...POLSCI 200 Why Can’t the Government Pass the New Immigration Reform? Our nation is currently faced with many problems and the one that still seems to stand out is an immigration reform. Many of those who reside in the U.S may not see it as a big issue, but in reality it really is. Even though many presidents including Obama tried to adopt the immigration reform, the policy has been murky since Naturalization Act of 1790. The federal government developed a cohesive procedure for naturalization. Immigrants at that time were granted citizenship after living in the U.S. for at least 2 years without criminal records. Every President since Dwight D. Eisenhower has taken executive action at some point regarding to immigration reform. With the last immigration reform act passed in 1986, the time to fix a broken immigration system is long overdue. Since the United States has been highly populated with diverse population including documented or undocumented immigrants, the government could have considered adopting the immigration reform specifically and permanently. Apparently, there are some reasons that take many years to process an immigration reform in Congress such as polarization in Congress, Federalism, courts’ decision, media impaction, and interest groups. It is hard to believe that why the government is not fully paying enough attention to immigration reform bill that is one of the most important not only for country itself but also for its economy. Now, we have estimated...
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...of US immigration legislation (http://immigration-bills.wikispaces.com/History) 1862 and 1875 Immigration Acts * First acts aimed at a specific group * Outlawed the transporting of Chinese "coolies" on American ships 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act * Suspended Chinese worker immigration for ten (10) years * Barred Chinese from naturalization * Chinese exclusion laws made permanent in 1904, until repealed in 1943 1907 Gentleman’s Agreement * Restricted Japanese laborer immigration * Followed in 1924 by the Japanese Exclusion Act 1917 Immigration Act * Created the Asia-Pacific "Barred Zone," further limiting Asian immigration 1920 – 1965: Quotas and External Factors Decrease Numbers 1921 Quota Act * First quantitative immigration law * Restricted any Eastern Hemispheric nationality coming to the U.S. to 3% of their 1910 resident population. The 350,000 "quota immigrants", therefore, came mostly from Northern and Western Europe 1925-1930 * Restrictive legislation cuts immigrant inflows approximately 50% to about 220,000 per year, during the 1925-1930 timeframe * Italian, Russian, Polish numbers fell. Only 15,000 Italians per year were admitted, for example, in 1925-1930 timeframe versus 222,000 in 1921. 1952 The Immigration and Nationality Act allows individuals of all races to be eligible for naturalization. The act also reaffirms national origins quota system, limits immigration from...
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...Public Policy Issues May 01, 2013 Public Policy Issues Immigration is the introduction of new people into a habitat or population. The land of the free, America is the place immigrants migrate to in search of a new life. For well over two centuries, people have flocked under this nation's protective wings as opportunists, sojourners, missionaries, refugees, and even illegal aliens. Over time, millions around the world have found emigrating to the U.S. as the only alternative to starvation, death, or a life full of hardship and suffering. With thousands from nations spanning the globe, America has become a mosaic of people, culture, and hope. Immigration is a public policy that currently affects millions. There are two groups that are both fighting for and against immigration. There is a special interest group called Tea Party is currently fighting against immigration and was as the United Farm Workers is a labor coalition that fights for immigrations. The singular purpose mindset is the main advantage that special interest groups have over political parties. The reason being is that special interests groups can focus their energy, time and money on one specific issue, compared to political parties who cover a variety of issues, and do not weigh in too heavily on one issue in itself. If political parties get caught up focusing on one issue they can lose the parties overall directive when arguing too much for or against that one single issue (Texas Politics, 2009). A good...
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...Rob Williams Prof. Williamson Social Movements 17 December 2013 The DREAM Act When considering social movements, we think about a social or political development aimed at advancing a group of people or organization whose significance lies in their uniqueness. This advancement is not a literal, physical progression, but rather a symbolic movement with the intent to foster support and progress past some deeply imbedded issues. Today in the United States, we are at the center of attention for a social movement that is quite literally, a physical movement. Illegal immigration from Mexico and South American countries continues to be one of the most controversial and debated matters of public policy. The United States allows for an annual limit of roughly 675,0001 immigrants to legally enter our borders, which is extremely conservative relative to other countries. This very limited number forces the majority of immigrants from south of the border to either enter completely illegally, or overstay a temporary work visa issued by our government. While dealing with these illegal aliens serves to be a contentious problem by itself, an even more pressing issue rises to the surface when debating the rights of their children. Thomas Humphrey Marshall described the evolution of citizenship from civil, to political, and finally to social. This idea of social citizenship explained the governmental rights that citizens were guaranteed, “to live the life of a civilized being.”2 The two...
