Immigration in the United States
By Sam Crites
The Situation
- 1.8 million undocumented children are living in the United States under the protection of the DACA program
- Over 11 million undocumented immigrants are estimated to be living in the United States as of 2016
- 77% of the nation believes the immigrants should be able to stay, but the path to their citizenship is disputed in Washington
Past Actions
- Ronald Reagan passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986
- Would allow undocumented immigrants to receive citizenship if they met certain requirements
- President George W. Bush failed to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2007
- Mitt Romney stood against immigration in his campaign
- 71% of hispanic voters voted for Barack Obama
Past Actions (continued)
- Obama creates DACA program in executive order
- Protects children from deportation
- Bipartisan reform similar to the one in Bush administration passes senate in 2013
- House Republicans refuse to vote on the bill
- Obama uses executive order to enact immigrant protection
- The Trump administration attempted to end DACA in 2017
- Federal Judge ruled DACA must continue
- Judge said Trump’s claims that the program was unlawful had no legal ground
Looking Forward
- The Trump administration still has almost three years in office and is against immigration
- Has advocated for a border wall and for deporting illegals currently living in the United States
- With a controlling majority in the House and Senate, Republicans could pass legislation to remove illegals and secure the border
- 1/3 of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives is up for reelection in 2018, so Republicans could lose a majority in Congress
Bibliography
Hunter, Kathleen. "Immigration Overhaul." Bloomberg, Bloomberg Businessweek, 20 Feb. 2018, www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/immigration-path-to-citizenship. Accessed 3 May 2018.
Jordan, Miriam. "U.S Must Keep DACA and Accept New Applications, Federal Judge Rules." The New York Times, New York Times Company, 24 Apr. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/04/24/us/daca-dreamers-trump.html. Accessed 7 May
2018.