BuzzFeed Brews Immigration Event

When word got out that the Charles Koch Institute would be sponsoring a pro-amnesty immigration summit as part of BuzzFeed’s popular newsmaker series, the political media-sphere exploded with cries of “strange bedfellows.” But it was clear at the BuzzFeed Brews Immigration Summit on Tuesday, May 14 that there are many looking to transcend partisan camps when it comes to immigration reform – especially over a free glass of wine.

Held at The Liaison Hotel, the event brought together an impressive lineup of panelists to discuss two things they could all agree on: immigration is good for America and we need to find a way to make the process work. Moderator Ben Smith, BuzzFeed’s Editor-in-Chief, moderated the panels, did what BuzzFeed does best by provoking honest discussions and brash opinions in a fun, congenial way.

The first group of four panelists got off to a slow start – the audience’s reception of their well-worn talking points can be summarized by the fact that the ever-rowdier group around the open bar had to be asked repeatedly to quiet down. But as soon as the charmingly iconoclastic pundit Mickey Claus referred to Senator John McCain as “Captain Amnesty” the conversation became more casual and off-the-cuff (read: interesting) and the crowd was quickly engaged.

There were many “only in DC” moments: the crowd erupting with cheers when the Cato Institute’s Alex Nowrasteh proudly declared “I’m a libertarian,” the young policy wonk expressing the opinion that the panel covered nothing new for people “in the know,” the calls for “Fortuno 2016” when Puerto Rican governor Luis Fortuno made a particularly good point.

At the end of the BuzzFeed Brews immigration summit, as people wandered out adorned with catchy yellow BuzzFeed stickers and bolstered by an evening spent discussing policy with friends, it became clear that the importance of BuzzFeed’s Brews lies in the reasons that they are appealing: they are fun, people go because they want to see the “fireworks” of great minds in candid conversations, and they bring people together around ideas rather than special-interest coalitions.

It is cause for optimism to hear people cheer at the statement that immigration reform is not about Democrats versus Republicans. BuzzFeed’s strange bedfellows prove that there will always be people questioning the status quo and evaluating ideas based on their intrinsic values. And that, my friend, is what our country could use more of these days.

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