How is the immigration debate changing in the United States?

How is the immigration debate changing in the United States?
- September 2, 2011
- Louis DeSipio, Chicano/Latino studies and political science associate professor, is quoted in the Latin American Advisor September 1, 2011
From the Latin American Advisor:
Last month, U.S. President Barack Obama announced a new immigration policy that allows
authorities to use prosecutorial discretion in determining deportations, allowing
"many undocumented immigrants without criminal records to stay in the United States."
The announcement comes on the heels of protests targeting the Secure Communities program,
which activists argue was being used improperly to deport minor offenders. Meanwhile,
new reports indicate that illegal immigration has declined significantly over the
past several years. How is the immigration debate changing in the United States and
what does the new policy mean for that debate? How is it likely to play out in the
presidential race? What will be the economic consequences of a decline in immigration?
From Louis DeSipio, associate professor of political science and chair of Chicano/Latino
studies at University of California Irvine: "The policy changes implemented by the
Obama administration to reduce deportation risks for young adult unauthorized migrants
without criminal records reflect a long-term failure of immigration policymaking.
For the past decade, Congress has looked unsuccessfully for the compromises necessary
to reform immigration. Part of any comprehensive reform is legalization. This need
for legalization, however, has prevented any serious Congressional debate about comprehensive
immigration reform since 2008. Through these policy changes, the Obama administration
has established a path for young-adult unauthorized immigrants to gain temporary legal
status and, upon additional application, work eligibility in the United States. The
status would be administratively granted and could be withdrawn at any time...
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