Issue Overview: Immigration reform

By Bloomberg, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.30.16

Word Count 529

U.S. Border Patrol at Algodones Sand Dunes, California. The fence on the U.S.-Mexican border is a special construction
of narrow, 15-foot-tall elements that are movable vertically. This way, they can be lifted on top of the ever shifting sand
dunes. United States Department of Homeland Security

People who move from other countries to the United States are called immigrants. Some
are in the country without permission. About 11 million people live without permission in
the U.S. today. They are called undocumented immigrants. What should be done about
them? Most Americans think they should be allowed to stay. Democrats and Republicans
are the main political groups in America. They have different ideas on how to x this
problem.

The Situation

In November, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. Trump ran as a
Republican. He made ending illegal immigration an important part of his campaign. He
pledged to build a giant wall between the U.S. and Mexico. He also said he would nd any
immigrants who had broken the law and send them to their home countries.

Trump does not agree with President Barack Obama's ideas on immigration. Trump said
he would put a stop to President Obama's plan to protect immigrants who are in the United
States without permission.

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President Obama announced his plan in 2014. It would stop the deportation of about 4
million people. These people could stay and work in the United States. Texas and 25 other
states challenged the plan. They asked two courts to put a stop to it. Two judges sided
with the states. They ruled that President Obama did not have the right to let the
immigrants stay. Only Congress could do that.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the case. It is the highest court in the country.
The result was a tie. Four justices voted for Obama's plan. Four voted against it. Usually,
there are nine justices on the Supreme Court. That prevents ties from happening. But
Justice Antonin Scalia died in February and has not been replaced. The tie means Obama
cannot make his plan happen.

The Background

It is hard for presidents to get Congress to pass important laws involving immigrants. The
last president to do so was Ronald Reagan. That was in 1986. President George W. Bush
tried to get a law passed in 2007. He did not succeed.

In the 2012 race for president, Republicans said they wanted to send undocumented
immigrants out of the country. The Republican running for president was Mitt Romney. He
was running against Barack Obama. That November, 7 out of 10 Hispanics voted for
Obama.

After that, Republican leaders said the group had to change its thinking. If not, they would
lose more voters.

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The Argument

Most Democrats have the same ideas on immigration. Republicans do not, though. Some
mainly want to stop people from coming into the United States without permission. Others
do not think the immigrants who are already here should become citizens.

Some Republicans want to let immigrants live legally in the United States. This is almost
like being a citizen. Paul Ryan, a Republican, agrees with this idea. He is the House
speaker. The House speaker is the leader of the House of Representatives. This is one part
of Congress. The Senate is the other part.

Other Republicans are worried. They don't think the party should keep ghting
immigration. They worry it will push away even more voters.

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