SCOTUS Decision & Immigration (In)action: A Political Failure From Start to Finish

George P Mann
Blog
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This morning, over 4.5 million undocumented people, including mothers, fathers, children, friends, and coworkers, were stripped of a sense of hope for better things to come. The eight justices of the U.S. Supreme Court elected to all but kill President Obama’s most significant attempt at immigration reform. In a 4-4 split, the decision came down…
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“Enforcement First” Policy Based on Fear, Not Facts

George P Mann
Blog
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Photo courtesy of Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Wikimedia Commons A common thread connecting the messages of many anti-immigration reform supporters is the notion that the US-Mexico border is a porous, lawless no man’s land through which criminals and terrorists freely flow. This underlines a policy position commonly held by elected officials,…
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The Usual Caveats Apply: Amendments to the Visa Waiver Program

Lolita Brayman
Blog
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On Thursday January 21, 2016, changes to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) went into effect, including an addition to the program titled “Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015.” As usual, the new law and its exceptions are causing major debate among  U.S. government officials and could have a negative effect on U.S.-Europe relations. According…
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More Discourse, Less Abuse: Dems On Immigration

George P Mann
Blog
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  There weren’t too many surprises during Tuesday night’s Democratic primary when the subject of immigration came to the forefront. The differences among the five candidates were outlined, including a somewhat surprising admission by Sen. Bernie Sanders that he voted against an immigration reform bill in 2007. For the most part, however, these differences are…
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Fences, Walls, Mass Deportations: More of the Same from the Second GOP Debate

George P Mann
Blog
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The most pervasive takeaway from last night’s Republican debate was that nearly nothing is considered unfit for political discourse. The shocking and the illogical are the new norms for the GOP. We had Donald Trump, in response to a pejorative comment he made in recent weeks about Carly Fiorina’s appearance, calling Ms. Fiorina a beautiful…
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Let’s All Agree to Stop Talking About Donald Trump

George P Mann
Blog
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Donald Trump has been on everyone’s minds and lips since his contentious presidential candidacy announcement in June, which was, of course, his intention from the beginning. As he himself has said, “Controversy, in short, sells.” Trump’s constant stream of shockingly inflammatory nonsense is simply a well-managed campaign – and business – tool meant to garner…
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