Immigration Crackdown

When President Donald J. Trump began enacting his hardline deportation plan, PBS News sent reporters all over the country to cover raids, protests, official press conferences and, notably, the terror that gripped communities of immigrants. But News Hour didn’t just do on-the-ground reporting. This series of news stories also includes a primer on the often-fractious history of immigration in the United States. Historians and legal experts discuss the Constitutional origins of birthright citizenship, the 1965 immigration law that changed the face of the American population, and the failure of politicians over decades to come to terms with the inadequacies of immigration policy. While many of these compelling reports focus on the anxiety, the fear, and the sense of loss felt by migrants swept up in Trump’s crackdown, News Hour is unstinting in its commitment to present fairly the views of the Trump administration and those who support its policies. For its sweeping, authoritative, and balanced coverage of one of the most divisive issues of our time, PBS NewsHour’s “Immigration Crackdown” wins a Peabody Award.