The Immigration Policy Horizon
With the 2020 campaign in full swing, a Democratic House, Republican Senate and new administrative officials, are there prospects for reform before the elections? This session will discuss legislation that could impact employers’ access to global talent, as well as, agency actions that have and could impact the U.S. immigration process, including the Buy American Hire American Executive Order (BAHA), and sub-regulatory measures affecting H-1Bs and other visas.
Rebecca Peters
Mrs. Peters has worked with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) since October 2018. She previously worked for SHRM’s former affiliate the Council for Global Immigration (CFGI) in the Washington DC metro-area for nearly fifteen years, helping to advance high skilled immigration and employment verification reforms with the U.S. Congress, the White House and the federal agencies. She has served as a chair of the policy committee of the Compete America coalition. She also serves on other coalitions and working groups to educate and advance immigration system efficiencies and to ensure critical changes to employer immigration compliance are reasonable.
Betsy Lawrence
Theodore Wold
Theodore Wold is a Special Assistant to the President for Policy in the Office of American Innovation. He holds a B.A. from Georgetown University, where he studied government and English, an M. Litt. from the University of St. Andrews, where he studied English literature, and J.D. from the University of Notre Dame. Wold clerked at the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for Judge Janice Rogers Brown and the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico for Judge Jose Antonio Fuste. He has also lectured at the Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala.
Lynden Melmed
Lynden Melmed is a partner with Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP and oversees the firm’s compliance and government affairs practices. He counsels corporate clients on complex immigration matters, assists businesses in establishing and managing global immigration programs, and represents businesses in connection with audits and investigations by the federal government. He has served as immigration counsel in connection with several of the largest immigration investigations ever pursued by the federal government.
Before joining BAL, Lynden served as Chief Counsel of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), where he was a key advisor to senior leadership within USCIS, DHS, the White House, and other federal agencies on all aspects of immigration law. Lynden also served as Special Counsel to Senator John Cornyn, who was Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship; in that role, Lynden played a leading role in drafting and managing comprehensive immigration legislation.