In the United States the debate on undocumented immigrants has gone on for decades, and has not changed much. In Congress, there has been bipartisan support for increased security measures. In 2004, the federal government decided the problem was too big for the Immigration Department to tackle and granted local and state authorities powers to detain undocumented immigrants even if no crime was committed, feeding a witch-hunt that had a lasting impact on minority communities. As a candidate, Barack Obama promised comprehensive immigration reform, with the possibility of 11.5 million immigrants applying for legal status. But not only has the reform not been enacted, but deportations are at an all time high. The cost in human terms is staggering. teleSUR