Im/migrant Well-Being: A Nexus for Policy Research & Policy 2025 Conference

Hosted by: The Im/migrant Well-Being Scholar Collaborative (IWSC)  

Conference Organizers: Elizabeth Aranda, University of South Florida – Immigrant Well-Being Research Center; and Elizabeth Vaquera, The George Washington University – Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute.  

Dates & Location: February 14-15, 2025, Hilton Bayfront Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida    

Theme: The 2025 Conference on Im/migrant Well-Being will focus on the lived experiences, challenges, and successes of immigrants within and across generations over time in the United States. We invite submissions that critically examine the intergenerational impacts of how United States immigration policies, such as Title 42, "Remain in Mexico"/Migrant Protections Protocols, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention and surveillance, executive actions like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and other policies and programs shape the daily lives and well-being of immigrants and their families. By centering the voices and experiences of immigrant communities, this conference seeks to generate empirical work that promotes the humanity of immigrants and informs evidence-based policymaking at the local, state, and national level. The 2025 Conference on Im/migrant Well-Being builds upon the first "Im/migrant Well-Being: A Nexus for Research & Policy" conference, held in 2023, which successfully convened scholars, policymakers, and community advocates to delve into the critical issues surrounding immigrant well-being through a series of thematic panels and keynote addresses by distinguished scholars engaged in policy advocacy, and which resulted in the publication of two special issues of the journal, American Behavioral Scientist. 

What's New in 2025: The 2025 Conference on Im/migrant Well-Being will focus more intently on the intergenerational dynamics of immigration and well-being, recognizing that the experiences of immigrants and their descendants unfold over time. This sequel event seeks to explore the effects of policies and societal attitudes over generations, expanding the dialogue to include newer studies, emerging policy developments, and the latest findings aimed at improving immigrant well-being. A key differentiator for the upcoming conference will be its enhanced emphasis on actionable insights and translational research. By fostering a more robust interface between academia and policymaking, the event aspires to catalyze direct impacts on policy formulation and implementation. The intention is not only to discuss academic findings but also to workshop strategies for effectively communicating these insights to policymakers, advocacy groups, and the wider community. 

Furthermore, the 2025 Conference on Im/migrant Well-Being will spotlight the critical issue of adaptability and resilience among immigrant populations over time and across generations, in the face of evolving state policies and global challenges, such as recent state level immigration policies like Texas' SB 4 and Florida's SB 1718 and social and health crises including media tropes tying immigrants to issues like crime and fentanyl. This focus acknowledges the dynamic nature of immigrant experiences, requiring adaptive policy solutions that are responsive to both current realities and future contingencies. The goal is to set a forward-looking agenda that anticipates the needs and challenges of immigrant populations in the coming years following a presidential election year and as we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026. 

The Im/migrant Well-Being Scholar Collaborative posits well-being identified by organizations such as the CDC, NIH, and UN as a critical concept for both creating public policies and analyzing their impact, including the following dimensions of well-being:  

• Social well-being, such as studies of social activities, work, or access to social resources;  
• Relational well-being, such as studies of families, friendships, or support networks;  
• Emotional well-being, such as studies of life dis/satisfaction, emotions, or resilience;  
• Psychological well-being, including studies of identity, safety, mental health, or uncertainty;  
• Physical well-being, such as studies of stress, dietary and activity habits, or access to medical interventions;  
• Economic well-being that centers im/migrants themselves and/or their families, such as access to legal representation, health, food, and housing;  
• The intersections of some or all of these forms of well-being as they relate to state violence, such as im/migrant detainment, forced expulsion, and raids.  

Topics of interest in this conference include but are not limited to: 

• Social, relational, emotional, psychological, physical, and economic well-being of immigrants and their families and communities as described above; 
• Intergenerational processes and impacts of immigration policies; 
• Impacts of state violence, detainment, forced expulsion, and raids; 
• Intersectional experiences of underrepresented immigrant communities; 
• Resilience, identity negotiation, and cultural adaptation across generations; 
• Translating research findings into actionable policy recommendations and other examples of “engaged scholarship.” 

Abstracts should be submitted through the online submission form on the conference website by September 15, 2024:  
https://www.usf.edu/arts-sciences/centers/iwrc/events/2025-conference/index.aspx.  

Graduate students seeking to submit their work should include a letter of recommendation from their advisor. Contributors should note that this call is open and competitive. Additionally, submissions must be based on original and unpublished material. 

Authors will be notified of our decision no later than October 31, 2024. Complete papers will be due December 15, 2024.