Expert: Immigration an "Emotional Issue Throughout U.S. History"

Khaleda Rahman, Newsweek, Aug. 6, 2023

"Almost half of Florida voters back a sweeping anti-immigration law enacted by Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to a poll conducted exclusively for Newsweek.  The Republican governor, who is seeking his party's presidential nomination, has made hardening the state's immigration laws a priority and is playing up his tough stance on the campaign trail.  He signed the legislation, Senate Bill 1718, into law in May. It took effect on July 1 and aims to limit social services and employment access for undocumented immigrants. ... Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell Law School, told Newsweek that immigration had "been an emotional issue throughout U.S. history."  "People like immigrants they know, but worry about overall immigration levels," he said. "For that reason, it is easy for politicians to demonize immigrants by mouthing simple soundbites rather than tackling the complexity of the issue." "