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  1. Should the U.S. government provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants? Explain your answer(s).
  2. If the government were to provide a path to citizenship, what obligations should the undocumented immigrants meet? Consider current requirements for citizenship as well as extra obligations you think appropriate. Explain your answer(s).
  3. If the government does not provide a path to citizenship, what other actions should be taken? Consider solutions such as a green card type of status, mass deportations, civil court actions, laws to criminalize crossing the border without documentation, etc. Explain your answer(s).

Take Action

  1. Explore the American Immigration Council, a pro-immigration organization.
  3. Consider the positions of FAIR, a con-immigration organization.
  4. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the “other side of the issue” now helps you better argue your position.
  5. Push for the position and policies you support by writing U.S. national senators and representatives.

Sources

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  4. Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, “Amnesty,” law.cornell.edu, Dec. 2021
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  33. Rafael Bernal, “Poll: 70 percent of Americans Support a Path to Citizenship,” thehill.com, Feb. 16, 2022
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  36. Randy Capps, Julia Gelatt, Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, and Jennifer Van Hook, “Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States: Stable Numbers, Changing Origins,” migrationpolicy.org, Dec. 2020
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  41. fwd.us, “Dreamers by the Numbers,” fwd.us, Mar. 1, 2021
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  43. Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix, “A Deeper Look at the DREAMers Who Could Feature in the Legalization Debate in Congress,” migrationpolicy.org, Feb. 2021
  44. Nicole Prchal Svajlenka and Trinh Q. Truong, “The Demographic and Economic Impacts of DACA Recipients: Fall 2021 Edition,” americanprogress.org, Nov. 24, 2021
  45. Richard Barth, “Dreamers Are Essential To America. Let Them Become Citizens,” forbes.com, Nov. 29, 2021
  46. Tom Jawetz, “Restoring the Rule of Law Through a Fair, Humane, and Workable Immigration System,” americanprogress.org, July 22, 2019
  47. Miriam Jordan, “The Overlooked Undocumented Immigrants: From India, China, Brazil,” nytimes.com, Dec. 1, 2019
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  74. Hannah Schoenbaum, “Federal Judge Strikes Down Biden’s Program Shielding Immigrant Spouses from Deportation,” pbs.org, Nov. 8, 2024
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