Candidate Series

Newt Gingrich: His anti-media plan

Using debate moments to propel his presidential election campaign.

Immigration

National immigration policy was to be a central issue pressed by the Obama administration in Congress during 2010, but formal proposals were instead put off until the next session.  In recent years both the House and Senate passed their own versions of laws to control illegal immigration, protect national borders and deal with the millions of illegal immigrants already living in the United States.  Neither proposal became law, however, because differences between the bills could not be worked out with the other chamber.  Early in 2010 the state of Arizona ignited a political firestorm when its governor signed legislation making it a state crime for immigrants not to carry their documents with them, in effect allowing local police to arrest undocumented aliens who then could be deported.  Critics decried the potential for racial profiling and a usurpation of federal law while advocates said the law was narrowly crafted and a legitimate response to federal inaction.  A federal judge has since blocked enforcement of most provisions of the law as a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice works its way through the courts.