Contemporary Issues in Social Policy - Final

 1.  What did the first Trump administration set in motion to make immigration more difficult?

1. Trump blames previous administrations for failing to secure the southern border 

1. To combat this, during his first term he advocated strongly for reducing legal and illegal immigration.
2. He vowed to expand the wall, along the mexican border. He also increased border personnel, and sent thousands of duty troops to the border. 

3. Zero-tolerance policy resulted in authorities arresting and prosecuting anyone caught crossing the border without authorization.

 2.   What other adjustments did the first Trump administration institute across other federal agencies that handle immigration?

The administration also made smaller changes across immigration agencies, such as requiring interviews for all visa and green-card applicants, increasing scrutiny of temporary visas, and tightening asylum rules. These added requirements slowed visa processing and helped reduce immigration while increasing deportations, affecting immigrants, families, employers, and communities.

 3.   Have any of the Trump administration’s legislative proposals been approved by Congress?

none of the administration’s legislative proposals have been approved by Congress in Trumps first term

 4.   Has Congress approved the funding to build the U.S. Mexico wall?

Lawmakers did not approve the billions of dollars needed to fund the president’s signature initiative, a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border (though testing of prototypes has been completed) but he was able to get funds for his second term through the big beautiful bill and by reallocating funds from the military

 5.   Pres. Obama, in contrast to Pres. Trump focused on deporting what group of immigrants?

This reflects the new administration’s sharp break from the enforcement priorities of President Obama, 

who, by the end of his administration, focused interior enforcement almost exclusively on criminals/

Noncitizens convicted of serious crimes.

 6.   What was the most controversial aspect of the ‘zero tolerance’ policy instituted by the Dept. of Homeland Security in 2018?

The most controversial aspect of the zero-tolerance policy was its separation of migrant children from their parents when taken into custody.

7. Name two of the four steps the Trump administration did to support his executive order to  “Buy American, and Hire American”?

(Pick two)

1. increasing scrutiny of employer applications to bring temporary workers into the country, making 1the process lengthier and more burdensome and increasing the number of applications denied

2. increasing and reprioritizing workplace site visits to ensure temporary workers and employers are abiding by U.S. laws

3. raising the evidentiary requirements for employers to petition for certain categories of temporary Workers

1. ending an Obama-era program that allowed DHS to grant foreign-born entrepreneurs parole into the country for a certain period if doing so was judged to hold economic benefits for the country;

 8.  What was the purpose of the DACA program?

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which currently provides protection from removal and work authorization to nearly 700,000 unauthorized individuals who were brought to the United States as children.

 9.  What is the purpose of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program?

The administration has also terminated humanitarian protections, in the form of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), for hundreds of thousands of migrants, many of whom have lived in the United States for decades. TPS is a temporary form of protection offered to nationals of certain countries who are present in the United States and unable to return to their countries due to violent conflict or natural disaster. 

10.  What country other than the U.S. has experienced a rise in the number of people seeking 

       asylum, and where are most of these people from?

there has been a sharp uptick in the number of individuals who have entered Canada from the United States to seek asylum, most of which are Haitians

11.  Name four of the seven countries Trump sought to ban entry into the U.S.?

Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen

12.  List four of the nine higher education areas Trump is attempting to dismantle or eliminate?

(Pick Four)

Dismantling the education department

Revoking international student visas

Student loan reform

Canceling woke spending

Eliminating DEI

Accrediation reform

Targeting foreign funds 

No transgender athletes in womens sports

13.  Choose one of these nine higher education areas and describe how Trump has 

        Implemented the policy.

(Example for “dismantling the education department”)

Trump signed an executive order directing Education Secretary facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities. In July, the Supreme Court allowed Trump to move ahead with plans to fire about 1,200 Education Department workers.

14.  When did homelessness become a substantial problem in the U.S. and why did this 

       Happen?

Homelessness began to plague the US in the 1980s when severe funding cuts took place at the US department of Housing and urban development, resulting in an increase in the homeless population.

15.  What are the most common causes of homelessness?

The most common causes of homelessness are drug/substance abuse, family violence, psychological problems, education level, and poverty. 

16.  Half of America’s homeless population is comprised of what demographic?

Half of America’s homeless population is comprised of women and children. 

17.  What are two reasons why veterans account for a large proportion of the homeless 

       Population?

Lack of social support and resources, loneliness, and barriers to receiving treatment for injuries  

18.  What three groups of women of color were coercively sterilized from the mid-20^th century

       through 1976?

Mexican American, Puerto Rican, and Native American Women 

19.  How does Project 2025 threaten women and family’s health and freedom?  Cite two 

       examples and explain.

Project 2025 effectively calls for a nationwide ban on abortion care - this would

disproportionately harm women of color, the LGBTQ community, young people, disabled people, and immigrants, whose access to health care is already unequal. 

Project 2025 would unravel the Affordable Care Act - Without the ACA, women would lose

guaranteed coverage for no-cost preventive care such as birth control, breastfeeding support, domestic violence screening, and more

20.  Explain how Project 2025 jeopardizes gender equality.

Project 2025 pushes a hierarchical, gendered, patriarchal society, emphasizing fixed gender roles in the family and weakening protections for women and LGBTQI+ individuals outside male-dominated, heterosexual families.

21.  Gun (blank) have accounted for the majority of all gun deaths each year since

       1995. Gun (blank) have declined since 1995.

suicide, suicide 

22.  What state had the highest gun suicide rate among young people (aged 10-19)? 

New Mexico

23.  Name three out of five states with the highest number of gun deaths in 2023?  Which state

       had the lowest number of gun deaths?

Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, New Mexico (Remember 3)

Massachusetts had the lowest number

24.  Considering educational attainment, what two groups are most likely to commit gun

       Suicide?

Adults over 25 whose highest education was a high school diploma or GED experienced the highest gun suicide rate

25.  What racial/ethnic group is most likely to die from heart disease?  What racial/ethnic group

        is least likely to die from heart disease?

Non-hispanic black people are most likely to die from heart disease. 

Non-hispanic asian people are least likely to die from heart disease.

26.   What are two risk factors for heart disease?

Cigarette smoking and binge drinking. 

27.  What is the relationship between cigarette smoking and educational attainment?

Adults with no high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma (GED) were over

four times as likely to smoke cigarettes as those with a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2019. In adults, cigarette smoking was highest in those with the lowest education levels.

28.   What are the five leading causes of death in the U.S.?

Heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, chronic lower respiratory diseases, and cerebrovascular diseases

29.   Cite two reasons why parents choose to homeschool their children?

Bullying, Concerns about traditional school systems. 

30.   Name two programs designed to assist first generation college students succeed?

Questbridge, I’m First