Research Outline
I. Introduction
A. Research Question: What were former president Donald Trump’s populism tactics regarding the immigration policies, and how did US immigration policies affect migrations from Mexico in the last decade?

Hypothesis: If immigration policies have changed, orienting toward a more human rights-based perspective, migration from Mexico would have become easier to navigate and manage in the past decade from an immigrant’s perspective.

II. Background and Literature Review
A. Castaneda and Melo (2018) initially suggest migrant relations between the two countries were on an upswing earlier this decade.
a. This lasted until the results of the 2016 election.
i. Trump promised a wall and stricter immigration policies.
ii. Detainment of children at the border is not a positive effect.
B. Getrich (2019) explores the impact separation, particularly when some family members are able to live in the US while the rest are in Mexico, can have lasting and damaging effects on the development of children and the overall family unit.
a. Legislation in 2012 was set to allow legal migrant citizens to expedite the citizenship process for their family members.
i. This did not pass, leaving families separated for years at a time, and in some cases, leaving them separated permanently.
C. Van Hook and Glick (2020) further address the impact the last decade of migrant policies and treatment have had on the Mexican migrant community.
a. The impact again spans back to Mexico, where members of families may be stuck.
b. Legislation in 2009 was slated to decrease costs of citizenship and the time it took to obtain citizenship.
i. This measure did not pass.
ii. Some Mexican immigrants have waited over a decade to complete the citizenship process.

III. Argument
A. Claim One: The US has done nothing meaningful to increase the positive policies have on immigrants (Getrich, 2019).
B. Children are disproportionately impacted based on being without one or both parents and being detained at the border (Castaneda & Melo, 2018).
C. Legislation meant to make this process easier has consistently been voted down, insinuating the US government has no intention of passing policies aimed at making the process easier or more positive (van Hook & Glick, 2020).

IV. Assessment and Alternative Arguments
A. It could be the policies simply do not align with current laws.
a. Other laws or policies may need to be amended to create real change.
B. The rate of immigration may also be an issue.
a. A high influx of immigrants places a strain on resources.
b. Policies may need to include a certain number of approved migrant citizens each year.

V. Conclusion
A. The last decade has passed no policies which make immigration easier.
B. Policies are proposed and later shot down.
C. The US government has done nothing meaningful that has had a positive impact on the process of immigration from Mexico.

VI. Assessment and Future Research
A. Based on the literature, policies are not oriented toward helping anybody migrate to the US.
B. Most of the policies are restrictive. Some are even inhumane.
a. Children sleep in small, confined spaces without enough food, no furniture, and no parental or adult care.
b. There have been reports of children as young as five caring for infants taken from their parents (Castaneda & Melo, 2018).
C. Future research must address how to change these policies, what needs to be amended, and what must be eliminated entirely.
D. There may require a complete revision of migration policies for all countries to the US.