Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

In This Episode

For Educators

Immigration: U.S. Policy in the New Millennium – Procedures For Teachers

In This Lesson

Prep — Preparing for the lesson
Steps — Conducting the lesson
Extension — Additional Activities


Prep

Media Components

Computer Resources:

  • Modem: 56.6 Kbps or faster.
  • Browser: Netscape Navigator 4.0 or above or Internet Explorer 4.0 or above.
  • Personal computer (Pentium II 350 MHz or Celeron 600 MHz) running Windows® 95 or higher and at least 32 MB of RAM.
    Macintosh computer: System 8.1 or above and at least 32 MB of RAM.
  • RealPlayer
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 or higher. Download the free Adobe Acrobat reader here:
    http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

Bookmarked sites:

TIP: Prior to teaching, bookmark all of the Web sites used in the lesson and create a word processing document listing all of the links. Preview all sites and videos before presenting them to the class.

Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly Web sites:

Other sites:

  • A Historical View of U.S. Immigration Policy
     http://showme.missouri.edu/~socbrent/immigr.htm
    From the University of Missouri, this graph shows numbers of immigrants to the U.S. from 1820-1980, with accompanying text.
  • Close Up Foundation Special Topic Page: U.S. Immigration Policy (July 1998)
     http://www.closeup.org/immigrat.htm
    This site includes pieces such as “Overview of U.S. Immigration Policy,” “Summary of Current U.S. Immigration Law,” “Statistics on Immigration to the United States,” “Timeline of U.S. Immigration Policy,” and “Teaching Activity on Immigration,” as well as several links.
  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
     http://uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm
    This government site offers information on all aspects of attaining citizenship and legal immigration status.
  • Site of the Center for Immigration Studies
     http://www.cis.org/
    This independent not-for-profit nonpartisan research organization “devoted exclusively to research and policy analysis of the economic, social, demographic, fiscal, and other impacts of immigration on the United States” provides a wealth of information, as well as opinion pieces on current topics in immigration.
  • President Bush Proposes New Temporary Worker Program
     http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/print/20040107-3.html
    On this page, users will find a transcript, along with a video/audio presentation, of George W. Bush’s speech of January 7, 2004, which outlines his proposed new policy on temporary workers.

Related Programs and Sites from PBS and Thirteen:

Materials:

Teachers will need the following supplies:

  • Board and/or chart paper
  • Ideally, a screen on which to project the Web-based video clips
  • Handouts of Web resources if computers are not available in the classroom

Students will need the following supplies:

  • computers with the capacities indicated above
  • notebook or journal
  • pens/pencils


Steps

Introductory Activity A: Illegal Immigrants: Who Is Helped, Who Is Hurt?

This activity is intended to help students begin to think about issues concerning illegal immigrants to the U.S.

  1. Provide students with transcripts of the following RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY segment:Illegal Immigrants (November 14, 2003)
     https://pbs-wnet-preprod.digi-producers.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week711/cover.html
    This video and transcript explore broad issues related to how the U.S. handles its large and growing population of illegal immigrants.

    Then show the video available online. Students can use the transcripts to follow along with the video and refer to them afterwards for discussion.

  2. After students have viewed the video, invite comments. Ask: What are some of the big issues that were raised here? Students might identify the following:
    • How to balance compassionate treatment of illegal immigrants with enforcement of laws
    • Whether illegal immigrants help or hurt the U.S. economy and U.S. workers
    • Whether illegal immigrants are being exploited and segregated
    • Whether the U.S. should provide education and health care to illegal immigrants
  3. On chart paper, make a grid with four quadrants. Above the top two, write the headings “Illegal Immigrants” and “U.S. Citizens/Legal Immigrants.” Next to the two quadrants on the left, write the headings “Risks” and “Rewards.”
    Illegal Immigrants U.S. Citizens & Legal Immigrants
    Risks
    Rewards


    Ask: “When immigrants come to the U.S. illegally, what do they have to gain? What are the potential rewards? What do they have to lose? What risks do they run?” Record students’ responses in the appropriate boxes.

