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- WRC 1013/1023: Freshman Composition: Exploring Critical Issues
WRC 1013/1023: Freshman Composition: Exploring Critical Issues
Sources for WRC 1013: Christina Frasier, Darren Meritz & Pamela Mahan
Introduction: Immigration
Immigration is a emotionally-fraught issue, particularly in states that share a border with Mexico. Proximity to the border can mean a higher population of immigrants, both legal and undocumented. People in areas with high immigrant populations are affected directly by the nation's policies and attitudes towards immigration. Whether the topic is illegal immigration, Trump's border wall, DACA, or recruitment of immigrants for specific jobs, immigration touches many aspects of American life.
The sources in this section touch on several immigration-related topics. Since this is a current hot topic, be sure to supplement your reading here with a search for the most current policy changes and press releases.
Immigration & Border Security
- Brown, Anna, "Key Takeaways on U.S. Immigration: Past, Present and Future," Pew Research Center
A Pew Research study that includes historical trends on U.S. Immigration since the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act and explores the future of immigration into 2065.
Image: Jonathan McIntosh - Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1566461 - Granados, Samuel, Zoeann Murphy, Kevin Schaul and Anthony Faiola, "Raising Barriers: A New Age of Walls," The Washington Post
Presentation by The Washington Post that chronicles the increase in national walls and barriers due to fears of terrorism.
Image: Tony Webster from Portland, Oregon, United States (United States / Mexico Ocean Border Fence) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons - Keating, Dan and Laris Karklis, "Where the Country Is Becoming More Diverse," The Washington Post
A Washington Post article that provides an overview of diversity across the United States documents county levels changes since 2000.
Image: Pixabay, Free for Commercial use, No Attribution Required: https://pixabay.com/photo-159252/ - Hsin, Amy, and Francesc Ortega. "The Effects of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals on the Educational Outcomes of Undocumented Students." Demography
"Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is the first large-scale immigration policy to affect undocumented immigrants in the United States in decades and offers eligible undocumented youth temporary relief from deportation as well as renewable work permits. Although DACA has improved the economic conditions and mental health of undocumented immigrants, we do not know how DACA improves the social mobility of undocumented immigrants through its effect on educational attainment. We use administrative data on students attending a large public university to estimate the effect of DACA on undocumented students’ educational outcomes. . . . Overall, the results suggest that the precarious and temporary nature of DACA creates barriers to educational investments." - Krogstad, Jens Manuel, and Ana Gonzalez-Barrera, "Key facts about U.S. immigration policies and proposed changes"
"For years, proposals have sought to shift the nation’s immigration system away from its current emphasis on family reunification and employment-based migration, and toward a points-based system that prioritizes the admission of immigrants with certain education and employment qualifications. These proposals have received renewed attention under the Trump administration. Here are key details about existing U.S. immigration programs..." - Nixon, Ron. "Border Wall Could Cost 3 Times Estimates, Senate Democrats’ Report Says" The New York Times
This article discusses a report by Senate Democrats that "President Trump’s plans to build a border wall could cost more than three times as much as initial estimates, . . . . adding that the administration has yet to provide Congress with evidence to show that a wall would be effective in stopping the flow of illegal immigration and drugs." - Gravelle, Timothy B. “Politics, Time, Space, and Attitudes Toward US–Mexico Border Security.” Political Geography"The tumultuous 2016 US presidential election featured a range of policy proposals to address the issue of illegal immigration. Channeling anxieties around the economic and social consequences of illegal immigration with claims of porous, unsecured borders, Republican candidate Donald Trump notably committed to building a wall the length of the US–Mexico border. At the same time, border security is not a new issue on the American policy agenda. Drawing on spatially-referenced survey data from 2006 to 2016, this article explores two questions. First, how have attitudes toward border security shifted over time in response to changes in the partisan political environment? Second, how does spatial context – namely proximity to the US–Mexico border – shape attitudes toward the proposed border wall? Findings point to both time and space, in conjunction with individual-level political attitudes, as key factors shaping attitudes toward US–Mexico border security."
