Ordinarily, legislation supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Restaurant Association, Silicon Valley moguls, and the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal is not supported by people who identify with the American left. But such is the case with Comprehensive Immigration Reform. In a complex deal between interest groups that ordinarily oppose each other, CIR was first pushed by the Bush administration.

One of the most important social movements in the United States is the undocumented youth movement (Dreamers). The movement has not been successful in passing the federal DREAM Act. It has, however, worked closely with its allies to rack up an impressive string of local and state-level victories and pressured the Obama administration to pass Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2012. This latter measure provided approximately 553,000 undocumented youths with temporary relief (two years) from deportation.