    Also ask: “When immigrants come to the U.S. illegally, what possible negative impact can that have on U.S. citizens and immigrants who are here legally? What might be some positive consequences?” Record students’ responses in the appropriate boxes.

    (Alternatively, you can distribute copies of Student Organizer 1 and have students write their responses individually or in small groups. Follow with a whole-class discussion and create a chart compiling all students’ ideas.)

  4. When students have generated lists for each box, ask that each student write a brief reflection about how illegal immigrants affect the U.S, and how they in turn are affected by their status. Students should save their reflections for later reference.The grid also should be saved for later reference.


Introductory Activity B: Immigrants: What Do You Think?

    This activity is intended to help students learn some facts and dispel some myths about immigration in the U.S. A quiz is available online as part of the teaching package for THE NEW AMERICANS, part of the INDEPENDENT LENS series aired on PBS. This quiz provides no score, and it provides the correct answer with an explanation immediately after each question.

    The quiz can be found at:
    http://pbs-wnet-preprod.digi-producers.pbs.org/independentlens/newamericans/quiz/q01.htm

    If you have the capability to project from a PC to a large screen, you can do the quiz as a whole-class activity. Alternatively, students could work in pairs or triads using classroom computers or the computer lab. However your class does the quiz, plenty of time should be allowed to discuss possibilities, choose an answer, and thoroughly read the information provided after each question.

    If students work in pairs or triads, bring them together for a group discussion of the quiz.

    Print out the answers to the quiz and post them in the classroom.


Learning Activities:

Activity 1: Religion in the Middle

  1. In this activity, students read the following bookmarked RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY segment that examines dilemmas facing clergy in regard to how help immigrants in need who are in the U.S. illegally.Illegal Immigrants and the Church (November 26, 1999)
     https://pbs-wnet-preprod.digi-producers.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week313/cover.html
    This transcript details dilemmas facing the church about how they treat immigrants who need assistance but are in the U.S. illegally.

    Distribute copies of transcripts to students. Ask them to read them individually in silence and, when they are finished, to take a minute to free-write any thoughts and reactions. These pieces can be saved along with the reflections students wrote following the introductory activities.

  2. In groups of three or four, students can discuss the segment, using their free-writing and the guiding questions on Student Organizer 2. Follow the small-group discussions with a whole-class discussion of the segment.During the discussion, it may be useful to refer back to the chart generated in the introductory activity and to the answers to the quiz questions, also from the introductory activity.


Activity 2: Community in Transition

  1. In this activity, students read the following bookmarked RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY segment that looks at a community where immigration led to social upheaval and change.Somali Immigrants in Maine (November 15, 2002)
     https://pbs-wnet-preprod.digi-producers.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week611/cover.html
    This transcript reflects on the strains, stresses, and moral issues confronting a small community that recently had a huge influx of immigrants from Somalia.

    Distribute copies of transcripts to students. Ask them to read them individually in silence and, when they are finished, to take a minute to free-write any thoughts and reactions. These pieces can be saved along with the reflections students wrote following the introductory activities.

  2. Then, in groups of three or four, students can discuss the segment, using their free-writing and the guiding questions on Student Organizer 3. Follow the small-group discussions with a whole-class discussion of the segment.During the discussion, it may be useful to refer back to the chart generated in the introductory activity and to the answers to the quiz questions, also from the introductory activity.
  3. After the discussion, students could write a letter to either:
    1. Vicky Camire, to help her understand the position of Somalis like Muhammad and Direiye Ahmed; or
    2. Muhammad, to help him understand why some of the townspeople are upset; or
    3. Mayor Raymond, to help him understand why the letter made matters worse.

    Finished letters may be shared and discussed in small groups.


Activity 3: When Religious Practices Conflict

  1. The RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY segment below highlights Gwinnett, Georgia, a community where immigrant culture clashes with local culture.Religious Diversity (April 26, 2002)
     https://pbs-wnet-preprod.digi-producers.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week534/webexclusive.html
    This transcript presents the clash of religious practices in Gwinnett County, Georgia.

