The Permission to Move: Borders and the Politics of Migration

Who gets to move—and who gets tracked? Join the Institute for Advanced Study and the (In)Justice Series on Data & Power as we examine how data is used to police movement and manufacture narratives about criminality, deservingness, and belonging. We will explore how big tech surveillance companies and government databases aggregate personal information to create a powerful infrastructure of immigration enforcement and track, intimidate, and target people for detention or deportation. We will also discuss how this data is used to create a larger political narrative that portrays migrants as threats and justifies enforcement tactics. What happens when governments and corporations use data without accountability to determine who is considered desirable, dangerous, or disposable? And how can communities use data to resist? Our panel of organizers, journalists, lawyers, and researchers from migrant communities will share how they are using data to challenge misinformation, document abuses, mobilize, and advocate for more just policies. The 2025–27 (In)Justice Series on Data & Power presented by the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Minnesota critically examines data: how it's collected, who controls it, and what it reveals (or conceals) about power, identity, and justice. Accessibility & Accommodations Institute for Advanced Study (In)Justice Series events include accessible seating in the Best Buy Theater at Northrop and are available online via Zoom. Some disability accommodation requests may take us time to arrange, so please make requests for this event by Monday, November 16, 2026. If you are registering after this date, please still reach out to us so we can explore available options. Contact: Carolina Maranon-Cobos, IAS Programming Manager: [email protected].