April 4, 2008
Last summer's failure by the federal government to reform the nation's broken immigration system has had strong and lasting repercussions. The Administration's stepped up raids and door-to-door operations while not denting the overall size of the undocumented population is causing tremendous upheaval on the families and communities caught up in raids. At the same time, anti-immigrant extremists, white supremacists, and far-right-wing media pundits have hijacked the immigration debate for their own purposes, stoking extremist attitudes and action in an attempt to move into the mainstream. Latinos, regardless of immigration status, are feeling the impact of the extremist rhetoric and report increased discrimination and anxiety, while experts have documented an increase in hate crimes and extremist behavior. Both of these disturbing trends provide additional evidence of the need for a solution to our ongoing immigration policy problems. The U.S. needs a national immigration policy for the 21st century that ends undocumented immigration as we know it, meets the needs of our economy, and is consistent with our traditional American values. This week, Immigration OnPoint highlights two new documents that show some of the consequences of federal failure.
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