    Distribute copies of transcripts to students. Ask them to read them individually in silence and, when they are finished, to take a minute to free-write any thoughts and reactions. These free-writing pieces can be saved along with the reflections students wrote following the introductory activities.

  2. Then, in groups of three or four, students can discuss the segment, using their free writing and the guiding questions on Student Organizer 4. Follow the small-group discussions with a whole-class discussion of the segment.During the discussion, it may be useful to refer back to the chart generated in the introductory activity and to the answers to the quiz questions, also from the introductory activity.


Activity 4: Immigration Policy Web Hunt

  1. In this activity, students work in teams to find out some facts about policies, procedures, and requirements that pertain to someone who is not a U.S. citizen being allowed to live and work legally in the U.S.Students can work in teams to find the answers to the questions on their sheets. Question and answer forms are provided as Student Organizer 5. Answers can be found on the following sites, as well as in other reference sources such as dictionaries and encyclopedias.A Historical View of U.S. Immigration Policy
    http://showme.missouri.edu/~socbrent/immigr.htm
    From the University of Missouri, this graph shows numbers of immigrants to the U.S. from 1820-1980, with accompanying text.

    Close Up Foundation Special Topic Page: U.S. Immigration Policy (July 1998)
    http://www.closeup.org/immigrat.htm
    This site includes “Overview of U.S. Immigration Policy,” “Summary of Current U.S. Immigration Law,” “Statistics on Immigration to the United States,” “Timeline of U.S. Immigration Policy,” and “Teaching Activity on Immigration,” as well as several links.

    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
    http://uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm
    This government site offers information on all aspects of attaining citizenship and legal immigration status.

    The questions and their answers are as follows:

    1. What does INS stand for?
      Immigration and Naturalization Service
    2. What is a green card?
      A “green card” gives you official immigration status (Lawful Permanent Residency) in the United States.

      Name 6 paths to getting a green card, or Lawful Permanency Residency status.
      Choices include:

      • Immigration through a family member
      • Immigration through employment
      • Immigration under the national interest waiver for physicians in underserved areas
      • Immigration through investment
      • Immigration through the Legal Immigration Family Equity Act (LIFE)
      • Adjusting to lawful permanent resident status as an asylee or refugee
      • Immigration through the Diversity Lottery
      • Immigration through International adoption
      • Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
      • Immigration through “The Registry” Provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act
      • Immigration as a “Special Immigrant”
      • Immigration through Country-Specific Adjustment
      • Immigration through the Cuban Adjustment Act
      • Immigration through the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 (HRIFA)
      • Iraqi Exemption to Asylee Adjustment Cap
      • Immigration through the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief ACT (NACARA) Section 202
      • Immigration through the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief ACT (NACARA) (Section 203)
      • Adjustment through Syrian Adjustment Act (P.L. 106-378)
      • Immigration for Eligible Individuals from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos

    3. According to the Immigration and Nationality Act, “any person who is outside any country of such person’s nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which such person last habitually resided, and who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion” can be termed a __________________.
      Refugee
    4. What was the first national group to be forbidden by law to immigrate to the U.S., and which Act of Congress passed this exclusion into law?
      In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act suspended immigration from China for sixty years.
    5. Around what year did the number of immigrants to the U.S. peak?
      Around 1900.
    6. Which president vetoed a bill requiring immigrants to pass a literacy test? Did the veto succeed in blocking the bill?
      Woodrow Wilson. The veto was overridden by Congress and the bill passed.
    7. How did the National Origins Act of 1924 prevent many Eastern Europeans from immigrating to the U.S. during World War II? What other groups were affected?
      This act limited the yearly number of new immigrants of any nationality to only 2 percent of the number of foreign-born members of that same nationality living in the U.S. during the 1890 census. This favored Western Europeans over Eastern and Southern Europeans and effectively banned immigration from the Far East.
    8. When was the National Origins Act of 1924 repealed?
      In 1965.
    9. Which act signed in 1952 revised the National Origins Act of 1924, and who signed it?
      The McCarran-Walter Act, signed by President Harry Truman.
    10. When was the McCarran-Walter Act overturned, and why?
      The McCarran-Walter Act made political ideology a criterion by which someone could be excluded. It was overturned in 1990, when Congress made it illegal for the U.S. government to deny people entry because of their beliefs, statements, or associations.
    11. Why was there a rise in illegal immigration from Latin America beginning in 1965?
      The Immigration Act of 1965 abolished quotas that discriminated against nationalities. Instead, it placed ceilings on the numbers admitted from the Eastern and Western hemispheres. Before that time, there were no restrictions on people from Latin America.
    12. For the fiscal year 2003-2004, what is the ceiling for refugee admissions from Latin America-that is, the maximum number allowed to be admitted to the U.S.?
      Latin America and the Caribbean are allotted 3,500 admissions.
    13. Approximately how many illegal aliens currently reside in the United States?
      Estimates range from 5 million to 9 million.


