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USC Immigration

The United States is a country of immigrants. Even so, the debate over immigration has never been so intense. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, concerns about securing borders and screening immigrants have dramatically escalated. The in-depth coverage from the University of Southern California looks at how both people and policy have been impacted. The USC News21 Fellows and Faculty also wish to thank California Connected (KCET) and Christina Wu for extra footage used in our stories, Lee Warner for Editing Assistance and Scott Shulman for Camera Assistance.

Tale of Two Cities

A pair of California towns stand on opposite sides of the illegal immigration debate
By Leo Juarez, Laura Cavanaugh, David Eisenberg, July 27, 2006

This piece originally aired July 21 on "California Connected," a weekly news magazine which is broadcast statewide on PBS.

Two cities, two very different climates for illegal immigrants.

In San Bernardino, what began as a one-man crusade has turned into a movement pushing for one of the strictest anti-illegal immigrant laws in the country.

Image: Map of Two Cities
(click to view map)

Sixty miles away, officials in the tiny, working-class community of Maywood have declared the city a "sanctuary" for undocumented residents.

In the highly charged national debate over illegal immigration, both cities have made headlines -- and inspired other cities -- with their divergent stances. The common thread between them is a shared frustration with a lack of immigration reform at the federal level.

MORE ABOUT Tale of Two Cities

::: THE BACKSTORY :::
Listen to the "Two Cities" team discuss how they reported and produced the story.

Two Cities, Two Families: Leo Juarez's blog entry from ImmigrationOutpost.com.

::: VOICES FROM THE STORY :::

Image: Tale of Two Cities: Voices from the Story
Open the video player to hear more voices from the story.

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