Immigration reform has been a major political talking point in the United States for years. Recently, it’s been in the news as DACA continues to be a flashpoint in the debate, and, as expected, President Donald Trump hit on the issue in his State of the Union address. We have covered immigration extensively, and from many perspectives—political, humanitarian, and practical.
Pacific Standard contributing writer Massoud Hayoun has turned his focus primarily to immigration, a subject he’ll be covering for us all year at PSmag.com. Just over the past few months, Hayoun has written about ICE raiding 7-Elevens, the rescinding of temporary residency protections for Salvadorans and many others, and the impact of the controversial travel ban.
ICE’S 7-ELEVEN RAIDS WON’T GET RID OF UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS. THEY’LL ONLY MAKE THEM LESS VISIBLE. Recent ICE raids could push undocumented immigrant laborers to find less formal means of employment.
In that same vein, David M. Perry reported on immigration enforcement raids on hospitals—raids that end up harming disabled children. And the Department of Justice struck out against sanctuary cities by threatening them with legal action, while the “Dreamers” continue in their holding pattern and colleges struggle to help them.
From a policy implementation perspective, immigration is a sticky issue. California tried to institute laws to protect undocumented workers, for example, but they could backfire, while the Trump administration promised to end the immigration court backlog but has done the opposite.
Going forward, we can’t be certain how, or if, the issue of immigration will be dealt with properly, especially since it seems humans aren’t the only ones who have struggled with our borders. It’s hard to predict what consensus will be reached, but our reporting will continuing holding institutions like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to account.
This dispatch originally appeared in The Lede, the weekly Pacific Standard email newsletter for premium members. The Lede gives premium members greater access to Pacific Standard stories, staff, and contributors in their inbox every week. While helping to support journalism in the public interest, members also receive a print magazine subscription, early access to feature stories, and access to an ad-free version of PSmag.com.