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...Immigration and Immigrants A Pathway to Permanency Immigration and Immigrants: A Pathway to Permanency American culture has been shaped by immigrants from all around the world dating back to the founding of this country. Since the beginning, people have migrated to the United States for relief and opportunity. The United States is currently experiencing a new wave of immigration; namely Latinos. Many of whom are migrating to escape the dangers of their homeland. Others are migrating to move beyond the political chaos and economic deprivation of their countries in hopes of having an opportunity at the American Dream and all of its promises. It can be agreed that immigrants come to the United States for the betterment of themselves and their families. However, their dreams are often shattered by the obstacles of gaining residency and citizenship no matter the length of the time they have resided in the United States. While immigrants are the foundation of our nation, immigration regulations were put into place in the 1700’s and has undergone changes throughout the years. Over the past several decades, there has been an emphasis on immigrants’ impact on our economy. In our current state combined with the vast amount of illegal immigrants entering and residing in the United States, immigration and immigrants are significant to America’s success. Our country’s international stature is dependent upon the advancements we make to enhance the lives of our young immigrant population;...
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...economic benefits of immigration are clearly positive. Immigration is good for the economy. So opponents of the bill are left picking over the distribution of those benefits. As the Hamilton Project writes in their summary of the evidence, “immigrants create average wage increases of between 0.1 percent and 0.6 percent for American workers. The greatest academic dispute is around the effect on the wages of Americans with less than a high school diploma, with estimates ranging from slightly positive to a decline of 4.7 percent.” A bipartisan group of senators this morning introduced comprehensive immigration reform legislation that provides a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States, as well as reforms to other existing worker and visa programs. The bill would also provide undocumented immigrants with provisional legal status as they wait for citizenship — which will take 13 years under the legislation. Still, temporary status gives those immigrants the ability to contribute directly to the American economy, and the benefits for the overall economy, including American workers, would be substantial over the next decade. Perhaps the toughest question in the immigration discussion is what is our universe of concern? Is it U.S. citizens? Legal U.S. residents? Anyone in the U.S., including unauthorized immigrants? What about potential immigrants, both legal and illegal? Whose welfare you’re worried about, and how worried...
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...Making Children’s Dreams Come True Immigration has been a heavily debated issue in United States politics for decades. It is a topic that policymakers weigh in on concerns of the nation’s security and its economy. Congress, which is in charge of evaluating laws is unable to effectively resolve an agreement on establishing a reform for immigration, making the decision policies transfer onto the executive branch. The executive’s responsibility to place a definitive reform on immigration will lead to dissatisfaction with the states and local governments. The notion of the immigration system has always been confounding to its own legislature that constitutes regulations on the naturalization process. In these case, children who came here illegally...
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...2000s, Americans became increasingly concerned with illegal immigration, citing the rising cost of illegal immigrants and the strain they place on public services such as the education, legal, and emergency medical systems in the U.S. With some 11 to 12 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the U.S. and working in jobs that most Americans will not do, illegal immigrants feel they are a crucial part of the economic prosperity enjoyed by U.S. citizens.With many varying opinions about illegal immigrants, people on all sides of the issue are calling for immigration reform. Everyday citizens, business leaders, and immigrants, legal and illegal, are making their views known to lawmakers in an attempt to spur immigration reform that will fairly address the problem of illegal immigration and provide a solution that is beneficial to all people residing and working in the U.S today. Immigration Reform is obviously a big issue in America today. I mean everywhere you go; you either see something about or read about it. There is no exact number as to how many illegal immigrants cross the border, but it is estimated to be around 11 to 12 million. This has become a major political and social issue because of the continued flow of illegal immigrants. There is nothing really around that will stop this problem. Nothing has really been done, I mean there are borders and all, but who watches the borders to stop the immigration and even so there is...
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...Immigration in the United States Today people are wondering why the government is allowing immigrants to come to the United States when there are not enough jobs for the citizens currently here. Even though immigration can take jobs away from potential citizens, immigration can bring needed talent to the United States and can better a person’s life. Currently with immigration there is a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment, and lack of major immigration reform. Some immigrants are asylum seekers, while others are looking for a better life. There are benefits to immigration such as population growth and diversity. People here in America are having trouble finding jobs and are looking towards immigration as the primary reason why. They are wanting the politicians that were elected to choose a side; for immigration or against immigration. This question is part of a huge debate currently raging all across America. People all across America want the United States government to shut down the borders and to deport all of the current illegal immigrants here. As of March 2010, illegal immigrants account for about 11.2 million people currently in the United States (Passel, 2011). Anti-immigration attitudes generally come out when it is harder to find jobs and less when jobs are readily available. Anti-immigrant campaigns blame immigrants for the current job losses and declining wages, as well as higher crime rates and public health crisis (Barry, 2005). A lot of the backlash has to do with...
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... Final Project: Persuasive Research Paper 2 Illegal immigration is one of the most controversial issues in today’s society. It is a major topic in many political debates, and one cannot read a newspaper or watch the evening news without eventually coming across a story about it. With all of the commotion surrounding illegal immigration, it is no surprise that many American citizens are concerned about how much it will affect their lives. The exact impact of illegal immigration is impossible to measure due to the fact that the majority of illegal immigrants are undocumented. However, it is clear that it has both negative and positive impacts on the American workforce. Whether or not one past outweighs the other is a personal opinion, but the only way to make an informed decision is to know the facts from both sides of the argument. This research report will discuss both the negative and positive impacts that illegal immigration has on the American economy, but will begin by giving a brief background on illegal immigration. [pic] Final Project: Persuasive Research Paper 3 Background Everyday more citizens from other countries enter the United States illegally. According to Steven Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies, “the illegal immigration population grows by 400,000 to 500,000 each year.” The majority of those illegal immigrants entering...
