The Immigration Debate: A Lesson from Viva La Causa

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In this lesson, students will explore social justice issues within our nation's immigration debate - a debate that is largely connected in the public psyche to undocumented Latino workers. Students will examine a piece of commentary by Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, that encourages a human rights focus, and introduces concepts such as the systemic exploitation of immigrant laborers, anti-immigrant bias and the effect of the North American Free Trade Agreement on immigration patterns.

This lesson is part of the Viva la Causa teaching kit.

Objectives

Students will:

  • explore how economic conditions in other nations, as well as international trade policies, can lead to new patterns of immigration and migration.
  • explore how competition over resources, power, or status can give rise to conflicts between groups and to exploitation and bigotry.
  • assess the strengths and weaknesses of a piece of written commentary that addresses ongoing debates in the U.S. about immigration and immigrant workers.

Time and Materials

Procedures

First, review the Commentary Rubric handout with students and talk to them about how rubrics are useful (click here for benefits of using writing rubrics). Use Cohen’s essay as a model to help students understand the four traits—clarity of position, degree of support for assertions, organization and tone—of writing a commentary essay. Also ask students to identify three issue raised in Cohen’s essay about which they’d like to know more. Have students read the essay.

Ask students a few follow-up questions:

  • What is Cohen's thesis?
  • What are points that support his thesis?
  • Do you agree or disagree with Cohen? Why?

Collect the students' handouts and group them according to the interests. Next, students will be asked to research key issues raised by Cohen's essay.

Framework for Research
Inform students that their small groups must write a piece of commentary responding to Cohen's essay. It should (1) explain and expound on a specific part of something mentioned in the original essay and (2) express their agreement or disagreement with Cohen. The framework for their commentary can be something like the following:

  • Paragraph One: Introduction in which students tell the reader about Cohen's essay
  • Paragraph Two: Students mention the item that most piqued their interest in Cohen's article.
  • Paragraphs Three-Five: Students research and write about the topic that piqued their interest, presenting at least three related facts.
  • Paragraph Six: Students agree or disagree with Cohen.

We recommend the following websites as starting places for student research:

  • The Southern Poverty Law Center's Immigrant Justice Project examines worker exploitation, particularly in the context of guestworker programs. Be sure to look at its special report, Close to Slavery.
  • The "Anti-Immigration Movement" page from the Center's Intelligence Project offers a wealth of information about anti-immigrant bias in the mainstream, as well as among extremist groups that promote xenophobia and nativism.
  • Public Citizen provides a simple primer on problems within and generated by the North American Free Trade Agreement.

After students have written their essays, have them use the Commentary Rubric to self-assess or offer feedback for their peers’ essays.

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