The issue:
Illegal immigration is a decades-old problem. With an estimated 11.5 million illegal immigrants living, and in many cases working, in the U.S. the question remains: What do we do with them? And how do we stop more people from coming? Lax enforcement potentially leads to more illegal immigrants competing with U.S. citizens for jobs and some social services, without necessarily paying income taxes. But a too-tight policy could mean farmers and others in industries that rely on the cheaper labor of illegal immigrants are left begging for workers, passing higher costs on to consumers or going out of business altogether.
___
Where they stand:
President Barack Obama has pushed for the DREAM Act, a path to citizenship for many young illegal immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children. Efforts to pass the bill have repeatedly failed, most notably in 2010 when it stalled in a Democratic-led Senate after failing to win the 60 votes it needed to proceed to a full vote. Five Democrats voted against the measure. In June, Obama announced a plan to delay deportations for many illegal immigrants who would have benefited from the DREAM Act for up to two years and let them get work permits.
Mitt Romney has said that as president he would veto the DREAM Act should it ever cross his desk. He told The Denver Post that he would honor work permits for those immigrants who benefit from Obama's new policy and promised to put a comprehensive immigration plan into place before those permits expire. He favors completing a towering steel fence along the Mexican border, in addition to the 650 miles already constructed, and opposes letting illegal immigrant students pay in-state tuition at state universities.
___
Why it matters:
Illegal immigration has slowed in recent years, with the Border Patrol recently recording the fewest arrests in almost 40 years. But many people worry that the Mexican border, the most popular crossing point for newly arriving illegal immigrants, still isn't secure more than a decade after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In the last several years, the government has spent billions building a fence, doubling the number of Border Patrol agents and adding a slew of high-tech gadgets to stop the flow of illegal immigrants. The numbers tell a compelling story: In the last budget year, the Border Patrol arrested about 327,000 people at the Mexican border. In 2006, agents made more than 1 million such arrests.
Obama's administration also deported a record number of people last year, nearly 400,000. The government has been shifting its focus to finding and deporting criminal immigrants and those who otherwise pose a threat to security.
There's room for debate about what has led to the steep drop in arrests; it's quite clear the struggling economy has made it less attractive to enter the U.S. Still, Republicans insist any illegal crossings are too many. And there's broad agreement that the border should be more secure.
As for illegal immigrants already in the country, there's no easy answer about what to do.
In 1986, under President Ronald Reagan, Congress approved an amnesty that granted millions of immigrants legal status while also changing the law to make it illegal to hire illegal immigrants.
Hiring has continued in many sectors, notably farming. And some lawmakers worry that agriculture would sink if there were an aggressive effort to verify that all farmworkers could legally work in the U.S.
Various overhauls of immigration policy have been proposed since the early 2000s. But the debate often boils down to Republicans wanting the border secure before anything else, and Democrats pushing for that security and for a path to legalization at once. The result has been a legislative stalemate.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
You may also like:
Dating Scam: Carolyn Benningfield says she was scammed out of $800,000 by a man she met on an online dating site.
Jason Aldean: Country star Jason Aldean was caught when photos of him kissing another woman hit the Internet.
Mugshots: Macon Regional Crimestoppers says these people are wanted on warrants in Middle Georgia..
Honey Boo Boo Interview: 13WMAZ's Austin Lewis sat down with Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson and her mother, June Shannon.
Employee Mocked: The manager who a Warner Robins woman says mocked her use of food stamps has been transferred, according to a statement from Kroger.
Celebrities Who Died in 2012: Flip through the gallery to reflect on well-known people who are known for their accomplishments and work.
The Jones Zone: Ben and Lorra GO head-to-head each week picking their game winners -- and you have a chance to weigh in!
Big Ol' Fish: Photos of your latest catches from around Central Georgia
Bestiality Arrest: A Fla. farmhand who claims he gets aroused when animals are in heat and mating got caught with his pants down -- literally -- with a female donkey on Aug. 15.
Major Drug Bust: Ten Central Georgia law enforcement agencies served arrest warrants to 31 different people.
Paris Motor Show: Your trail cams in Macon County
Gator Roundups: Check out these wild gator captures in Fla.
13WMAZ iPhone and Android App: Keep in touch with 13WMAZ on-the-go with our iPhone and Android smartphone app
Severe Weather Galleries:
July 1, 2012 Storms: Severe weather in July
July 3, 2012 Storms: Severe weather in July
Midwest Tornadoes: Iowa towns are devastated by some of dozens of tornadoes that hit the Midwest and Plains in April.
January 21, 2012 Storms: Severe weather in winter
Sept. 27, 2011 Storm Photos: Severe weather in Fall
November 16 Storm: Severe weather in Fall
April 16, 2011 Storm Photos: Severe weather last Spring
March 26, 2011 Storms: Severe weather last Spring
April 28, 2011 Storms: Severe weather last Spring
April 4, 2011 Storms: Severe weather last Spring
Tornado in Tuscaloosa: Photos from the tornado that hit Ala.
Joplin, Mo. Tornado: Photos from the tornado that hit Mo.
Tornado in Harrisburg, Ill. : Photos from the tornado that hit Ill.