discusses current issues.

Castañeda earned bachelor's of arts degrees from Princeton University and Universite de Paris-I (Pantheon-Sorbonne), a master's degree from the Ecole Pratique de Hautes Etudes and his doctorate in economic history from the University of Paris-I.

Call the UT Arlington Center for Mexican American Studies at 817-272-2933 or e-mail cmasweb@uta.edu for more information about the event.

Call Herb Booth at 817-272-7075 or e-mail at hbooth@uta.edu for media inquiries.

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