Immigration - United States

Karaim, Reed. "Border Security: Is the buildup in border protection effective?" CQ Researcher 27 Sept. 2013. The United States has poured unprecedented resources into securing its borders, spending billions of dollars on surveillance technology, fencing and personnel. Today more than 21,000 federal agents guard the borders, nearly 10 times the total in 1980. The buildup, particularly strong along the 1,933-mile-long Mexican border, also includes new measures at so-called ports of entry

Mexico's Drug War

Katel, Peter. "Mexico's Future: Can the country's new president stop the drug cartels?." CQ Researcher 26 Oct. 2012. Following years of grisly drug-related violence, Mexico's next president, Enrique Peña Nieto, is hinting that he will adopt a new anti-crime strategy when he takes office Dec. 1. Instead of using a military-style offensive to kill or capture the leaders of Mexico's drug cartels

Legalizing Marijuana

This post offers links to issues of the CQ Researcher, additional articles from EBSCOhost and ProQuest (including newspaper articles on the 2012 Washington initiative), as well as print and online books in our collection.

Distracted Driving

Drive Safely Work Week is Oct. 1-5, 2012

Hosansky, David. "Distracted Driving: Should driver texting and cellphone use be banned?" CQ Researcher 4 May 2012. Drivers have long tried to manage any number of distractions ranging from eating a snack and reading a map to dealing with unruly children in the backseat and putting on makeup. But with the increasing popularity of cellphones and texting, distracted driving has emerged as a central concern of safety experts. Studies indicate that distractions are involved in more than 5,000 traffic fatalities every year. Most states have enacted laws to restrict texting or talking on handheld cellphones, and policymakers face calls for a near-total ban even on hands-free communications devices — including those that are built into the dashboards of new cars and heavily marketed by automakers. But even if more restrictive laws were passed, many motorists would find it hard to set aside the devices they have come to rely upon to make business and personal calls and also to check websites or update their Facebook pages. From the CQ Researcher. Reprinted with permission from CQ Press.

Websites:
distraction.gov - Official U.S. Government Website for Distracted Driving. U.S. Dept. of Transportation. Natl. Highway Safety Administration. Offers news, facts, research and an overview of state laws.

Guns

Mantel, Barbara. Gun Control: Should lawmakers tighten firearm restrictions? CQ Researcher March 8, 2013. The debate over gun control has been inescapable since last December, when Adam Lanza killed 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., before taking his own life in one of the nation's most horrific mass shootings. There have been marches and protests, Super Bowl advertisements, emotional and contentious congressional and state hearings and a new, tough gun-control law in New York state. Polls show broad bipartisan public support for expanding background checks to include private gun purchases, although support is weaker and more polarized for a ban on assault-style weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines. Yet momentum may be fading in Congress for passage of any new gun-control legislation as members grapple with the federal government's looming debt limit and this month's automatic budget cuts.From the CQ Researcher. Reprinted with permission from CQ Press.

Jost, Kenneth. "Gun Rights Debate." CQ Researcher 31 Oct. 2008. The Supreme Court gave gun rights advocates a major victory on June 26, recognizing for the first time an individual right under the Second Amendment to own and possess firearms. The 5-4 decision struck down a handgun ban adopted by the District of Columbia in 1976. Gun rights advocates the very same day began challenging