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Law Enforcement and Immigration Essay

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      Two major periods of immigration influxes since the turn of the century as well as the transformation of the nation due to both illegal and legal immigration have determined large
Hispanic communities in many Western states. States like Texas, for example, have struggled to define increasingly complex Hispanic communities and create a response, both in the government and in law enforcement, for addressing the needs of these large Hispanic communities.
         In recent years, an obvious dichotomous view has come to the forefront of national debates about the composition of Hispanic communities in border …show more content…

    It is necessary to recognize that many of the individuals comprising the Hispanic communities in cities of West Texas were not primarily the product of illegal immigration. The immigration history of the United States suggests two primary influxes of Hispanic populations during periods of legal immigration. In 1965, for example, the
Immigration and Nationality Act removed federal limits on new immigration and allowed a greater number of relatives of current citizens to enter the United States (Andrews and Knack, 1997). In 1986, the government opened the system for people who had illegally settled in the United
States, increasing the number of once-illegal immigrants who became
American citizens (and then were able to sponsor the immigration of additional family members) (Andrews and Knack, 1997). The base of illegal immigrants who came to the United States because of the availability of migrant farm work since the turn of the century, the amnesty program th! at allowed them to attain citizenship, and the secondary introduction of family members defined a large segment of the Hispanic community.
    In addition to a largely stable Hispanic American community in regions of the state of Texas, there is also a definable segment of the Hispanic community comprised

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