Glossary
Here is a list of terms that may come up when talking about the crisis or talked about here.
Political & Government Terminology:
- Bi-partisan
- Involving the agreement or cooperation of two political parties that usually oppose each other's policies.
- Red
- Used in American politics, where it indicates that one supports Republican candidates or their policies
- Blue
- Used in American politics, where it indicates that one supports Democratic candidates or their policies
- Left-wing
- the section of a political party or system that advocates for greater social and economic equality, and typically favors socially liberal ideas; the liberal or progressive group or section
- Right- wing
- the section of a political party or system that advocates for free enterprise and private ownership, and typically favors socially traditional ideas; the conservative group or section
- Isolationism
- A political philosophy advocating a foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries
- Trumpism
- a political movement in the United States that comprises the political ideologies associated with Donald Trump and his political base
- Secularism
- Indifference to or rejection or exclusion of religion and religious considerations
- Theocratic
- A form of governance or policies centered around religious principles and ideas.
- Open borders
- A border that allows people and sometimes goods to move freely between jurisdictions with little to no restrictions
- OSHA
- Stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is a federal agency that sets and enforces standards to ensure safe and healthy working conditions
- ICE
- Stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal law enforcement agency that enforces federal laws related to: border control, customs, trade, and immigration
- Scopes V Monkey
- A 1925 American legal case that challenged the constitutionality of Tennessee's Butler Act, which made it illegal to teach evolution in public schools
- Welfare state
- A system whereby the government undertakes to protect the health and well-being of its citizens, especially those in financial or social need, by means of grants, pensions, and other benefits. This is often referred to as a Socialist or Communist policy
- Evangelical
- Relating to a Christian movement emphasizing biblical authority, personal conversion, and often conservative political activism.
- Protectionism
- The theory or practice of shielding a country's domestic industries from foreign competition by taxing imports
- Theocratic
- A form of governance or policies centered around religious principles and ideas.
Migrant Terminology:
- Migrant
- A person who moves from one place to another, especially in order to find work or better living conditions.
- Refugees
- A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.
- Asylum seekers
- A person who has left their home country as a political refugee and is seeking asylum in another.
- Asylee
- A person who is seeking or has been granted political asylum.
- Sanctuary city
- A city where the local police and government protect refugees and undocumented immigrants from being deported by federal authorities
- Humanitarian Crisis
- A series of events or a single event that threatens the health, safety, and well-being of a community or large group of people
- Immigrant
- A person living in a country other than that of his or her birth
- Coyotes/Pollero/Transportista/Guia
- Human smugglers who facilitate unauthorized migrant crossings, often operating in areas with high border activity and guiding migrants through remote routes to evade security.
- American Dream
- The ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved
Education Terminology:
- TESOL
- An acronym for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. It refers to the practice of teaching English to people who speak a different language, either in the United States or abroad
- ELLs
- Stands for English Language Learner, which refers to a student who needs support learning English because their primary language is not English
Economic Terminology:
- GDP
- Gross domestic product is the total value of goods and services produced in a country over a specific period of time
- GNP
- Gross national product (GNP) is an estimate of the total value of all the final products and services turned out in a given period by the means of production owned by a country's residents
- Free Trade
- International trade left to its natural course without tariffs, quotas, or other restrictions