Three things to consider for Wednesday
Today: Illegal Immigration, Zuck for President, and another Nazi meme.
Good morning, Kyle here.
Today we’ve got three quick things to give you a fresh perspective. First up, President Trump has fueled the debate around illegal immigration; our writers evaluate his actions so far. Second, Facebook built a tool to connect you to your government; take it for a spin. Lastly, John Davis explodes a simplistic meme that invokes Nazis, because: Godwin’s Law.
Okay, I’ll get out of your way.
ONE: Trump kickstarts the fight against illegal immigration
Cracking down on illegal immigration was one of President Trump’s major campaign promises, anchored by his repeated calls to build a wall along the entirety of the U.S.-Mexico border and to deport unauthorized immigrants. Sixty days into his presidency, are his actions effective?
The Facts:
- Trump signed two executive orders (EOs) on Jan. 25, 2017. These orders authorized the removal of immigrants living in the country illegally, ordered immediate construction of a border wall, and called for the hiring of 5,000 Border Patrol agents and 10,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. (White House[a], White House[b])
- In response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) nullified the Priority Enforcement Program (PEP), subjecting anyone found in violation of immigration laws — not just convicted criminals — to arrest, detention, and/or deportation (DHS, The Daily).
- Two weeks after the Jan. 25 EOs were enacted, ICE officers arrested 600 people across 11 states. DHS stated that this was “consistent with routine,” as a 2015 national raid resulted in the arrest of 2,059 convicted criminals (NY Times, DHS).
- Trump is under extensive criticism for his deportation efforts; however, deportations have steadily increased since 1990, with Obama setting a record and being called “Deporter-in-Chief” (ABC). Here are the number of deportations that occurred within each presidency according to a DHS report:
George H.W. Bush: 141,326 (one term only)
Bill Clinton: 869,646
George W. Bush: 2,012,539
Barack Obama: 2,990,109 - In 2015, U.S. immigration deportations fell to their lowest point since 2007, with a 20% decrease from 2014 (Pew Research Center). Deportations increased by 2% from 2015 to 2016 (ICE).
We wanted to hear from two of our writers with immigrant backgrounds. Oscar’s grandparents immigrated from Mexico, and Vidya’s parents immigrated from India. We asked them: Is President Trump’s approach to illegal immigration so far an improvement or a step backward from the approach of President Obama?
Conservative Opinion by Oscar Silva
Oscar argues that, in light of the Obama administration’s actions regarding illegal immigration, progressive outrage over Trump’s actions is hypocritical, unless you’re only thinking of 2015–2016 President Obama. While Obama’s inconsistency on immigration action seems tied to election cycles, Trump has been incredibly consistent, even in the face of full-throated opposition.
Progressive Opinion by Vidya Ravilochan
Vidya questions whether the government’s entire approach to illegal immigration — including that of President Obama — is flawed. When fear drives our current approach and fear is the resulting response from immigrant communities, can we acknowledge the successes of past bilateral programs in designing a more humane solution today?
TWO: Facebook’s new tool to engage with government
In preparation for the inevitable President Zuckerberg, Facebook has released a Town Hall feature. Log in, enter your address, and Facebook will allow you to follow and contact your state and federal legislators and executives. After much criticism of Facebook’s role in the spread of hoax stories during the 2016 election, it’s nice to see Facebook empowering users to make a positive difference. I already tried it, and it’s super easy; give it a go.
Find and contact your representatives on Facebook ►
THREE: Meme Exploder: A Humor Column
Politics is hard, but that doesn’t stop some folks from oversimplifying complex topics into 20-word memes. Thankfully, we have our resident meme-ologist, John Davis, to re-complicate them. Today, John fixes another terrible meme.
That’s it for today’s FRAY; we’ll see you on Friday! Don’t forget to click that little ❤︎ to let us know you liked it, share it to bring your friends along with us, or sign up to get FRAY in your inbox below.
What’s Next?
Kyle J. Britt
Editor in Chief
FRAY is a thrice weekly email written by a team of liberals, moderates, and conservatives dedicated to separating fact from opinion. Subscribe below and we’ll send you a new issue with perspectives from all sides of the political debate each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
