English: Tom Gjelten signed his new book, A Nation of Nations: A Great American Immigration Story, prior to the panel discussion.

On Oct. 3, 1965, at the base of the Statue of Liberty, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act, also called the Hart-Celler Act. In commemoration of that historic event, the LBJ Presidential Library on Oct. 1, 2015 presented a panel discussion, Immigration: Pathway to the American Dream, on the important immigration issues we face today. Topics included how immigration shapes our country and influences the American economy.

Discussion participants were Tom Gjelten, an NPR correspondent for more than 30 years; Bill Hammond, CEO of the Texas Association of Business; and Dr. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, fellow at the Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, outreach director for the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, political analyst for Telemundo, and contributor to MSNBC and NBCNews.com.

The evening was co-sponsored by FWD.us, the Center for Mexican American Studies, and the Indian American Coalition of Texas. The event was generously presented by AT&T. [LBJ Library photo by Jay Godwin]