Voice of the voteless
Does either US party offer hope to undocumented immigrants?
The United States is home to an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. The record-setting deportation of undocumented immigrants under President Barack Obama has drawn scorn from Hispanic Americans, and a recent ad called him “the deporter-in-chief”. At the same time, the Republican Party has called for stronger border enforcement and policies encouraging “self-deportation”.
Since July, a group of undocumented immigrants traveling on the “Undocu-bus” have been risking arrest and deportation to tell their stories at the Democratic National Convention. But without voting power, can undocumented immigrants influence the immigration debate?
In this episode of The Stream, we look at U.S. immigration reform and the upcoming elections. We speak to John Malcom (@malcolm_john), senior legal fellow for the Heritage Foundation; Mary Giovagnoli (@ImmPolicyCenter), director of the Immigration Policy Center at the American Immigration Council; and Kemi Bello (@la_kemster), activist with No Papers, No Fear.
What do you think? What should the government do to deal with illegal immigration? Who should be eligible for pathways to citizenship? Send us your thoughts and comments on Facebook or Twitter using #AJStream.