Issue Overview: Immigration reform

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Julie Harper
6 years ago
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Issue Overview: Immigration reform By Bloomberg, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.30.16 Word Count 652 U.S.

1 Issue Overview: Immigration reform By Bloomberg, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 652 U.S. Border Patrol at Algodones Sand Dunes, California. The fence on the U.S.-Mexican border is a special construction of narrow, 15-foot-tall elements that are movable vertically. This way, they can be lifted on top of the ever shifting sand dunes. Photo: United States Department of Homeland Security Immigration in the United States is broken. Democrats and Republicans agree on little, but they agree on this. About 11 million people live in the U.S. after crossing the border without permission, or remaining in the country after their visas expired. What should be done about them? That s where the agreement falls apart. Most Americans say the undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay; 72 percent said so in a 2015 poll by the Pew Research Center. But there are deep disagreements about what conditions immigrants should have to meet to win legal residency or become citizens. The Situation In June, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling on President Barack Obama s executive orders that would have protected as many as 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. With only eight justices presiding on the court after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, the ruling was split 4-4. This tie left intact earlier rulings that said Obama overstepped his authority, and that prevented the program from taking effect. Obama had signed the executive orders after a series of votes on immigration reform were blocked by Republicans in the House of Representatives.

The issue of how to deal with immigration isn t going away. In the 2016 election race, Democratic candidates favor bills like a bipartisan measure passed by the Senate in 2013.

2 The issue of how to deal with immigration isn t going away. In the 2016 election race, Democratic candidates favor bills like a bipartisan measure passed by the Senate in The bill would have tightened border security while creating a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who paid fines and met other conditions. Republican candidates had hoped to avoid the subject, even those who had previously favored measures like the Senate s. But this was no longer an option after Donald Trump entered the race with proposals for real immigration reform. His proposals include ending birthright citizenship and building a wall between Mexico and the United States. The Background Ronald Reagan was the last president to win passage of major immigration reform, in President George W. Bush pushed for immigration reform in 2007, but the bill was killed by conservatives in Congress. In 2012, Republican candidates focused on deporting the undocumented. The party s presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, opposed a path to legal residency or citizenship. That November, Hispanic voters cast 71 percent of their ballots for Obama. A post-election review by Republican leaders called on the party to embrace and champion comprehensive changes in immigration or face a further shrinking of political support among Hispanics. But polls showed that a significant chunk of the party s base

3 agreed with the tea party wing of the House Republicans, which has blocked a farreaching bill. That knocked what looked like a promising subject for a big bipartisan achievement off track. The Argument Democrats more or less agree on how to reform immigration policy. But Republicans are split. To some Republicans, security at the border between the U.S. and Mexico is the most important issue. These politicians were not satisfied by an amendment to the 2013 Senate bill that would have hired about 20,000 more border security guards and built 350 more miles of fencing along the border. Other Republicans are hesitant to back measures that would grant citizenship to undocumented immigrants, giving them the right to vote. These populations typically prefer Democratic candidates and ideas. So Republicans are worried that granting them citizenship could, in the words of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, create 11 million new Democrats. But there are conservatives who approve of former House Speaker John Boehner s approach of offering a path to legal residence but not citizenship, including current House Speaker Paul Ryan. There were even some Republicans who favored a Democratic Senate bill proposed in 2013 because the bill was supported by the business community. Meanwhile, 59 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independent voters say the party is not doing a good job in representing their views on immigration. And the Republican leadership fears that fighting immigration will complete the alienation of the growing number of Hispanic voters.

4 Quiz 1 Read the following selection from the article. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling on President Barack Obama s executive orders that would have protected as many as 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. Which of the following conclusions is BEST supported by the selection above? Public and government opinion are deeply divided about how to move forward on immigration legislation. The specifics of President Obama's orders reflect the majority opinion. Most people agree that deportation is not a good solution for immigration reform efforts. The U.S. Supreme Court does not agree with Democratic Party positions on immigration legislation. 2 The author of this article is MOST concerned with... detailing the immigration proposals of Donald Trump criticizing the commentary of Rush Limbaugh explaining the deep disagreement about immigration policy reporting the executive orders of President Obama 3 Which idea is BEST supported by the paragraphs in the section "The Background"? Republicans are unwilling to fight for more comprehensive immigration policies. Politicians have been debating how to legislate immigration for several years. Republicans recently have not had much support from Hispanic voters due to immigration positions. There is division within the Republican Party about which immigration policy to pursue.

5 4 According to the article, which of the following people have perspectives in AGREEMENT with each other? The U.S. Supreme Court and President Barack Obama Donald Trump and House Democrats George Bush and Mitt Romney John Boehner and Paul Ryan

6 Answer Key 1 Read the following selection from the article. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling on President Barack Obama s executive orders that would have protected as many as 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. Which of the following conclusions is BEST supported by the selection above? Public and government opinion are deeply divided about how to move forward on immigration legislation. The specifics of President Obama's orders reflect the majority opinion. Most people agree that deportation is not a good solution for immigration reform efforts. The U.S. Supreme Court does not agree with Democratic Party positions on immigration legislation. 2 The author of this article is MOST concerned with... detailing the immigration proposals of Donald Trump criticizing the commentary of Rush Limbaugh explaining the deep disagreement about immigration policy reporting the executive orders of President Obama 3 Which idea is BEST supported by the paragraphs in the section "The Background"? Republicans are unwilling to fight for more comprehensive immigration policies. Politicians have been debating how to legislate immigration for several years. Republicans recently have not had much support from Hispanic voters due to immigration positions. There is division within the Republican Party about which immigration policy to pursue.

7 4 According to the article, which of the following people have perspectives in AGREEMENT with each other? The U.S. Supreme Court and President Barack Obama Donald Trump and House Democrats George Bush and Mitt Romney John Boehner and Paul Ryan

Latino Decisions / America's Voice June State Latino Battleground Survey

Latino Decisions / America's Voice June 2012 5-State Latino Battleground Survey 1. On the whole, what are the most important issues facing the Hispanic community that you think Congress and the President