Immigration Reform
Tony Smith
HSE 430
November 17, 2016
Nick R. North
Immigration Reform
Introduction
Public Opinion
The American public seems to be aware of the issue in general, but is short of the details. There has certainly been a healthy amount of media coverage of immigration reform, but as the coverage itself is unclear as to how best to frame the problems, it mostly informs about the existence of the issue rather than informing about the issue itself. As such, there is conflicting public opinion about the issue. This mirrors the views of politicians. This could be the result of the fact that immigration reform is often framed as a singular issue when it is not. Immigration reform is an omnibus issue – a series of issues that are all loosely related to one another. There is little real connection between the H-1B visa issue and the undocumented immigrant issue. If the public and the politicians are slightly confused about immigration reform, the framing of multiple issues as a single one is part of the problem.
Thus there is no broad consensus for action among the public. This also creates issue for the politicians. While ideally elected officials would be information-seekers and aim to create policy based on careful analysis of the issues, this is the real world. The politicians are often unsure of how to deal with immigration reform because they are unsure of how the different voting stakeholders will react and which of these stakeholders matters
The immigration patterns of the United States have fluctuated over the years, some years having little while others see a rising amount of immigrants, both legal and illegal, looking for opportunities to improve their lives. The amount of illegal immigration is a problem since many take advantage of the social services provided by the government without contributing towards the country since they are not citizens and many people see these illegal immigrants as a threat to their employment. Illegal immigrants do affect the U.S negatively in a number of ways, but if those illegal immigrants were to have a safe passageway towards gaining citizenship, the immigrants would contribute greatly towards the
Immigration Reform is a serious and current issue in politics, in government, and in the lives of millions of people. Immigration reform is a term used by the American government and in politics. It refers to the changes to the current immigration policies in the United States. “Reform” is defined as a “change into an improved form or condition, by amending faults or abuses.” So, in a nutshell, Immigration Reform means the improvement of the law regarding how we, the United States, handle immigration. The only reason a country may revise its immigration policy/policies, is if it is having troubles such as illegal immigration. In the United States today, our government is having such troubles – illegal immigration. The statistic on illegal
Most Americans believe the government should take the move of legalizing close to 11 million immigrants that are in the country. A recent poll shows that about 35 percent of the Americans oppose the move of reforming the immigration law (ThinkProgress). If the government represents the people, then this poll could be used to show the
Immigration Reform is obviously a big issue in America today. I mean everywhere you go; you either see something about or read about it. There is no exact number as to how many illegal immigrants cross the border, but it is estimated to be around 11 to 12 million. This has become a major political and social issue because of the continued flow of illegal immigrants. There is nothing really around that will stop this problem. Nothing has really been done, I mean there are borders and all, but who watches the borders to stop the immigration and even so there is no one there to protect the people who are there trying to prevent it. Anything can happen to the people who are watching the borders such as being shot at and things of the nature,
The debate over immigration has become one of the most heated arguments. Immigrants leave their home countries desperate need for food to feed their families, unemployment purposes, their poverty conditions environment, for those who are employed are tired of the below market wages, and the unequal treatment. Today they are about 11 million undocumented workers in the United States and Americans fear that because of this matter, immigrants will increase
The illegal immigration problem in the United States is a social as well political issue.
The United States has long served as a refuge for people who seek to escape hunger, poverty, torture, and the oppression of the human spirit in their own countries. However, the issue of immigration in the United States has become a political flashpoint since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The sacralization of the tragedy has served to paint all immigrants with the same fear-ladened brush, and has marginalized and stereotyped an already vulnerable population. Today, more than ever, immigrants in the United States face increasing stressors as they try to assimilate in a politically charged post 9/11 world. To be an effective social worker, immigration issues and multicultural awareness is critical. Mary and Mario, a couple who
much less have the desire to be reunited with them. The laws are often used to
“We are nation of immigrants. Some came here willingly, some unwillingly. Nonetheless, we are immigrants, or the descendants of immigrants, one, and all. