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.

2023

2016

The Struggle for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Starting in 2001, U.S. lawmakers debated Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR)—a legislative strategy to offer legal pathways, updated visa programs, and increased border enforcement. At the heart of this debate is the fate of over 11 million undocumented immigrants—many of whom have lived in the U.S. for years, contributing to their communities while facing exclusion from legal protections, a constant threat of deportation, and limited access to basic rights and political representation. While supported by wide coalitions spanning civil rights, labor, faith, and business sectors, repeated attempts—including major bills in 2007 and 2013—failed in Congress, largely due to political gridlock and rising anti-immigrant sentiment.

Democrats generally backed CIR but struggled with internal disagreements, while Republicans, once open to reform under Bush, moved increasingly toward restrictionist platforms under Democratic leadership. The 2016 election of Donald Trump marked a turning point, ushering in an era of aggressive enforcement, mass detention, and dismantling of existing protections. In response, many immigrant-led movements shifted away from a narrow focus on federal reform, emphasizing local action, intersectional organizing, and new visions beyond the bipartisan “grand bargain” approach. CIR came to represent both a powerful aspiration and a reminder of the limits of the U.S. political system to deliver lasting change.