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Americans’ concerns about immigration seems to ebb and flow with the political seasons and the condition of the economy. When the nation is prosperous and people are content with their government, the issue seems to fade into the news cycle. But when the nation experiences difficult economic times and angst over its security, the public becomes nervous, the pundits begin to ratchet up the rhetoric, and the politicians scramble for a solution. Frustration ensues as the public demonstrates, talk radio and cable news shows call for action, and state and federal governments propose legislation designed to address the problem. During these anxious times Americans have the opportunity to address issues like immigration in effective ways. However, sometimes reason gives way to expediency and laws are put in place that generate division and confusion and the problems, as well as the anxiety, prevail.
In this lesson, students will evaluate several proposals for addressing the immigration issue that reflect the public’s differing views on the subject. They will then explore a timeline of immigration laws in the United States and analyze their effects and effectiveness. Then students will examine pending federal legislation being considered in Congress and evaluate how well the bills address the problems of immigration. They will develop a summary statement of their views and send these to their Congressional representatives. A good background lesson to this one is “Immigration Reform—Understanding the Issue from Different Points of View” found on NewsHour Extra’s website.
Materials: • Internet connection • Student handouts • Four large pieces of paper, pens
Opening Activity: What’s the Best Course of Action?
Explain to students that in this activity that they will examine various proposals to address the immigration issue that cover the spectrum of public attitudes regarding immigration reform. Emphasize that the purpose of the lesson is not to offend, but rather to have students examine the issue rationally. Encourage students to be aware of their peers’ feelings and respect the positions they take on the issue.
Preparation: Have students watch this warm-up video about Arizona's immigration law and U.S. immigration policy.
Create four large signs, each with one of the following statements: Very Effective, Somewhat Effective, Not Very Effective, Not at all Effective. Post one sign in each of the four corners of the classroom.
- Distribute the student handout, “What’s the Best Course of Action?” to each student or put up a copy of the handout on the overhead.
- Provide time for students to review the proposed solutions and think about how effective they think the solution is—very effective, somewhat effective, not very effective, or not at all effective—and the reasons why.
- Then read the first statement to the class and ask students to go to the corner of the room that best represents their opinion on the proposed solution. Once students have arrived at their position, ask them to review the questions at the bottom of their handout with the other students in their corner.
- Ask a representative from each group to share with the class their thoughts on the effectiveness of the proposed solution. Encourage students to support their positions with reason, facts, and examples and to challenge and debate one another’s ideas.
- Repeat the process for any or all of the remaining statements.
- To reduce the time for this activity, have students work in small groups examining one of the proposals and place themselves in one of the four corners, then review the “Issues to Consider” questions.
Activity 1: Timeline on U.S. Immigration Policy and Legislation
- Divide class into five small groups. For larger classes, more groups can be formed that review the same sections of the timeline.
- Distribute student handout “Timeline on U.S. Immigration Policy and Legislation” and ask student to review the entire document. (This could be assigned as homework the night before.)
- The timeline is divided into sections. Assign each group one section of the timeline. Tell students to review their timeline section and be prepared to report back on questions asked at the top of their handout.
- As student groups report back to the class, lead a discussion to have them synthesize and chart their findings according to the following categories. They can set up a chart that lists the legislation for each of the five categories below:
- Legislation that denies immigration and/or citizenship to individuals.
- Legislation that seeks to strengthen existing laws.
- Legislation that eases restrictions on immigration.
- Legislation that increases security within the country and along the borders.
- Legislation that denies immigrants rights or benefits.
- After each group as reported their findings and students have completed their charts, have students draw conclusions on U.S. immigration policy. What similarities and differences do they see among the different time periods? What factors seem to have motivated past immigration policy? What correlations do they see between historic immigration policy and the ideas for addressing the immigration question they reviewed in the opening activity? What conclusions can they draw from this analysis?
Main Activity:
So, where do we go from here? There are several proposals pending in Congress intended to address the problems with illegal immigration and what to do about the purported 12 to 20 million illegal immigrants now living in the country. In this activity, students will work in small groups to analyze legislation being considered to address these issues. They will then make recommendations on whether the bill should be passed as is, amended, or rejected and will write to the bill’s major sponsor and their senators and representative about their feelings. You can also have students form political action committees (PACs) to support or reject the legislation. Students can set up their own websites and blog posts expressing their views on the legislation and urging voters to support or reject the legislation.
There are several sources for students to find information on pending legislation, Thomas (Library of Congress) (http://thomas.loc.gov), GovTrack.us (www.govtrack.us/congress) Open Congress.org (http://www.opencongress.org/, and Maplight.org http://maplight.org/). These sites are nonpartisan and provide text of the bills, summaries, and status updates. You might want to preview these sites to see which ones are best suited to your students’ needs and abilities.
- Explain to students they will now analyze federal legislation intended to address the issues around immigration.
- Have student groups go to any of the online resources listed above and select a bill to analyze or assign one to each group.
- Distribute the student handout, “What is Congress up to on Immigration?”
- Provide time for students to research the bill and complete the analysis handout.
- Have students write their summary statements and send them to their Congressional representatives.
- Have students follow the progress of the legislation as it makes its way through Congress. Students can provide updated reports periodically in class or on their PAC websites.
In April, 2010, the Arizona legislature passed and the governor signed into law legislation that would require all immigrants to carry papers certifying their legal status. The law also requires police to question people they suspect are illegally in the United States. The action caused a firestorm of controversy over the potential for race discrimination and state interference in a federal matter. Some state law enforcement officials were also concerned the law would overwhelm the system and threatens police officers with a law suit for not enforcing the law to the fullest extent. Have students look into the Arizona law and discuss its pros and cons. Why did Arizona feel such a bill was needed? What was the reaction of the federal government? What aspects of federalism are involved here? How was this issue handled by different media organizations?
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