Los Angeles Immigration Policy

Immigration has always been a complex issue in the United States. Previous and current administrations have had great difficulties in setting policies and programs in place to address this problem. During the course of American history, laws were enacted to address such issues. There were numerous legislative milestones in regards to immigration in the United States. In order to understand the current issues regarding immigration, we have to look back at the policies that were in place along with the goals that they intended to serve. According to (Barusch, 2012), the United States had an open immigration policy; which means that anyone could relocate to this country. As a result of this policy, the government had to redefine

This paper explores the United States, Immigration Policy from an historical, fair and factual perspective. The Immigration Act of 1990 States limited “unskilled workers to 10,000 a year. Skilled labor requirements and immediate family reunification were major goals. The Act continued to promote the nuclear family model, foreign-born in the US was 7%”. This paper will also explore the demographics and diversity, of immigrants, throughout the U.S. This paper includes an article form the website of the Washington, D.C., Immigration Policy Center, and American Immigration Council. This paper will examines significant research data from the Pew Research web site on Hispanic trends and immigration, around the United States. This paper will also cover numbers, facts and trends which shape the immigration policy. This paper will also include five different books written by authors concerning the immigration policy and public issues which most concern Americans. This paper will cover topics of history of social problems and the policies that address immigration, special interest groups advocacy groups, political party and supporters, social justice and ethical issues, policy outcomes of illegal immigrants and how other countries compare to the United States when dealing with immigration.

The writer, Maribel Garcia Ochoa, begins her piece with making the claim that because of Donald Trump being elected, California shaped this “defensive” attitude. Then Ochoa supported her claim with the evidence of the immigration policy issue. In addition, she believes that, “SB 54 would prevent the use of state and local resources to assist federal deportation efforts.” In fact, SB 54 has been recently amended in Senate on March 6, 2017. Another claim that Ochoa made was that California’s immigration policy was not completely for Asians it was also towards Mexicans. Ochoa used statistics, “Early into the ’30s, over 15 million Americans, about one quarter of all wage earners, were unemployed,” to show that once Mexicans entered California the unemployment rate of whites skyrocketed.

Millions of immigrants over the previous centuries have shaped the United States of America into what it is today. America is known as a “melting pot”, a multicultural country that welcomes and is home to an array of every ethnic and cultural background imaginable. We are a place of opportunity, offering homes and jobs and new economic gains to anyone who should want it. However, America was not always such a “come one, come all” kind of country. The large numbers of immigrants that came during the nineteenth century angered many of the American natives and lead to them to blame the lack of jobs and low wages on the immigrants, especially the Asian communities. This resentment lead to the discrimination and legal exclusion of immigrants,

To say that immigrants in America have experienced discrimination would be an understatement. Ever since the country formed, they have been seen as inferior, such as African-Americans that were unwillingly brought to the 13 colonies in the 17th century with the intention to be used as slaves. However, post-1965, immigrants, mainly from Central and South America, came here by choice. Many came with their families, fleeing from their native land’s poverty; these immigrants were in search of new opportunities, and more importantly, a new life. They faced abuse and Cesar Chavez fought to help bring equality to minorities.

Mai Ngai’s book, Impossible Subjects, powerfully studies the unfortunately understudied period between 1924 and 1965, the lifespan of the national origins quota system. This era begins with the passage of the Johnson-Reed Immigration Act in 1924 and ends with the lifting of national origins quotas through the passage of the Hart-Celler Act of 1965. The era from 1924 to 1965 remapped the nation by developing both a particular racial and ethnic identity and a "new sense of territoriality" (Ngai p.3). This period demonstrates the most widespread immigration restriction in U.S. history that literally "remapped the nation" (Ngai p.3). Ngai argues that widespread immigration exclusion created an intensified sense of national borders as well as increased security on those boarders. This helped produce what is now defined as the illegal alien (Ngai). Impossible Subjects primarily concentrates on immigrants categorized as illegal aliens, alien citizens, colonial subjects, and contract laborers. Because these are immigrants whose experiences are not greatly represented in our national narrative, the regulations that have governed them have never greatly been exposed, resulting in a collective oblivion within United States history. Ngai turns her research to important analytical use. Ngai’s most interesting lines of argument lie within her analysis of the creation of illegal immigration from Mexico and her analysis of Japanese internment during World War II.

