U.S. IMMIGRATION REFORM EFFORTS SINCE 2013

Echoes of Ellis Island

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Background (to date):
In June 2013, with support of then U.S. President Barack Obama, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan immigration "overhaul bill" which was more comprehensive than unsuccessful proposals of Obama's predecessor George W. Bush (who in 2006-07 had sought "legal status over time" for undocumented immigrants, without another "blanket amnestyy," as had occurred in 1986). The Republican controlled House of Representatives, however, did not act on the 2013 Senate bill.

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In November 2014, Obama announced "deferred actions" enabling about half of undocumented immigrants to legally live and work in America. These measures, not unprecedented, expanded on his 2012 DACA ("Dreamers") program but were blocked by court challenges. Addressing such objections in advance, Obama told Congress to "pass a bill" instead. There were, however, no further attempts at bipartisan policy overhaul during the remainder of his presidential term.

In 2016, Donald Trump declared his desire to "have Mexico pay" for building a "wall," or (later) "fences," on the U.S.-Mexico border. In 2017, acting ahead of lawsuits by state attorneys-general, his presidential administration announced plans to end DACA. A proposed "path to citizenship" was part of the later "Framework on Immigration Reform and Border Security" but a moderate variant of it was narrowly blocked in the House. After the longest government shutdown in US history (late 2018), a new legislative package from the administration included extending DACA and further funding the border "wall." In 2019, the "Dream and Promise" act, to provide "unauthorized migrants a path to citizenship", passed the House but not the Senate. In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled against Trump admininistration's plans to end DACA.

Joe Biden's administration has been challenged since 2021 by a surge in Central American asylum seekers entering the US through Mexico.

Vice president Kamala Harris, nominated by the Democratic Party in August 2024 to succeed Biden, appears likely (if elected) to pursue similar policies but without noticeably improved chances of success.

New (cleaned up) text (see above for reference links):

In November 2014, Obama announced "deferred actions" enabling about half of undocumented immigrants to legally live and work in America. The measures, not unprecedented, expanded on his 2012 DACA (*"Dreamers") program but were blocked by court challenges. Adressing such objections in advance, Obama suggested that Congress "pass a law" instead. There were, however, no further attempts at bipartisan policy overhaul during the remainder of his presidency.

In 2016, Donald Trump declared his desire to "have Mexico pay" for building a "wall," or (later) "fences" on the the US-Mexico border. In 2017, acting ahead of lawsuits by state attorneys-general, his presidential administration announced plans to end DACA. A proposed "path to citizenship" later became part of legislation introduced but narrowly blocked in the House. After the longest government shutdown in US history (late 2018), new legislation extending DACA and funding further border barriers passed the House but not the Senate. In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled against the administration's plan to end DACA.

Joe Biden's administration, 2021-25, was challenged by a surge in Central American asylum seekers entering the US through Mexico. Kamala Harris might have renewed efforts at reform similar to those attempted by Bush, Obama and Biden, but voters instead chose to re-electe Trump in November 2024. Trump's 2nd administration seems likely to pursue a more extensive and aggressive version of the "stepped-up" enforcement component in the 2013 bill, but with minimal attention to the "path to citizenship" element, and relying (at least initially) on executive and legal actions more than legislative reform.

General articles here below

Specific analyses, listed to the left* here, and in

Commentary section at bottom of this page

*Smartphone users see here, under "Migration today" for links