Michelle Pantoja PRAD 291 May 2, 2013 Assignment 1: SWOT/ Situational Analysis My client is Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)

in his participation in Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR). Senator Durbin is a member of the bipartisan group of senators known as the Gang of Eight. On April 17, 2013, a legislative proposal was presented called The Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013. Strengths: Durbin has seniority in the Senate; He is widely respected, has vast national media attention and is Senate Majority Whip. Durbin has extensive experience and support on the issue. There are 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. Proposal has strong bipartisan support 66% of Americans say Immigration is good thing for the U.S AP now discourages the press use stop using the term illegals or illegal immigrant when referring to people. Census 2010 showed that Latinos accounted for the Nations fastest growth. 50.5 mil Latinos in the U.S. President Obama has strong support for CIR. Opportunities: In 1986, President Reagan passed Immigration Reform and Control Act granting amnesty to nearly 3 million undocumented immigrants. Young, undocumented students (DREAMers) are coming out of the shadows and are becoming better advocates for the legislation than Weaknesses: Everyone has a different opinion on what good CIR means. Immigration policy is long and complicated. Bipartisan support may result in both sides being dissatisfied with the policy The procedures of Congress does not benefit CIR; Congress works slow and deliberate, The House of Representatives has a Republican majority; they are proposing their own CIR bipartisan proposal that will be more conservative The Senate has a small Democratic majority. Not big enough of an advantage to safely pass CIR. Debate over immigration policy has drawn little public attention. Just 19% say they are following the story very closely. Threats: Some conservatives do not support a pathway to citizenship. Debate over immigration policy has drawn little public attention. Fewer than half (46%) know that the bill would allow unauthorized immigrants to stay in the country while applying for citizenship. 37%

legislators. House majority leader, Eric Cantor supports the DREAM Act. Social media and the Internet have positively affected CIR by humanizing undocumented immigrants, especially children and students. It has also strengthened grassroots organization. LGBT families to be included in the CIR proposal.

know that it was introduced by a bipartisan group of senators. Boston Bomb can negatively affect public opinion of conservative legislators and citizens when dealing with legal immigrants. Strict border security demands by members of Congress can cause dissatisfaction with immigration advocates.

1. Based on my research, I would recommend for Senator Durbin to pursue various tactics with various target audiences. To begin with, he needs to continue his relationship with members of Congress. Members of Congress are highly influenced by public opinion and their constituents opinion. In passing significant piece of legislation such as CIR, timing is everything. U.S. public support for comprehensive immigration reform is at its highest. With bipartisan, the President and the American publics support now is the perfect time to pass CIR. Republicans and some Democrats in Congress have strong constituencies that may disapprove of immigration reform, pathway to citizenship or simply have a negative perception on undocumented immigrants. Therefore, Senator Durbin must openly collaborate with the Gang of Eight Republicans and other influential Republicans. He must obtain greater media attention on the bipartisan support. Finally, he must fight harder for his ideal version of CIR, yet he must proclaim to Conservatives that him and other supports are not getting everything they want in the bill. Politics can be a dirty game; no side wants to lose in the eyes of the public. If Republicans feel Democrats are getting too much of what they want, then they may not support the bipartisan

bill. When dealing with Republican media outlets, it is important for Senator Durbin to step aside and let the Gang of Eight Republicans advocate the bill to their constituents. Senator Durbin must also improve his relationship with immigration supporters. Essentially, he is representing his constituents and immigration supporters. Therefore, Durbin must be open and comprehensive with the supporters and advocacy groups. Also, Durbin must appear more on Latino and Asian American media outlets to keep the public inform and motivated. Finally, Senator Durbin must educate and inform Americans on this bill. Immigration reform must be a hot topic avidly discussed in all print, TV and online media outlets. He must inform and target voters, journalists and young adults on the issue. They are the great vehicles in which his message can reach many people. He must also keep reaching out to DREAMers and continue sharing their stories to the public. Durbin must reinforce to all Americans that this is more than a policy issue. He must humanize the bill, so there can be greater empathy and support for the cause. 2. The Gang of Eight senators first released their blueprint on January 2013.

