Words Matter: Immigration Rhetoric and its impact on Public Opinion

Abstract

Immigration is a highly complex, salient political issue that vexes nearly every nation. Political leaders and citizens hold many differing views on how to address the problem and speak of immigrants in varying manners. As D. Carolina Nunez wrote in War of the words: Aliens, immigrants, citizens, and the language of exclusion, "Politicians and their speech-writers craft prose designed to inspire supporters, persuade the undecided, and undermine opponents." This project analyzes to what extent political discourse influences public opinion on immigration. Furthermore, this project explores how specific words such as "Illegal", "Alien", "Undocumented", and "Unauthorized" are utilized by politicians by conducting a contextual analysis of events that sparked immigration debate under the administrations of President Clinton, President George W. Bush, President Obama, and President Trump. This project then examines public opinion on immigration and explores the connection between events that spark immigration debate and the discourse that follows from political leaders. Additionally, the way in which immigration discourse is portrayed in the media will be examined.