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  • What is Homeland?

    America has been called a nation of immigrants. At the same time, immigration has also been an emotional issue since the founding of the country. But while immigration is very much a national issue, you’ve told us that you want to know how communities across our nation are impacted by and have an impact on immigration every day.

     

    That is Homeland—a community-driven initiative where you can explore the topic of immigration through the insights and perspectives of fellow community members.

     

    Interact with the content, leave a comment or submit your own. There’s a new voice in the immigration story…yours.

     

     

     

     

     

     

Homeland Updates – January 9, 2012

U.S. Teen Mistakenly Deported to Colombia Comes Home

The search for a young American runaway who was accidentally deported to Colombia came to an end on Friday night when 14-year-old Jakadrien Lorece Turner was returned home to Dallas, but questions about how a U.S. citizen could be deported still linger.

Turner ran away from home in November 2010 and was arrested on misdemeanor charges in April 2011, according to the Associated Press. Houston police said Turner gave a pseudonym of Tika Lanay Cortez, which is the name of a 21-year-old Colombian woman.

ICE officials said Turner Claimed to be Cortez during the process and an immigration judge eventually ordered her deportation. The Columbian government enrolled her in a welfare program and when the mistake was discovered, she was returned home.

Despite the fact Turner misrepresented her identity, her family is now questioning how a minor who is not fluent in Spanish and with no ties to Colombia could pass through the deportation process. Houston police ran a database check to see if the name given was wanted by immigration officials, but the results were negative, according to the Associated Press.


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Immigration 101


"Green Card" From 1946. Source: U.S. Government

Immigration is a complicated topic, and many in the community are full of questions. How many immigrants come to the U.S. every year? What can history teach us? There’s even a question of which words to use as ‘undocumented’, ‘illegal’, and ‘amnesty’ all stir strong emotions.

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Enforcement


Enforcement

Many in the community have expressed concern about border security, but immigration enforcement is much more than just the border patrol. While enforcement is a federal issue, some states are taking matters into their own hands. There’s also the question of how communities will address the 12 million undocumented immigrants already here.

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Citizenship


Citizenship

Citizenship lies at the heart of the immigration discussion. For the native-born, it is a right bestowed at birth. For those born abroad, things are more complicated. Some may not have a path to citizenship at all. Laws relating to citizenship have changed throughout the years, and some think it’s time the requirements change again.

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Economy


Economy

It seems nearly every conversation with community members about immigration comes back to the economy, and for good reason. Immigrants grow the economy, spur innovation and are behind some very prominent companies. When times are tough, however, immigrants are increasingly cast as competitors in a scarce job market.

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Refugees


Refugees

Annually, America takes in about 400,000 legal immigrants. Within this number is a unique group bound together not by a common country, language or religion, but by one word that defines them: refugee. Forced to leave their home country, this group of immigrants faces a new set of challenges in America.

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Resources


Resources

When discussing immigration either in the classroom or among friends, it can be helpful to have plenty of guides and links to relevant information. The resources in this section should hopefully help answer some of your questions and spark a more informed discussion on this complex topic.

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