Immigration Struggles

Abrego, Leisy. "Legitimacy, Social Identity, and the Mobilization of Law: The Effects of Assembly Bill 540 on Undocumented Students in California." Law & Social Inquiry 33.3 (2008): 709-734. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Apr. 2010.

Globally, the United States has been known as "a nation of immigrants" almost from its inception. Beginning in the 1600s with English Puritans and continuing today, America is a melting pot of culture and ethnicity. In fact, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, immigration was the major source of U.S. population growth. Looking over our 200+ years we find that to clearly be true, with approximately 1 million immigrants coming to America during the 17th and 18th century. Almost 3 million arrived during the 1860s, and another 3 million in the 1870s. In the next four decades, the number of immigrants rose to over 25 million people, most from various European nations, most arriving in New York or one of the Eastern seaports (Damon, 1981). Despite the politicization, as of 2006, the United States actually was the number one country globally to accept legal immigrants into the country, with a current immigrant population of almost 40 million (Terrazas and Batalova, 2009). In fact, the peak of immigration was 1907, when over 1.2 million Europeans entered the country beginning a push towards legislation limiting immigration in the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1924 and the 1921 Congressional Quota Act. These immigrants came for two sociological reasons: the push factor (wars, famine, persecution and overpopulation) and the pull factors (jobs and the promise of freedom). Most came by ship, and a passage often cost the equivalent of an entire life's savings causing many

Immigration has changed a lot throughout the years in American history, not only in laws about immigration, but about places where immigrants came from, and the different races that immigrated. These factors have changed throughout history by shaping the social and economic aspects of the United States. Immigration has changed for the better and for the worse. It has gone to as far as making camps for Japanese Americans and deporting them and taking their belongings, to as low as giving immigrants papers and letting them stay.

Although the issue of immigration policy has been at the center of political debates, largely discussed in the media and newspapers, no one has yet found a solution to this ill-defined problem, that would comply with the America’s core values. While I think the immigration policy does need a reform, the solution to this problem certainly is not a deportation of all undocumented residents.

Illegal immigrants face many struggles voyaging to a new beginning. They sacrifice family, time and endure hardships to simply get the chance of the American dream. Voyages can range from cross the oceans to hot dry deserts where their fate is undecided. Amnesty will help prevent the hardships they face to a very minimal in some cases even completely stopping it. Many lives are lost in relation with the treacherous voyages but when will one life be too many? The answer is one too many have already been lost.

Immigration is a kind of movement of people into destination land, which can be traced back to a million years ago. Also, the debate over whether immigrants should be given more rights has been an intractable problem for a long period. According to statistics from Wikipedia, as for 2005, the United Nations reported that there were nearly 191 million international immigrants worldwide, about three percent of the world 's population (Immigration). Although it does not seem to take up a large proportion, actually the amount of the immigrant population is particularly huge. In this way, policies on immigration are considered remarkably significant. Moreover, recently the attacks in European countries have also poured fuel on the already-heated debate over immigration policy. In most cases, local citizens and governments do not welcome immigrants into their own country, which is partly due to the discrimination. Obviously, it is unfair to them. Immigrants should be treated equally and given more rights than the rights they possess now because they contribute to boosting economy, creating a harmonious society and they are legal immigrants.

Beginning with the ones who established the first successful permanent settlement in 1607. The U.S is a magnet for those looking to increase their economic prospects regardless of their roots. Immigration has shaped the demography of Americans since colonial times. Immigration is an important issue the country faces today; misunderstandings persist about essential aspects of this crucial topic such as the size and composition of the immigrant population, and how immigration affects the economy and the workforce in the U.S.

