Timelines

Migration is a natural part of living systems, and human history is no exception. Yet it remains one of the most debated public issues of our time.

Both people and borders move. Who is allowed to move, and who is granted rights, lies at the heart of how nations define belonging. In Germany and the United States alike, these debates have been deeply intertwined with evolving ideas of race and ethnicity.

These timelines trace how citizenship and belonging have been constructed, challenged, and redefined through laws, social movements, global events, and cultural works — and how those histories continue to shape the present.

2005

2006

Restrictive Bill Spurs Mass Immigrant Rights Protests

Decreeing undocumented status in the U.S. as a felony charge, the proposed Sensenbrenner Bill incited some of the largest and most powerful immigrant rights demonstrations in recent history.

Named for its Wisconsin Representative sponsor, the bill also included provisions to increase penalties for people assisting or encouraging undocumented immigrants to cross the border. Furthermore, it proposed to strengthen border enforcement, including the construction of 700 miles of new fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border. Following the restrictive bill’s passage in the House of Representatives, immigrants and allies marched in protests across the nation. In Los Angeles alone, some 500,000 people took to the streets. Though the bill passed in the House of Representatives, it failed in the Senate. Ultimately, the protest movement that spurred from this proposed restrictive bill continued to grow and raise attention for a new conversation on comprehensive immigration reform.

University of Washington

Immigration Rights Protest at University of Washington - Seattle Campus in the spring of 2006.

University students come together in Seattle, Washington to oppose Bill H.R. 4437 (or Sensenbresser Bill) after it passed in the House of Repreesentatives. It's restrictive and anti-undocumented nature caused many to protest.

United States

Sources

Immigration Bills Compared. Washington Post. 2005. Date accessed: September 12, 2015.
Teresa Wantanabe, Hector Becerra. 500,000 Pack Streets to Protest Immigration Bills. Los Angeles Times. March 26, 2006. Date accessed: September 12, 2015.

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