President Obama announced that he’d be acting to change the immigration system, including transforming the Secure Communities program, devoting more resources to border security, and, most controversially, expanding DACA (a.k.a. Deffered Action for Childhood Arrivals). We’ll hear from DREAMers, politicians, a congressional reporter and activists about what President Obama’s action means for them, as well as Congress’ path forward.
Latino USA Producer Camilo Vargas contributed reporting to this story.
Based on Capitol Hill, Matt Laslo is a freelance reporter who has been covering Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court for more than five years. While he has filed stories for more than 40 local NPR stations, his work has also appeared in The Atlantic, The Chattanooga Times Free Press, National Public Radio, The Omaha World-Herald, Pacifica Radio, and Politics.
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Maria says “…all together the action will provide some benefit to about five million of the eleven million undocumented *Americans*…..” Illegal immigrants in the US aren’t Americans are they? Some will certainly become Americans, but not all, and none that are now illegal.
It’s hard not to have some sympathy for the “dreamers” like Stephanie. But what’s with all the shock and amazement that their parents might actually have to go home if they get caught? Why are people so incensed by deportations of *illegal* immigrants? And why blame the US for splitting up families? The parents who came here illegally and had children caused the problem right?
It would make an interesting story on LatinoUSA as to how this mindset works. What is comprehensive immigration “reform”? Should there be *no* southern border? Or should there be a border but anybody who can cross the border legally or illegally be entitled to residency? Permanent residency? Citizenship? How would the US function if anybody who wanted to come here actually did?
The discussions on LatinoUSA and similarly minded shows there’s basically just one step that’s discussed: ending the evil USA’s immigration system. I get the impression that about half of Latin America would move here tomorrow if they could. But believe it or not there are places worse off than Latin America. Should everybody from all nations be able to enter the US and work and receive benefits with or without papers? Is there a rich nation with reasonable social services that puts no limit on who enters their country? How are illegal immigrants handled in France, Germany, the UK, Japan, Canada, Australia etc?
I went to school overseas decades ago and had a two page student visa…..my parents had to pay for my health insurance, print out my proof I had from my local police I no arrest record, the family I stayed with had to pay extra fees due to the extra resident in their house for services like trash and traffic. In fact there I theoretically was supposed to have my passport on hand all the time since I was in a county on an international border and police had the right to ask for it any time. In another recent example my family was in several countries and in every one we were required to give our passport that was diligently copied by the hotels we stayed at (as required by law.) That’s in addition to showing our passports on arrival. Yet the very idea of having to have and show documents here in the US is supposed to be some sort of cruel vestige of Nazi power or something…..I just don’t get it.
I’m dismayed at how the far right and far left seem to be proposing policies that effectively end the concept of nationhood….that borders and the laws that make nations function shouldn’t matter. How can a modern welfare state function if it has virtually no control over its borders? Ironically illegal immigrants are damaging what they came to benefit from…you can’t have a rich functional society without borders, standards, and rules.