Then, The Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 was introduced in the Senate on April 17, 2013. This is a hot issue; therefore, theres new information every single day. News organizations are not always the best source for unbiased information. Scholarly journals on immigration reform are available, yet the constant influx of new information causes various changes in the SWOT analysis. Press conferences, social media of Gang of Eight

senators and C-Span provide the quickest and most reliable information on immigration reform. The complexity of immigration reform can be difficult for average Americans to understand the real information on the policy and issue. Although immigration is essential to the history and culture of America, there is still strong stigma among some Americans on undocumented immigrants. Public opinions polls and studies are sporadic but appear quickly. Thus, there is an abundant of information based on various public opinion polls and studies on a wide array of questions asked. Therefore, constantly updated polls create a need for constantly updated situational analysis on the issue.

Works Cited "Are There Enough Votes in the Senate to Include LGBT Families in Comprehensive Immigration Reform?" Center for Comparative Immigration Studies Are There Enough Votes in the Senate to Include LGBT Families in Comprehensive Immigration Reform? N.p., n.d. Web. <http://ccis.ucsd.edu/2013/04/are-there-enough-votes-inthe-senate-to-include-lgbt-families-in-comprehensive-immigration-reform/>. Brown, Carrie B. "Document: Senate Gang of 8 Immigration Reform Bill (full Text) Read More: Http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/senate-gang-of-8immigration-reform-bill-full-text-90192.html#ixzz2SC3pkJuk." POLITICO. N.p., 17 Apr. 2013. Web. <http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/senate-gang-of-8immigration-reform-bill-full-text-90192.html>. Davidson, Roger H., Walter J. Oleszek, and Frances E. Lee. Congress and Its Members. Washington, D.C.: CQ, 2012. Print. "Details of the Senate Gang of Eight Immigration Reform Proposal." ICIRR. N.p., n.d. Web. May 2013. <http://www.icirr.org/content/details-senate-gang-eightimmigration-reform-proposal>. "Division, Uncertainty over New Immigration Bill." Pew Research Center for the People and the Press RSS. N.p., 01 May 2013. Web. 01 May 2013. <http://www.people-press.org/2013/05/01/division-uncertainty-over-newimmigration-bill/>. "Hispanics Account for More than Half of Nation's Growth in Past Decade." Pew Hispanic Center RSS. N.p., 24 Mar. 2011. Web.

<http://www.pewhispanic.org/2011/03/24/hispanics-account-for-more-than-halfof-nations-growth-in-past-decade/>. Parker, Ashley. "Heated Questions and Divisions Emerge at Immigration Bill Hearing." The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Apr. 2013. Web. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/us/politics/senators-at-immigrationhearing-clash-over-boston-bombings.html?smid=tw-share>. Preston, Julia. "Showing Grass-Roots Support for Immigration Overhaul." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 May 2013. Web. 02 May 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/us/across-the-country-supporters-rallyfor-immigration-overhaul.html?smid=tw-share>. "S. 744: Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act." GovTrack.us. N.p., n.d. Web. May 2013. <http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s744/text>. "Sen. Richard Durbin." GovTrack.us. N.p., n.d. Web. May 2013. <http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/richard_durbin/300038>. "Senator Durbin's Biography." About Dick Durbin. U.S Senate, n.d. Web. May 2013. <http://www.durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/about>. Sherman, Jake. "POLITICO." POLITICO. N.p., 28 Mar. 2013. Web. May 2013. <http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/eric-cantor-immigration-89423.html>. Staff, NPR. "A Reagan Legacy: Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants." NPR. NPR, 04 July 2010. Web. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128303672>. U.S Senate. "Bipartisan Framework for Immigration Reform - C-Span (PDF)." Washington Journal | C-SPAN. N.p., 28 Jan. 2013. Web.

<http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:t_utZx8h5YoJ:www.cspan.org/uploadedFiles/Content/Documents/Bipartisan-Framework-ForImmigration-Reform.pdf+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a>. Weiner, Rachel. "AP Drops illegal Immigrant from Stylebook." The Washington Post. N.p., 2 Apr. 2013. Web. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/postpolitics/wp/2013/04/02/ap-drops-illegal-immigrant-from-stylebook/>.