Good Resources for Starting Your Research

US Immigration Policy & US Foreign Policy in Mexico & Central America

The Refugees at Our Door (New York Times Opinion Article)
"We are paying Mexico to keep people from reaching our border, people who are fleeing Central American violence."
Asylum Officers’ Union Says Trump Migration Policy ‘Abandons’ American Tradition
How the Most Dangerous Place on Earth Got Safer (New York Times Opinion Article)
"Programs funded by the United States are helping transform Honduras."
Trump Administration’s Asylum-Seeker Policy Takes Effect
Migration Surge From Central America Was Spurred, in Part, by Mexican Policies
Trump administration to begin sending asylum seekers to Guatemala as soon as this week
Illegal Immigration Illogic (YaleGlobal Online Opinion Article)
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"Clearly, illegal migration is not a realistic solution for the hundreds of millions living in dire circumstances."
Requires your GBS ID (number only) & password for Home Access. Can be saved to your Google Drive.
Untangling the Immigration Debate (New Yorker Article)
"What do we owe people in other countries who would like to come to this one?"
Detentions of Child Migrants at the U.S. Border Has Surged to Record Levels
Detentions have surged as the Trump administration’s aggressive policy toward migrants has collided with an exodus of children fleeing Central America.
Nearly 475,000 migrant families arrested at the US-Mexico border -- up 342 percent
More than 5,400 children split at border, according to new count
Includes video
The Unfulfilled Promise of the U-Visa (NPR)
"An undocumented immigrant from El Salvador offered information to the federal government about a smuggler in exchange for a U-Visa, which would grant her legal status, but things fell apart."

Living Conditions in Central America/Central American Immigration

Immigration clampdown adding to mental health stress for Central American migrants (PBS News Hour)
"The report...indicated the mental health problems were the result of trauma — rape, assault or kidnapping — the migrants faced on their journey to U.S."
Includes video.
Child Migrants, Alone in Court (New York Times Opinion Article)
"In a nation that prides itself on the fact that everyone accused of a crime — murderers, rapists — has the right to a lawyer, undocumented immigrants, even when they are unaccompanied children, are not entitled to a public defender."
Fleeing Gangs, Central American Families Surge Toward U.S. (New York Times)
"Gang violence in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala has conspired with economic desperation to drive an unrelenting exodus of migrants, including entire families, seeking safety in other countries, mainly the United States."
The Surreal Reasons Girls Are Disappearing In El Salvador: #15Girls (NPR)
Article & Radio Broadcast
Short and Long-term Solutions to Migration in Central America (America's Quarterly Guest Blogger)
Time to leave Honduras? For many youths, the answer is easy (CS Monitor)
Large caravan of Central American migrants crosses into Mexico (CS Monitor)
Hundreds of migrants that had been traveling through southern Mexico stopped on Monday to rest and speak with local officials about filing for asylum. Despite concerns from President Trump, most of the group is ill-equipped to travel to the US border.

Immigration's Impact on the Receiving Country

The Thorny Economics of Illegal Immigration (Wall Street Journal Article)
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"Arizona’s economy took a hit when many illegal immigrants left, but benefits also materialized."

Requires your GBS ID (number only) & password for Home Access. Can be saved to your Google Drive.
Here’s the Reality About Illegal Immigrants in the United States (New York Times Article)
There are 11 million of them, the best estimates say, laboring in American fields, atop half-built towers and in restaurant kitchens, and swelling American classrooms, detention centers and immigration courts.
Why undocumented immigrants pay taxes (CNN Money)
"Every tax season, millions of undocumented immigrants file their taxes with the federal government -- even though they could easily get away without doing so."
Tax Filings Seen Dipping Amid Trump Crackdown On Illegal Immigration (NPR)
Includes article & Audio

Detention Facilities / Abuse of Migrants

When Migrants Are Treated Like Slaves (NYT Opinion)
"The people detained at these facilities do almost all of the work that keeps them running, outside of guard duty. That includes cooking, serving and cleaning up food, janitorial services, laundry, haircutting, painting, floor buffing and even vehicle maintenance. Most jobs pay $1 a day."
U.S. Detention Facilities Struggle With New Migrant Surge (Wall Street Journal)
Includes information on an Obama administration effort to curtail Central American migration through videos.

Between Borders (New York Times Documentary)

Why so many migrant kids are coming to the U.S. alone (PBS News Hour)

Solving Illegal Immigration [for Real] Sonia Nazario

DACA

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

In September 2017, President Donald Trump ordered the end of the DACA program, saying that the previous administration's executive order creating the program was illegal and that the status of the DACA recipients should be dealt with by the US Congress.

The case has been taken up by the US Supreme Court for the 2019-2020 term. Here are some articles explaining what is happening:

Trump Moves to End DACA and Calls on Congress to Act (includes video)

Scores of companies tell the Supreme Court that allowing the Trump administration to end DACA will hurt the economy

DREAMers describe anxiety as they await a Supreme Court ruling on DACA

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

DACA, One Student's Story (NPR Interview)

"Daisy Romero, a political science senior at the University of Pennsylvania, is registered under DACA and worries about her future."
Future hazy for 100,000 Illinoisans brought to U.S. illegally as children (Chicago Tribune Article)

"Illinois has the nation’s fourth-largest population of DACA recipients...Those enrolled are considered a low priority for immigration enforcement, though they are not protected from deportation."
In Mexico, momentum grows to put out welcome mat for 'Dreamers' (CS Monitor)

"Mexico estimates that some 40,000 young people who lived undocumented in the US may move back in the next several years. Many face enormous obstacles in trying to transfer educational credits that are crucial to establishing a foothold in Mexico."