Quota Based Immigration Essay

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

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

The government has also put provisions designed to encourage migration of certain kinds of workers who have lost the skills from the current population. In 1924, as the fears of the immigrants fleeing from border increased, Congress set up the first Office of border control to watch the immigrants from Canada and Mexico. Immigration numbers decreased significantly around 1925 and 1945 In 1948, Congress made a temporary revision to the immigration policy to allow people displaced by World War II to be in America. in 1952, Congress made the McCarran-Walter Immigration and Nationality law, which officially canceled any remaining limitations on the grounds of race, and immigration to people of any nation. The McCarran- Walter immigration and nationality law improved political growth (Schrag).

Since its founding, the United States has attracted immigrants from all over the world and consists of a variety of different cultures. Immigration has had an enormous impact on American society and economy and shaped the country remarkably.

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.

Nice’s article focuses on the aspects of the 1990 Immigration Act which relate to employment visas. She explains that this legislature will result in an overall increase of immigration to America in her statement, “Effective October 1, 1991, there will be almost a three-fold increase in employment-based permanent resident visas.” Although, she does construes that these visas will be mainly for skilled workers, “Persons seeking to enter the United States as immigrants on the basis of an offer of employment from a U.S. employer may do so in larger numbers under the new law as long as they present unique expertise, training and experience,” on the flip side, “Immigrant visas for unskilled workers, such as domestics, will be restricted, requiring approximately twice the current waiting period” (Nice). The overall growth in American immigration in the 1990s was most likely due to the Immigration Act of 1990. In the Effects of immigrants on the 1980-1990 U.S. wage experience by Maria E. Enchautegui, the author explains that “According to the 1990 Census, 8.6 million immigrants

In the United States, immigration has been high topic of debate. As of 2015, 13.5 percent of the United States population of 321.4 billion were immigrants (Jie). Immigration has been shaping the way America works for many years now. It has brought changes to the economy, workforce, culture, language and politics just to name a few changes. America is often referred to as the melting pot of cultures. Where the “American dream” can be reached as long as you are willing to work hard. However, citizens also demand strict boarders to prevent illegal workers but we still want the free movement of goods. A lot of legislative bills have been past in recent years that have brought change to immigration and the way it is done. The top five bills that have affected the country are as follows; The Immigration Reform and Control Act, IRCA, of 1986 penalized employees for hiring unauthorized workers. However, did nothing towards changing the immigration system or provide resources to implement the employer sanctions provisions. The Immigration Act of 1990 overhauled the immigration system by raising the number of permanent vistas form 290,000 to 675,000 and allotted 555,000 visas annually of underserved counties. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibly Act, IIRAIRA, of 1996 dealt with government spending and a three or ten year bar on returning to the United States for people who were caught without proper documentations from applying for asylum status within one year

Debate over immigration and immigration policy is not new to the nation's history. For a long time, Congress debated legislation to control the immigration problem. As immigration rises and hatred grows more laws will be carried out trying to release some of the pressure. Immigrants offer cheaper labor to businesses. Immigrants do not get minimum wage, but instead they get paid lower, this gives the business an edge over other competitors.

One of the most defining traits for the United States of America is that the nation is one made up of immigrants, it is a basic building block that can not be overlooked, nor should it. That being said, it is important to countless citizens to be open when it comes to immigration, while keeping the country hospitable to its citizens for generations to come. However, this attitude to immigration is a fairly recent phenomenon in American history, especially in regards to immigrants coming in from non-Western European countries. With the introduction of the Immigration Act of 1965 and the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) came about the changes to immigration policy that would forever change the face of the nation and create the diversity that has become a point of pride. The sentiment is not felt nationwide, however, as the immigration patterns brought about with these two acts has brought hostility as well, especially from those who feel that immigration is a threat to the country as a whole, specifically illegal immigration. Immigration, and its illegal counterpart, is an issue that defines this period in American history, and while it did not necessary start off targeting Mexican and Latino immigrants, it has very much been immortalized within the communities and become the face of immigrants to the nation as a whole.

Immigration to the United States has become a significant public and political debate, questions primarily surrounding inflow, roles in the labor market, admission policies, benefits, and costs. In 1952, Congress proposed and passed the Immigration and Nationality Act, also known as the McCarran-Walter Act, to revise the laws relating to immigration, naturalization, and nationality.

In 1984 just two years after IRCA was first introduced in Congress and failed to pass within the House of Representatives, it was reintroduced with the 98th Congress, but failed again to pass due to disagreement within the House and the Senate. This piece of legislation dealt with an abundance of opposition coming from powerful groups. Immigration advocates advised there would be discrimination against Hispanic workers.

The reforming of America?s immigration policy is something that can no longer be avoided and must be dealt with as soon as possible. Years of neglect by governmental agencies and policies makers have now made this issue one of the biggest in American politics. First of it must be understood that immigration does no only effect curtain areas of the country and curtain aspect of public life but rather all of American life. Both legal and illegal immigration affect major issues such as jobs availability for all citizens, wages, education in public schools system and in general, health care issues, and the homeland security.

The U.S.- Mexico Bracero program was originated in Stockton, Ca., on August 4, 1942. The immigrant workers also faced harsh conditions, most of the work that was left for the immigrants was work that no one else was willing to do. Summarized best, “During the United States– Mexico Bracero Program, 1942-1964, U.S. agribusiness employed a coercive factory regime, introduced mechanization and increased work hazards, and employed a dual wage structure to keep Mexican contract workers at a serious disadvantage to advance their own collective well–being”(Mize). Although the immigrant workers faced harsh working conditions, the Bracero program stimulated economic growth in the western farming industry, and was deemed a success for the American agriculture business.

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

Today, the United States is home to the largest immigrant population in the world. Even though immigrants assimilate faster in the United States compared to different developed nations, immigration policy has become an highly controversial topic in the Unite States, while much of the debate is around culture and religion, the effects of immigration on economy is clear. Immigration policy has become a highly pressing issue in America. While much of the debate centers on cultural issues, the economic effects of immigration are clear. Economic analysis finds little to no proof to support that influx of foreign labor have reduced jobs or American wages. Economic theoretical predictions and a bulk of academic research confirms that wages are unaffected by immigration over the long term and the economic effects immigration are mostly positive for natives and for the economy over all.