Leadership Asheville Forum – September Critical Issues Luncheon
Immigration in Western North Carolina: Rights, Perceptions, and Impacts
Leadership Asheville Forum invites you to our September Critical Issues Luncheon on Wednesday, September 24, for a timely and insightful discussion on immigration in Western North Carolina. Our expert panel will explore how legal, cultural, political, and economic forces are shaping immigrant experiences—and how these dynamics impact our communities, employers, and institutions.
Topics will include constitutional protections, public perceptions, workplace policies, immigrant labor, community needs, and the role of enforcement agencies. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of these multifaceted issues and have the opportunity to ask questions during a live Q&A session.
?? Featured Panelists
Dr. Mark Gibney
Carol G. Belk Distinguished Professor of Humanities & Political Science, UNC Asheville
Dr. Gibney is an internationally recognized authority on international human rights. He is the founder of the Political Terror Scale, a co-author of the Maastricht Principles, and a recipient of the APSA Distinguished Human Rights Scholar Award. He also serves as an affiliated scholar at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden.
Jacob Oakes
Director, Justice for All Project, Pisgah Legal Services
Oakes is a bilingual immigration attorney who has served low-income immigrants in WNC since 2017. He specializes in humanitarian relief (asylum, U/T visas, SIJS) and leads Pisgah’s Afghan Asylum Project and immigrant rights outreach efforts. He holds a J.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill and a B.A. from the College of the Atlantic.
Murphy Fletcher
Employment Law Specialist, McGuire, Wood & Bissette
Fletcher will speak on the legal landscape employers face in the current immigration enforcement environment—including hiring responsibilities, liability, immigrant work visas, ICE cooperation, and compliance challenges. She has been named to the "Best Lawyers in America® – Ones to Watch" list from 2021–2025 and is a graduate of Wake Forest University School of Law.
Lennin Caro
Director, Camino Research Institute
Caro is a cultural anthropologist and Latino community researcher based in Charlotte, NC. He recently completed a regional needs assessment of Latino communities in WNC. As both researcher and member of the community, he will share findings from his study and reflections on the current social and cultural climate. He teaches sociocultural anthropology at UNC-Charlotte and earned his M.A. in 2017.
?? Event Details
- Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2025
- Time: 11:45 AM – Food Service | 12:00 PM – Program
- Location: Country Club of Asheville, 170 Windsor Road
- Cost: $30 for LAF Members | $40 for Non-Members
- RSVP Deadline: Noon on Wednesday, September 17
Don’t miss this important opportunity to explore one of the most pressing and complex issues affecting our region.
|