ABSTRACT
In June of 2007, the US Senate rejected a long-awaited comprehensive immigration reform bill. This delicately crafted compromise measure would have provided legal status and a path to citizenship for the approximately 12 million "illegal" immigrants in this country. At the same time, the bill would have included steps to increase border security to crack down on further illegal immigration. The public mood toward immigrants has soured and has taken a decidedly xenophobic turn. The bill fallen on victim to the increasing political rancor around the issue—and the ambivalence that most Americans feel toward immigrants. Major immigration reform—a hot button, polarizing topic, and certainly during a presidential campaign—will have to wait for another day. According to former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, Social Security would collapse without the contribution of immigrants, who pay federal and state taxes. Collaborative partnerships and travelling exhibitions can broaden the content focus—and audience reach—of traditional museum programs.
