2.8.11

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The Renaissance Charter School Global Lab 2/9/2011

The goal of this assignment is to explore the main arguments on both sides of the debate about immigration reform in the United States. Carefully read and follow the directions below in preparation for the debate on 2/16/2011. Two visitors will sit through the debate and determine the winning group. A succulent chocolate cake will be given as prize to the winners.  Argue against granting legal status to immigrants living in the United States illegally. **Yellow Team:**  Argue in favor of granting legal status to people living in the United States illegally.
 * Green Team:**

1- As a group decide how you will respond to each of the eight arguments of this debate. 2- Assign __//at least one//__  argument to each person in your group. Choose a replacement for each person in case of absence. 3- Find __//at least one//__  articles that supports your arguments. 4- Create and name a google doc, then share it with Girelle, granting editing privilege. Write a paragraph of five sentences minimum, describing the main points of your argument. At the end of the paragraph, cite the article you used to help you formulate a response. Citation should include the title, author date and URL of article.

**Argument 1** Today, there are approximately twelve million immigrants living in the United States illegally. This number includes minors.  Many Americans disapprove of massive deportation. What is your plan for the people who are living here illegally?
 * Green Team:** 

**Yellow Team:**  The American public does not support legalization for all immigrants. What are your proposed prerequisites to legalization?

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**Argument 2** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Many Americans, particularly in states that share border with Mexico, feel that granting legal status to immigrants living in the US illegally, will encourage more illegal immigration. People will continue to come, they argue, hoping that one day amnesty will be granted.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #6aa84f; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Green Team** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**and** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #f1c232; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Yellow Team** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Formulate a response to the above argument.

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=========================================================== <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Argument 3** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">According to Tamar Jacoby of the think-tank <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//Immigration Works// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, illegal immigrants are not, like many suppose, taking jobs away from Americans. She argues that because the US population is graduating high school at a much higher rate than thirty years ago, most Americans have more education than what is required for the least-skilled jobs (cleaning, cooking, retail, etc). At the same time, most Americans don’t have the advanced education required for top level jobs, particularly in math and in science. Presently, the majority of work visas are meant to fill top level jobs. Ms. Jacoby argues that, not granting legal status to the illegal immigrants already in the United States will lead to a severe shortage of labor for low-skilled jobs. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.economist.com/node/3984555__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://select.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/opinion/27krugman.html?hp__]

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #6aa84f; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Green Team:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Given the expected shortage of low-skilled workers in the absence of illegal immigrants, how will you ensure that businesses have a healthy supply of workers?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #f1c232; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Yellow Team:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Many studies have concluded that illegal immigrants drive down the wages of workers in general. This happens because illegal immigrants often do work “off the books” and for less than minimum wage. What is your proposed solution to this problem?

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=========================================================== <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Argument 4** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Most immigrants entering the United States illegally come from Latin America. In the debate about immigration, Americans that favor legalization think that something should be done to encourage immigration from all parts of the world, not just Latin America. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/10/us/20090310-immigration-explorer.html__]

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #6aa84f; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Green Team** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**and** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #f1c232; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Yellow Team** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Formulate a response to the above argument. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**==========================================================** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Argument 5** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With the rise of the Tea Party in American politics the argument for amending the Fourteenth Amendment has gained momentum. Formulated in the aftermath of the Civil War, the Fifth Amendment is said to grant automatic citizenship to anyone born in US Soil. By amending the Amendment, the Tea Party seeks end to automatic citizenship <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://documents.nytimes.com/annotated-constitution__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (see Civil War Amendments)

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #6aa84f; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Green Team:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Argue in favor of the Tea Party’s proposal.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #f1c232; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Yellow Team:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Argue against the Tea Party’s proposal. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**==========================================================** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Argument 6** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A recent article in the New York Times revealed that, due to the current economic crisis, most Americans support cutting spending to foreign aid.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #6aa84f; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Green Team:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Numerous studies have concluded that, reducing foreign aid, particularly for education and social services, encourages illegal immigration. Given the correlation between aid and immigration, what is your position on this statement?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #f1c232; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Yellow Team:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Should the United States target foreign aid towards reducing illegal immigration? If so, in what areas should the money be invested? How would you respond to the current American feeling on foreign aid?

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=========================================================== <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Argument 7** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The United States does not have an official language.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #6aa84f; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Green Team** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**and** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #f1c232; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Yellow Team** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Should the United States institute an official language?

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=========================================================== <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **Argument 8** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Should the United States go ahead with its plan to build a security fence on its border with Mexico? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #6aa84f; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is your position on the question above?
 * Green Team** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**and** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #f1c232; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Yellow Team** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**:**