Activity 5: Muslims and Civil Liberties

  1. Introduce the following bookmarked RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY segments about civil rights issues in relation to immigrants following the attacks of September 11, 2001:Sensitizing Police towards Muslims (January 2, 2004)
     https://pbs-wnet-preprod.digi-producers.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week718/cover.html
    This video and transcript investigate law enforcement attitudes towards Muslims post-9/11.

    Civil Liberties (October 12, 2001)
     https://pbs-wnet-preprod.digi-producers.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week506/feature.html
    In this transcript, RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY looks at tensions between civil liberties and national security considerations in the wake of 9/11.

    Explain that students can work on one or both of these segments.

    Distribute copies of transcripts to students and show the video “Sensitizing Police towards Muslims.” Allow time for students to read the transcripts, and ask them to take a minute to free-write any thoughts and reactions. These pieces can be saved along with other reflections students wrote.

  2. Then, in groups of three or four, students can discuss the segment, using their free-writing and the guiding questions on Student Organizers 6 and 7. Follow the small-group discussions with a whole-class discussion of the segment.During the discussion, it may be useful to refer back to the chart generated in the introductory activity and to the answers to the quiz questions, also from the introductory activity.
  3. After the discussion, students should search the Internet for current news stories about civil rights issues concerning immigrants. News items can be shared and posted.


Activity 6: Interviewing Immigrants

    Many students will know someone or be able to connect with someone who immigrated from another country. They can interview an immigrant and present their interviews to the class. Students can use the Tips for Interviewing handout and the Interview Planning Sheet organizer to help them focus on what they want to learn and what questions they will ask.


Activity 7: Interviewing Guest Speakers

  1. Invite someone from a church or another community-based organization that assists immigrants to speak to the class about his or her work (paid or volunteer). Sources for speakers include local religious groups and social service organizations. Speakers should plan on a presentation of 5-10 minutes followed by “Q and A”. The tip sheet, Listening to Guest Speakers can be given to students in advance.
  2. When your speaker or speakers are scheduled, tell the class who will be coming to speak with them, giving names and a brief summary of their work, and help students develop general questions to ask each speaker. Possible questions are:
    • How do you and/or your organization help immigrants? What needs do you address?
    • How do you approach people who are different from you in culture and language?
    • What are some of the challenging situations you deal with?
    • What is it about your work that is rewarding to you?
    • What kinds of social problems do you see in our future?

    Presentations can be audio taped. If the speaker is willing, the interview can also be video taped.


Culminating Activity:
Academic Controversy: Should Immigrant Non-Citizens Vote?

