There’s no shortage of opinions surrounding the president’s headline-grabbing immigration policies and practices, which have dominated our news cycles.

Hear what Mexico’s former president thinks about President Trump’s proposed US/Mexico Border Wall and other issues impacting our southern neighbor.

Vicente Foxwill be the keynote speaker for the Forum on Contemporary Issues in Society’s (FOCIS) 10th anniversary lecture series “What in the World is Going On?” Fox will discuss “Immigration: The Wall, Trade, Jobs and Deportation,” followed by a question-and-answer period.

Fox has been critical of what he feels is an overly restrictive U.S. immigration policy, and has maintained his opposition to U.S intervention in Iraq. He points to the fact that the United States was founded as an open society that welcomed immigrants who helped build the country.

The lecture will be held Monday, September 18 at Wayne State’s Community Arts Auditorium, 450 Reuther Mall. It starts at 6:30 p.m.

The speech and Q&A session are open to the public. Admission is free, but reservations are required. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

“We are privileged to have former Mexico President Vicente Fox as our special keynote speaker,” says Irvin D. Reid, director of FOCIS and inaugural holder of Wayne State’s Eugene Applebaum Chair in Community Engagement. “During our 10th year, as we recognize and celebrate a decade of providing insightful programming for the community through FOCIS, it is fitting that Fox will grace the lectern once again, offering an intellectual and thought provoking talk on such a relevant topic.”

About President Fox

He was elected president of Mexico in 2000, serving through 2006. He studied business administration at the Universidad Iberoamericana and received a top management diploma from the Harvard Business School. In 1964, he joined the Coca-Cola Company in Mexico, eventually becoming president of the company for Mexico and Latin America.

Fox grew up in Guanajuato, Mexico, and still recalls from his childhood that one of the greatest harms a nation can avoid is poverty. He now encourages leadership and creates opportunities for less-fortunate people through his organization, Centro Fox.

In 2008, more than 1,000 people packed Wayne State’s Community Arts Auditorium and McGregor Memorial Conference Center to hear Fox discuss issues in globalization and immigration. Fox was the third guest speaker — and the first former head of state — in the university’s acclaimed FOCIS lecture series.

For more information about this event, please contact FOCIS at 313-577-5550, or plwilliam@wayne.edu. To RSVP, visit the FOCIS registration site.

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