Bill Frelick, the director of Human Rights Watch’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Division, will talk to us about the real-world impact of key policies by President Trump's administration on immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees in the United States and their global impact.

Frelick will describe how, from the day he took office, January 20, 2025, Trump spawned new immigration policies at a dizzying pace that obliterated with the stroke of a pen programs built over decades that enabled avenues to safety for people fleeing war and persecution.  Come find out more about this administration's impact on vulnerable refugee communities across the country and the world, and what you can do.

Bill Frelick, as the director of Human Rights Watch's Refugee and Migrant Rights Division, monitors, investigates, and documents human rights abuses against refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons, and advocates for the rights and humanitarian needs of all categories of forcibly displaced persons around the world.

Before joining Human Rights Watch, Frelick directed Amnesty International USA's refugee program and the US Committee for Refugees (USCR), which he served for 18 years. He was the editor of USCR's annual World Refugee Survey and monthly Refugee Reports. Frelick has traveled to refugee sites throughout the world and is widely published. He taught in the Middle East from 1979-1983 and was co-coordinator of the Asian Center of Clergy and Laity Concerned from 1976-1979. Frelick has a B.A. from Oberlin College and an M.A. from Columbia University.

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The Scholars Gild, a part of the Arden Club, meets on the third Tuesday of the month, September through June. We usually use a hybrid Live-Zoom model. There are sometimes technical glitches so your patience is appreciated.

There is no fee to attend Scholars Gild discussions.  We encourage all to donate live or at http://ardenclub.org/donate/.  Your support helps keep the virtual and in-person lights on at the Club, making possible dynamic programming like concerts, theater, dance, and, of course, our Scholars Gild evenings.

To get updates and Zoom links, sign up for email notifications at ScholarsGild@gmail.com. Follow “Arden Scholars’ Gild” on Facebook, and you can see recordings of past events by going to our YouTube Channel at “Arden Scholars Gild”.