Opinion: Varied viewpoints on immigration

Forceful arguments continue to be made by both sides about U.S. immigration problems and the need for reform, even as lawmakers continue to punt on opportunities to act toward that goal.

In the latest episodic twist, a federal spending bill passed Thursday by the U.S. House of Representatives lacked a fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, aka DACA.

That leaves intact a status quo covering some 700,000 people who remain in the path of either future court decisions, political actions, or both.

America’s immigration policies are, in a real sense, a poster child for this terribly divided period in our history. Factors batted about, so far without effective resolution, include border security, public safety, deportation, or paths to legal status for people in this country without documentation — many of whom were brought here as children.

As you’d expect, there is no lack of opinions and viewpoints on this issue. Many of them break down along predictable partisan lines, as in “our side must win, their side must lose.” It’s no surprise that, as a result, a real fix has eluded us.

Today, we present a variety of viewpoints on immigration issues. Additional perspectives can be found on myAJC.com as well.