  1. Students should engage in academic controversy, a form of debate, on the current, controversial issue of whether legal immigrants should be allowed to vote in some elections. This activity exposes students to a number of different viewpoints and to some of the main arguments in support of and in opposition to allowing legal immigrants to vote. Students will have the opportunity to develop positions and synthesize the information they have gathered.The process of academic controversy differs from traditional debate in that it requires participants to switch sides at one point, in order to truly understand the other side’s perspective. David and Roger Johnson, founders of the cooperative learning movement, developed academic controversy because they observed that in our culture, we find it difficult to deal with divergent views and opinions. Academic controversy establishes a new form or “script” for resolving intellectual differences.In academic controversy, participants work in groups of four to address an issue. Within these foursomes, participants divide into pairs. Each pair is assigned one of two opposing points of view on the issue. They should research the topic as thoroughly as possible, preparing arguments for both points of view.For tips about using debate and discussion in the classroom, go to the RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY Tips page. More detailed descriptions of Academic Controversy and guidelines for the process, along with step-by-step handouts, can be found at this PBS site:Wide Angle — Global Classroom
     https://pbs-wnet-preprod.digi-producers.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/classroom/index.html

    More information on this strategy can be found in:

    Johnson, D.W. & R.T. Johnson. Creative Controversy: Intellectual challenge in the classroom. Edina, MN: Burgess Publishing Company, 1995.

  2. Students can use the following Web Sites to prepare their arguments:Immigrants’ Voting Rights Becoming a Major Issue
     http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2515456
    A Houston Chronicle article by Kim Cobb.

    Immigrants Rally for Voting Rights
     http://www.usvisanews.com/articles/memo295.shtml
    A brief article in the U.S. Visa News.

    Push Is on to Give Legal Immigrants Vote in New York
    http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/08/nyregion/08VOTE.html?
    ex=1396756800&en=e4a26a4bb2ee8e30&ei=5007
    An article from The New York Times.

    New York Debates if Immigrants Can Vote
     http://in.news.yahoo.com/040413/43/2cj3u.html
    An article from the Indo-Asian News Service.

    Let legal immigrants vote in city
     http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/119588p-107748c.html
    A New York Daily News opinion piece by Ron Hayduk and Michele Wucker.

    Let Immigrants Vote?
     http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/13/opinion/L13VOTE.html?
    ex=1083038400&en=6a976432c02753da&ei=5070
    A letter to the editor of The New York Times.

    Should Legal Non-Citizens Be Allowed to Vote? No: Voting Is Reserved for Citizens
     http://silverchips.mbhs.edu/inside.php?sid=3148
    An article by Alexa Gabriel.

  3. Students should create their arguments and practice them in class. Allow time for students to research their positions fully, and to learn from each other’s arguments.
  4. Finally, the academic controversy debates should be staged for parents, schoolmates, and the community at large. Students should publicize this event by creating posters and flyers that explain the significance of immigration for their own communities. After the debate is staged, students should allow time for questions and answers, and should be prepared to speak about local immigration problems and their potential solutions.


Extension Activity:

Students can develop and conduct surveys or polls (see Using Surveys and Polls handout) to gauge opinion within the school or community regarding issues involving immigrants. After conducting the surveys or polls, students could create charts or graphs to illustrate their findings.

Students may also use what they have learned to develop service projects in their areas. Based on the arguments generated by the academic controversy debates, ask students to reflect on what work they feel is most needed in their own communities. Then, ask students to get involved in this work by researching service organizations and volunteering, or by creating their own service projects. Students may, for example, choose to assist immigrants in their own community by tutoring recent immigrants in English. Or, they may choose to hold an event that provides non-immigrants with information about the culture and experiences of recent immigrants to the area. Ask students to find organizations in their area that work on immigration issues; they may begin by using an organization finder at a site such as:

National Service Learning Clearinghouse
 http://www.servicelearning.org/

Churches, community-based social services agencies, local government offices, and refugee resettlement agencies may also have or to know of programs in which students could participate. School counselors and administrators also may be aware of local needs and opportunities for young people to get involved. Alternatively, students may select a project, like a food or clothing drive that can be done as a whole-class activity. Students may also find ideas at Human Rights 101, a Web site that helps teens design and implement their own human rights projects.

As part of the project, students should keep journals of their service activities. Service projects can also be reported in school and community newspapers. They may also want to share their experiences with kids in their areas and across the U.S. by explaining what they did on the ZOOM INTO ACTION site.

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