During 1870, the Unites States went under a financial depression, which grew concerns over job availability, working conditions, and income. As the nation was facing issues, California was having some of their own that intersected with the nation social structures, economy and policies. One of the major national issues in the United States and in California, in particular, was the discrimination against minorities such as African Americans, Asians, and Mexicans. When large numbers of immigrants migrated to California, there were laws which tried to regulate and enforce deportation. There were also many programs which were introduced to fix the problems that the great depression presented the nation.

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.

Estimates state that over 1.2 million people immigrate to the United States each year, thereby thrusting the issue of illegal immigration to the forefront of today news headlines. From an economic standpoint, the effort to absorb illegal immigrants often negatively impacts cities as well as the entire country. This paper addresses the negative economic outcome of illegal immigration in the city of Los Angeles, California through the exploration of studies conducted and statistics available on the issue of illegal immigration. An effort will be made to determine whether there is negative fiscal impact on the labor market, the tax structure,

I focused on sanctuary city policies and studied whether they were effective in bringing about social change or bettering the social conditions and access to resources for immigrant women. I found that despite claims of inclusivity and protection from the federal government, Latina men and women continue to lack access to healthcare, experience wage theft, are vulnerable to crime, and constantly live in fear of deportation. Beyond claiming the status of a sanctuary city, immediate public policy reforms must follow to substantively back the claims of these cities promising refuge. Providing sanctuary must go beyond refusing cooperation with ICE and must include laws addressing the immediate needs of undocumented individuals. For example, in 2013, California enacted a law allowing undocumented individuals to apply for a driver's license, easing fears of

Many immigrants come to the United States in pursuit of opportunity, however they struggle to adopt the dominant culture’s language, which limits the job opportunities available to them. Historically, immigrants assimilated by having to learn dominant language, but this challenge led them to create ethnic enclaves that make them feel more welcomed. Many enclaves in the United States, for example the Latino population in San Francisco’s Mission District, give a sense of comfort and nostalgia of home because people from that community have similarities to their homeland. Newcomers do not need to step out of their enclave because they have all the support they need in their communities. Although many immigrants come to the United States in hope of opportunity, they are limited to achieving and moving forward because of their ethnic enclaves. Because these enclaves do not allow them to expand into different cultures, they are limited both socially and economically.

Racial tensions are high in the United States currently. Donald Trump’s campaign has put Immigration policies on the hot seat. Some of the decisions the Obama administration has made has come under attack by many media outlets— for example, Fox news. Known for its conservative bias, Fox news constantly releases articles that contain very blatant attacks against immigrants in the U.S.. One such article, released on October 3rd of this year by author Joseph J. Kolb, headlined US immigration policies allow gangs to thrive in violence-plagued NY community, say critics, is a particularly good example of how harmful imaginative geographies are formed of the immigration situation.

The United States of America has always been a refuge where poor and oppressed people from the far corners of the world can come to begin a new life. Much of the nation’s allure to prospective immigrants is in its promise of equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, or color. But the pressures of rising unemployment rates, congested cities, a crippled healthcare system, and national debt skyrocketing out of control have caused America to defend her borders against the influx of immigrants that threaten her already ailing economy. Still, despite all the heightened security measures incorporated in recent decades, a steady stream of immigrants continue to enter the country illegally. The Washington Times reports that there are

Immigration is a controversial topic that has impacted our society for decades perplexed by policies media coverage, perceptions based on one’s own lack of knowledge, personal experiences and a host of other factors that influence how our society views immigrants and immigration policies. The United States is a diverse population of people and filled with experiences that come from various walks of life that contribute to enhancing our social culture, economic development, and cultural acceptance.

When one thinks of immigrants, lets’ face it what one envisions is the man or woman working in California restaurant kitchens, the maids in middle class neighborhoods, baby sitters, gardeners mowing lawns. L.A mayor Antonio Villaraigoza famously put it during a speech: “Today we say to America: We’ve come here to work: We clean toilets. We clean your hotels. We build your houses. We take care of your children. We want you to help us take care of our children as well” (Malkin,M.,