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...Immigration Debate Angelique Diaz BSHS/332 September 1, 2010 Audra Duhon Immigration Debate People have a concern about the influx of undocumenting workers asserting the illegality of employment. On the other hand, many immigrants assert that they are just looking for a chance to make their lives and the lives of their families just a little bit better—and many sympathetic Americans think that these immigrants deserve that chance. The legal question will, at some point, be a settlement in the political arena. However, deep questions remain over what sorts of ethical reasons could be offerance either in favor of opening of borders to immigrants. One issue of importance in settling the ethical issues regarding immigration is that of equality(parrcenter.edu).This paper I will discuss the unethical immigration debate. Increased immigration is important for both the economic and spiritual well being of the United States. Immigrants often take jobs, which would otherwise go unfilled and increase the productivity. Empirically, the United States has recently undergone a long period of increased immigration and has an economy, which may have its ups and downs but is still the envy of the world with significant immigrant contributions in the prominent high technology sector. The most convincing argument against immigration is usually their effect on wages, but current economic policy is already focusing on fighting this wage pressure to reduce the threat of inflation...
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...surpluses to pay future bills. That strategy was highly successful. The date at which the trust fund will run out, according to Social Security Administration projections, has receded steadily into the future: 10 years ago it was 2029, now it’s 2042. As people high up, and others have pointed out, the SSA estimates are very conservative, and moderate projections of economic growth push the end date into the indefinite future. It is primarily funded through a dedicated payroll tax. During 2011, total benefits of $736 billion were paid out versus income (taxes and interest) of $805 billion, a $69 billion annual surplus. An estimated 158 million people paid into the program and 55 million received benefits, roughly 2.87 workers per beneficiary. Reform proposals continue to circulate, due to a long-term funding challenge faced by the program. Starting in 2011 and continuing after, program expenses are expected to exceed cash revenues. This is due to the aging of the babyboom generation, expected continuing low birth rate (compared to the baby-boom period), and increasing life. Further, the government has borrowed and spent the accumulated surplus funds, called the Social Security Trust fund. At the end of 2011, the Trust Fund was valued at $2.7 trillion, up $69 billion from 2010. The Trust Fund consists of the accumulated surplus of program...
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...Immigration Citizens Children The Effects of Immigration on Children and Families Introduction Illegal immigration is a very controversial issue within our society. There are families within our society that are made up of parents that are here illegally but have children who are born here and are citizens. But it is these citizens that are what I am referring to as the incomplete citizens. Who are these incomplete citizens and why are they being impacted by our society? Are there different stipulations for these children that are born to these undocumented families? Do they really receive the same rights as those born to U.S. citizens? Our societies including our politicians have different opinions about illegal immigration. Immigration reform negatively affects those children that are born to undocumented parents. They find themselves facing adversities that had the situation been different would never have to face. Working in an elementary school I have seen first hand how those children are affected as a result of their parent’s legal status. My purpose in this research is to show the emotional, educational, and financial effects that are inflicted on the undocumented families. This is a problem that is not going to be resolved overnight but rather this is a problem that is going to need help from the various disciplines. With this research more information will be found to present how children are affected through the different disciplines and how these disciplines...
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...native country? Immigration laws in United States are in need of regulation because immigrants are unfairly forced to leave the country after establishing residency and employment. Sure, the American law says as long as a person is born here then he or she is considered an American citizen. But, this law proves to be quite inconsequential for the many adults, most of whom are parents to American-born children, are either allowed or illegally migrate to the United States. These immigrants are seeking a better way of life for the children who will be born into this country; as well as the families that many U.S. bound immigrants leave behind. Typically, immigrants from countries like Africa, Haiti, and Mexico seek and obtain work visas in order to gain American employment. However, a visa does not guarantee amnesty from being deported. It seems that this country wants to benefit from the talents that many immigrants have to offer to the American factory, landscaping, and urban development industries. However, the United States pay these type of employees next to nothing. Worsening the situation is when these employees are told to leave the country due to non-citizenship. Immigration and how the system has been handled in the United States begin with a history of illegal immigrants being processed into this country. Some people were admitted or denied based upon race and class. During the settlement of America’s first colonies immigrants worried about nothing more than...
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...toward improving the lives of people in disadvantaged. That is why I have always lead activities that could create progress my community. I was elected to be my high school president with a historic 90% of the vote. I reactivated The Latin American Student Organization at the Community College, which I lead as the vice-president in two separate terms. I created a startup in the heart of the North Philadelphia community to provide needed services to the disadvantaged community. But more importantly, I lead the effort to gain support for a fair immigration reform at Organizing for Action. I am proud to have organized the screening of the documentary "The Dream Is Now" because I was able to create a coalition with school leaders, Latino leaders, and business owners who vigorously advocated for the cause. Also, we created a space where everyone in the community was able to express their feelings and concerns about the proposed legislation and we gave “dreamers” a platform to...
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