As the government shutdown stretches into its fourth week, Americans are hearing two very different stories about who is to blame and what is at stake. Official communications from members of Congress express how each side is attempting to shape public opinion on the shutdown.

While immigration policy is set at the federal level, enforcement in many cases involves local agencies. Undocumented immigrants generally come into contact with state and local authorities first, including local police or social services agencies. This makes cooperation between different levels of government necessary for implementing immigration enforcement. In recent years, “sanctuary cities” have become central to political and policy debates.

Given the broad differences between Republicans and Democrats, there are many examples of strong policy disagreements. How can these disagreements be described – are they respectful of opponents or derogatory? The way that politicians talk about their opponents can shape how Americans view political opposition itself. Our analysis of polarization is based on a unique database of all official congressional e-newsletters to constituents, maintained at DCinbox.com by Everything Policy’s Board Member and Content Lead Dr. Lindsey Cormack (Associate Professor of Political Science, Stevens Institute of Technology).