On Tuesday, February 17, INTEMPO, in partnership with the Ferguson Library and Building One Community, will host The Human Cost of Immigration Policy: A Conversation with Jordan Salama, an evening exploring how immigration policy shapes everyday life for individuals and families across the United States.
In recent years, debates over immigration policy have often been framed in abstract terms — numbers, borders, and political rhetoric — obscuring the lived realities of the people most affected. In this conversation, Jordan Salama, a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, brings those human stories back into focus.
Jordan Salama
In articles ranging from “The Candy Sellers” (New York Magazine) to “A Mexican Couple in California Plans to Self-Deport—and Leave Their Kids Behind” (The New Yorker), Salama explores how immigration policies shape daily life — determining where families sleep, whether children can attend school safely, and how communities navigate uncertainty. His work centers on individuals living at the margins of policy decisions, illuminating the
emotional, social, and moral costs that rarely make headlines.
“I am grateful to Jordan for agreeing to return to Stamford after speaking at our Quinceañera Celebration in November,” said Lou Chen, CEO of INTEMPO. “His writing illuminates the most vulnerable among us, and in fact, his most recent New Yorker piece takes place in my hometown of San Bernardino, CA. I look forward to being in conversation with him.”
This conversation will examine what it means to tell these stories with care, how narrative journalism can deepen public understanding, and why listening to migrant voices
is essential in moments of political polarization.
“Building One Community exists to support immigrants and make sure everyone feels welcome,” said Fanny Ferreira, Deputy Director of Building One Community.
“This event brings real stories to the forefront and reminds us why this work matters. We’re proud to be a place where neighbors can find resources, connections, and a sense of community.”
Copies of Jordan’s debut book, Every Day the River Changes, will be available for purchase and signing.
Event Date and and Location:
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
6:00-7:30pm
Ferguson Library, One Public Library Plaza, Stamford, CT
Admission is free, but registration is required. Please click here to register.
Founded in 2011, INTEMPO teaches multicultural and classical music to children predominantly from immigrant backgrounds. We reach over 700 children annually across
our afterschool, in-school, summer, and partnership programs in Lower Fairfield County.
We have received national recognition for our music education and youth development efforts, including the 2022 Lewis Prize for Music Accelerator Award and the 2019 Adolf Busch Award. For more information, please visit: www.intempo.org.
Jordan Salama is a writer focusing on culture and migration in the Americas. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, National Geographic, New York Magazine, The New York Times, NPR’s All Things Considered (NPR), and other publications. In 2022, he was on the staff of National Geographic, where he wrote digital and print stories and served as a guest host for the flagship podcast Overheard at Nat Geo.
The founder of Red House Productions, a multimedia production company and impact studio, he is the co-producer of Qotzuñi: People of the Lake, a documentary short officially qualified for the 2026 Academy Awards.
Salama is the author of Stranger in the Desert, an intergenerational family story that chronicles a search across Argentina in search of traces of his great grandfather, a Syrian traveling salesman in the Andes mountains. His first book, Every Day the River Changes, a journey down Colombia’s Río Magdalena, was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2021 and a top new travel book by The New York Times. Every Day the River Changes was also selected as the “Pre-Read” for all incoming freshmen at Princeton University, where Salama
was an author-in-residence in the fall of 2022.
His stories have taken readers on long distance train journeys from California to Patagonia, and kayaking with seals and camping on desert islands in New York City. He has profiled people around the world who have become “masters of their craft,” including a venerated accordion repairman in Mexico City and an elderly clockmaker in rural Pennsylvania. In a major feature for National Geographic, he investigated the plight of Indigenous
conservationists in Colombia, the most dangerous country in the world to defend the environment. His recent story “The Candy Sellers,” an investigation into the lives of migrant families selling candy on the New York City subway, was on the cover of New York magazine, and his stories about the everyday lives of Latin American migrants in the United States regularly appear in The New Yorker.
Salama graduated from Princeton University in 2019. Follow him on Instagram @jordansalama19.
Building One Community (also known as B1C) is a nonprofit organization established in 2011 that provides a comprehensive resource center for immigrants in the greater Stamford area. The mission of Building One Community is to advance the successful integration of
immigrants and their families. Since its inception, the organization has served over 22,500 immigrants from 133 countries. B1C provides free services that educate, employ, empower, and engage immigrants and the broader community.
Programs offered include ELL (English Language Learning) programs, family and individual support services, immigration legal services, and workforce development programs. Community volunteers, donors, and partnerships are an essential component of the growth of Building One Community. More information may be found at www.B1C.org.
The Ferguson Library is Stamford’s public library system, consisting of the Main Library, DiMattia Building; the Harry Bennett Branch; the Weed Memorial & Hollander Branch; the South End Branch; West Side Branch and a traveling Bookmobile. It provides free and equal access to information, ideas, books and technology to educate, engage and enrich the Stamford community.
For more information visit https:/ www.fergusonlibrary.org/.