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Close Our Borders! Essay

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Since the 19th Century, America has become known as the nation of immigrants. During that time the United States experienced the biggest wave of immigration of any place or time in the history of the world. It was also during that same time that America felt the greatest growth in production and standard of living than any other point in history (Divine, 1957). For many, the link between these two exceptional points in history was no coincidence.
Certainly one of the most controversial topics discussed today is of immigration. There are those who recognize that their ancestors were once immigrants themselves, and feel that America should hold an “open door” position to immigration. The opposing thought is one created out of fear. There …show more content…

Because of this we are faced with a dilemma of deciding whether this nation is not only willing to accept new immigrants, but whether it can afford those new immigrants. The moral question yet to be answered is should immigration be decided based on issues of humanity or of economic means?
Unquestionably, the most resented and controversial aspect of America’s immigration policy has been the growing concern over illegal immigration and its effects on the economy. During the mid 1990’s, public fury over illegal immigration reached new heights especially in the state of California, which borders Mexico. It was during this time when the United States witnessed one of the highest profile immigration bills in United States history emerge. Proposition 187, also known as the “Save Our State” initiative, appeared on the 1994 California ballot (Migration Dialogue 1994). Proposition 187 sought to restrict illegal immigrants from receiving public education, non-emergency medical care, and publically funded social services. Even though California voters passed this bill by a narrow margin, it was eventually overturned and never went into effect.
There is little question that these changing times in American immigration policy make it imperative that United States government re-examine and adjust current immigration laws to

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