While growing up in Mobile, Alabama, I have always dreamed of becoming a medical doctor. My mother has been very supportive of my aspirations to attend college and become a pediatrician. She was the first in her family to graduate from high school and the first to attend college, which she never completed. Before graduating from high school, I knew that I wanted to obtain a degree elsewhere and not Mobile. Many of the steps I took to achieve this goal were unfamiliar to my family and me. These experiences have taught me that working consistently to achieve my

Often the subject of immigration is seen in a negative light in the Christian community. According to Matthew Soerens, Christians tend to view immigration as a threat to the economic and social stability of the United States. Soerens compares this attitude of hostility to that of the Pharaoh in the old-testament who saw the growth of the Hebrew nation as a threat and forced them into slavery. However, a Soerens point out that hostility is not the only option open for Christians. Soerens remarked that the Pharaoh under which Joseph served, many years earlier, actually saw the Hebrews and an economic opportunity. This event demonstrated second option which is to view the growth in immigration as an opportunity not only for economic growth but

On the topic of immigration, Donald Trump has previously stated, "But you have people coming in and I 'm not just saying Mexicans, I 'm talking about people that are from all over that are killers and rapists and they 're coming into this country." On the same issue, Hillary Clinton has said the following: “I’ve talked about undocumented immigrants hundreds of times and fought for years for comprehensive immigration reform… We are a country built by immigrants and our diversity makes us stronger as a nation — it’s something to be proud of, celebrate, and defend.” As shown through the radically different perspectives highlighted in the aforementioned passages, the topic of immigration policy has quickly become the most prominent discussion of the upcoming election. How then do we evaluate the immigration policies proposed by likely Presidential nominees, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, given our country’s founding principles? The answer to this question lies in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Our nation’s legal documents should be used to evaluate their immigration views because they are the basis of our country and the values America embodies. Given America’s founding principles of equality, freedom and equal protection under the law as stated in our country’s Declaration of Independence and Constitution, extreme protectionist immigration laws contradict our nation’s founding principles. In comparison to Donald Trump’s overt and impractical anti-immigrant

A famous journalist Jorge Ramos once said, “The greatest nations are defined by how they treat their weakest inhabitants.” Immigration has been a prominent topic throughout time. There is a vast stigma seen on media depicting peoples feeling towards immigration. There are different sides to the debate to what should be done with immigration policy also many other related topics to the issue. There are different beliefs yet what are scholar’s beliefs towards the topic of immigration.

I have lived in a predominately low-income Hispanic community all my life. For most people in my community higher education is not viewed as necessary so most of the people in my life settle for difficult, low paying jobs. I have grown up watching many people around me struggle, living paycheck to paycheck. The most influential example of this for me is my father, who was not able to go to college because he had me at a very young age. My father has always been a plumber and worked strenuous long hours in order to provide for our family. Because my father worked so many hours I also had to step up, as the oldest child, and take responsibility in many areas. I took charge of looking after my younger brothers, taking them to and from school and

It’s safe to say that immigration is a touchy subject, and it’s a difficult topic to discuss from our privileged positions of living in first world countries, but I would imagine it’s quite a difficult issue to be directly involved in. Although I’ve never been an immigrant myself, I do think immigration is an issue everyone should be concerned about. We should all care about and be interested in the matters of other countries, as well as their citizens’ reasons for and routes of migration. Aside from immigration to the U.S., there is a different migration occurring between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Many people have died from the methods and routes of transportation being taken, and a clear resolution still isn’t in sight. This European

Today in the United States, the issue of immigration has become very sensitive and it is making politicians both at the state and national levels very nervous. Immigration has become very important in American political debates both in the Republican and Democratic parties as it defines the nation’s foundation, economy, military strength, state and federal relationship, and success as the world greatest supper power. Leaders from the two political parties are not willing to formulate agreeable policies or work together in developing a comprehensive bipartisan legislation on immigration. Politicians in the United States are yet to reform the broken immigration system that will lay this critical issue to rest once and for all. If both costs and benefits of immigration are concentrated in the interest of California and Texas, they should play a major part in the process. In their research investigation, Freeman and Birrell found that those who are absorbing the costs should seek tougher immigration rules and regulations, while those accruing the benefits should favor continuation or expansion of the current policies (2001, 527).

“In 2013, 13 percent of the U.S. population was foreign-born. Current projections suggest that by 2065, nearly one in five people in the United States will have been born outside the country” (Hing 25).3 Immigration has been an integral part of the United States since its colonial days. Over a million legal and illegal immigrants take up residence in the United States each year. With the country struggling to support the huge intake of new comers, life in America has been suffering tremendously. The excessive stress put upon the welfare system, overuse of the family reunification laws, and the exploitation of employment based immigration are reasons for immigration reform. The American Government is trying to solve the deep rooted problems of immigration including the 1965 law, Chain immigration, and Latino immigration.