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Immigration Policy And The Presidential Election Essay

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„Every year, nearly a million people immigrate to the United States. Over 41 million legal and undocumented immigrants live in the country today. That’s 13% of the population. How the US deals with the flow of immigrants directly affects the countries security and economy.” This opening statement made in the video “Immigration Policy and the Presidential election” produced by Hagit Ariav and Jeremy Sherlick in October 2015 for the Council of Foreign Relations expresses why immigration is an ever present issue in American politics. However, statements and policies introduced by this year’s candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, have brought the controversial topic of immigration to a historic high, sparking wide spread opinions and discussions throughout the country. The complexity of immigration in the United States finds its routes both in its historical meaning within the United States, as well as the various actors and countries currently involved in the situation. Historically, the United States is a country of immigrants. In past decades, millions of people from around the world have come to the country in hope of starting a new and better life. Currently, the United States is experiencing a constant flow of people coming from the Northern Triangle (Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala) in Central America. According to the Council on Foreign Affairs’ article ‘Central America’s Violent Northern Triangle’ written by Danielle Renwick, “nearly 10 percent of the

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