Monday, November 18, 2024
By Edward Segal
Immigration, a hot-button issue in the presidential election that President-elect Donald Trump said would be a priority in his second term, is the focus of The Georgetowner Senior Correspondent Peggy Sands’ (aka Margaret Orchowski Ph.D.) just released primer, “The 5 Basics Everyone Should Know About Immigration.”
“I wrote the 68-page primer to help people intelligently discuss—and help journalists accurately cover—one of the hottest topics in the Americas and Europe today,” said Sands, who is also a credentialed Congressional journalist who has covered immigration and higher education on Capitol Hill since 2007 for Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine.
In the wake of Trump’s re-election, “immigration policies, laws and politics in the U.S. must now be a topic of serious analysis and coverage,” Sands said. “That includes how our laws are enforced and have evolved since the founding of our country.”
“For instance, the primer includes a section explaining deportation and other legal removal options,” Sands continued. “In fact, there are three choices for anyone getting a deportation notice; the best choice for most is number two – voluntary departure where the migrant cooperates with authorities, is given up to half a year to get their things in order (such as a future job promise), returns to their homeland and can apply for a legal permit. In fact, former President Obama’s father chose voluntary departure in 1964 when he received a deportation order while at Harvard University.”
“The 5 Basics” is full of “a-ha” moments,” the author commented, “with easy-to-read, historic timelines, clear narrative, apt quotes and no political agenda.”
Sands explained in the book how immigration policies, laws and enforcement measures evolved in the United States; how immigration differs from migration and refugees from asylees; who is an immigrant; the politics of immigration; and other basic topics. It features a glossary of dozens of immigration acronyms and terms.
“Immigration is a surprisingly emotional topic for Americans of all ages and stages,” Sands wrote in the book’s introduction. “Yet the lack of even basic knowledge about immigration occupies a stupendous area of public ignorance. Immigration communications are rife with confusion and are highly vulnerable to political manipulation and disinformation.”
The primer is available on Amazon or can be purchased at discounts for bulk orders by emailing 5immigrationbasics@gmail.com.
Much of this news article appeared in the National Press Club’s The Wire on Nov. 13, 2024