SAGE

How can students be guided to move past the emotional rhetoric and misinformation generated on both sides…? Teaching students to think critically about issues in a polarized environment can be a difficult endeavor. It is especially hard on an issue such as immigration, which has become one of the deepest fault lines in the American discourse. There has been debate for years over what to do about the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States, how to prevent more from coming, and how to regulate legal immigration. The issue took center stage in the 2016 presidential election, when Republican nominee Donald Trump made tightening restrictions on immigration a centerpiece of his campaign. Since taking office, Trump has demanded that Congress appropriate billions for the construction of a wall across the almost 2,000-mile southern border with Mexico. He also has called for increased arrests of undocumented immigrants, adopted policies that resulted in the separation of parents and children apprehended at the border, and limited the rights of those seeking asylum. Immigrant rights advocates have blasted Trump's policies, while his supporters have urged him to stand firm. They argue that illegal immigration threatens the jobs and wages of U.S. citizens and porous borders pose a national security threat by facilitating drug trafficking and terrorism. In such a fraught environment, how can students be guided to move past the emotional rhetoric and misinformation generated on both sides and engage with the factual substance? Tools and Resources: One tool that can be of great use is CQ Researcher. Its balanced, detailed reports on important issues have been informing students and aiding teachers for decades. On immigration policy, CQ Researcher published a June 2018 report that covered the status of "dreamers"— undocumented immigrants who arrived as children—as well as border enforcement, wall funding, and sanctuary cities. A February 2017 report took a deep dive into the Provide your students with an impartial, accessible roadmap to topical research. Sign up to trial CQ Researcher at freetrials.sagepub.com economic impact of immigration. Another vehicle for learning can be to ask students to walk in the shoes of people whose lives are directly affected by the immigration debate: • Consider the choices faced by a Central American parent whose community is caught up in endemic political or criminal violence. How do you weigh the risks of making an arduous and uncertain journey to the U.S. border against remaining at home? Do you take your children, or leave them with relatives? • Envision the situation of a U.S. citizen living in a border town working in a blue-collar job. Does an influx of immigrants overburden your community's public services? Are your land and livestock jeopardized by groups of migrants being smuggled across the border? Do you fear that undocumented aliens will depress wages, or even take your job? Navigating the Immigration Debate CQ Researcher can help students understand the issue's complexities. Research Tools 9

• Cover