Join Phi Alpha Theta for our first Lecture Night of the semester. Professor Maggie Elmore will be giving a lecture titled, “The Walls Between US: 20th Century Mexican Migration and US Immigration Policy” which will discuss the history of U.S. response to Mexican immigration and its relevance to current political tensions. All are welcome to join!
Today, 689,900 teens and young adults are waiting for Congress to decide their fate, as the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program remains uncertain. First created by President Barack Obama in 2012, DACA provided nearly 800,000 unauthorized immigrants with temporary documented status. More than 75% of DACA recipients are of Mexican descent. Closely tied to the debate is the creation of a proposed border wall between the United States and Mexico. But discussion of a border wall is not a new one: walls and fences have long dotted the US-Mexico border. The debate over Mexican migration and the US’ southern border is nearly a century old. How have policymakers attempted to address these issues in the past and why do they continue to be perennial topics of debate? “The Walls Between US” explores this history and considers the implications for current immigration policy.