BUILDING THE BORDER WALL: CONGRESSIONAL EFFORTS TO SUPPORT TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION LEGACY

Immigration has been a divisive issue within the Republican Party over the past decade. As the country elected an African-American president in 2008 with an agenda that included more inclusive immigration policies, growing discontent among Republicans across the country began to stir. The emergence of the Tea Party Movement in 2010, whose grassroots efforts advanced both conservative economic and cultural positions (Skocpol & Williamson, 2011), enhanced divisions within the Republican Party. Following the 2010 election, the Tea Party Movement continued to pick up steam with dozens of self-proclaimed Tea Party Republicans serving in Congress.¹ With a philosophy of limiting government and