December 2015 immigration news at a glance

Written by Ludmila Leiva

The past year was one of heightened attention to various immigration issues. As 2015 came to a close, several of these topics again found their place in national news headlines. In this month’s news digest, we take a look at where the presidential candidates left off on some of this year’s major immigration debates and briefly discuss the Obama administration’s latest immigration policies, before turning to what’s going on in New York.

Conversations on immigration: the Right

With less than a year left before the next presidential election, the candidates have found themselves under the spotlight on immigration policy, particularly at the fifth GOP debate on December 15, which largely focused on terrorism and Muslim immigration.

Earlier in the month, Donald Trump came under fire after suggesting a ban on Muslim immigration to the United States. Though this type of rhetoric is not surprising from Trump, this time it sparked a particularly heated debate. This article, published by The Guardian in the wake of Trump’s commentary, sheds a satirical light on some of the shared experiences of Latinos, immigrants, and other commonly targeted groups in the United States. And while Trump continues to make headlines for his flagrant commentary, in December he came under heightened scrutiny from his own party.

Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio also made headlines for their stance on immigration policy. Throughout December, the two continued attacks on one anothers’ immigration records. Although the two hopefuls are Latino themselves, their use of familial anecdotes outlining their Cuban-American heritage has fallen short and the GOP is still struggling to capture minority votes.

Despite oscillating views from the Republican party, an Associated Press-Gfk poll found that 40 percent of Republicans support a path to citizenship for immigrants. Whether or not candidates will develop more comprehensive policies to reflect this reality remains to be seen.

Conversations on immigration: the Left

On the other side of the party line, frontrunner Hillary Clinton faced backlash in December after her campaign published a post outlining similarities between herself and abuelas (Latina grandmothers). While Clinton still leads in the polls nationally, she has been criticized for skirting around actual issues in hopes of earning Internet cred, particularly among minority voters.

Bernie Sanders avoided notable criticism on immigration issues in December compared to many of the other candidates. However, while his proposal for a “humane” immigration plan has been well received by the left, the question remains whether his platforms will be enough to woo minority voters away from Clinton.

New year, new surprises

In some ways, Obama’s immigration policies have seemed more compassionate than many of his predecessors. However, in the confettied lead up to 2016, the Obama administration announced that it would begin a series of raids to arrest and deport Central American families throughout the United States in the new year. This news follows a surge of Central American immigrants coming to the US in recent years to escape violence in countries including Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, which we’ve covered in the past. This decision has alienated many of Obama’s political allies and has incited harsh criticism among Latino activists and immigration groups who oppose these deportations.

A look at NYC immigration news

2015 was the inaugural year for New York City’s IDNYC program, an identification initiative created by Mayor Bill de Blasio with undocumented immigrants in mind. The card, which does not require proof of citizenship or legal residence and provides cardholders with a number of perks and services throughout the city, is proving to be a lifeline for many New York undocumented immigrants as this New York Times opinion piece highlights. Due to its overwhelming success this year, IDNYC cards will remain free to New Yorkers throughout 2016.

Mayor de Blasio made immigration headlines again this month after announcing a nearly $8 million investment that will aid immigrant New Yorkers. The new program, ActioNNYC, includes policies that aim to help undocumented immigrants obtain work permits and avoid deportation.

This past year was filled with exciting advances on the frontlines of immigrant rights, but there remains plenty of work to be done. We look forward to the news that 2016 brings.