WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The debate over immigration issues in the United States will be a key subject of discussion at the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Annual Meeting from January 3-6, 2007 in Washington, D.C. Over 3,500 law faculty are expected to attend the

Naturalization law supplies a mirror on the meaning of and a tool for defining American national identity, as a direct instrument of community self- definition. On Thursday, January 4, from 4:00-5:45 p.m. the AALS Section on Immigration Law presents "'We' Becoming: Histories of Naturalization" to address how changes in national identity have and have not mapped onto contemporary naturalization practices.

The Section on Agricultural Law will address "'With These Hands' -- The Life and Law of Migrant Farmworkers," in a program on Friday, January 5, from 3:30-5:15 p.m. Program panelists will explore the life and the law of the over one and a half million seasonal migrant farmworkers today.

"Membership, Citizenship and Race," is the title of a program presented by the Sections on Minority Groups and Immigration Law. The program, to be held on Saturday, January 6, from 9:00 to 10:45 a.m., will examine recent domestic and global events in the areas of immigration, citizenship, and race that have touched on the intersections between democratic order and identity constructs. Recent examples include the uprising by Muslims and the response in France, the treatment of "refugees" in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and the special security procedures directed at Arabs and Muslims after September 11, 2001.

The entire AALS 2007 Annual Meeting program can be found on the association's website at http://www.aals.org/am2007/index.html. Members of the press are invited to attend free of charge. Those interested in attending are asked to notify Deborah Quick from January 3-6, 2007 at (202) 745-2116. Press also may register on-site at the AALS office located in the Carolina Room on the Lobby Level of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel beginning Tuesday evening, January 2, 2007, and continuing through Saturday, January 6, 2007.

  Contact:  Elizabeth Hayes Patterson
            (202) 296-5184
            (202) 745-2116 (January 3-6, 2007)
            http://www.aals.org/

CONTACT: Elizabeth Hayes Patterson of Association of American Law Schools, +1-202-296-5184, +1-202-745-2116 (January 3-6, 2007)

Web site: http://www.aals.org/