“The United States is in the midst of massive immigration that is transforming our country,” says noted immigration expert Nancy Foner, Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York.

Foner will discuss “What is New About Immigration in the United States?” on Monday, April 2, during SMU’s 2012 George and Mary Foster Lecture in Cultural Anthropology, this year part of the university’s interdisciplinary “Migration Matters” series. The discussion, free and open to the public, will be 5:30–7:30 p.m. at SMU’s McCord Auditorium, 306 Dallas Hall.

“There are now more immigrants here than ever before — a whopping 40 million,” Foner says. “And more than a million foreign-born people live in the Dallas metropolitan area.” Foner’s lecture will consider if history is repeating itself when it comes to immigration.

The “Migration Matters” program continues Wednesday, April 4, with a screening of “El Norte” with commentary by SMU Distinguished Anthropology Professor Caroline B. Brettell. The free public event will be 6:30–8:30 p.m. at SMU’s McCord Auditorium, 306 Dallas Hall.

The 1983 documentary, directed by Gregory Nava, focuses on two Guatemala Mayan peasants, a brother and sister, who flee their country because of political persecution and head north (“el norte”). The film traces their journey, border-crossing experiences and subsequent life in the U.S. as undocumented immigrants. “It raises poignant questions about the concept of home and touches on a host of issues important to understanding U.S. immigration,” Brettell says.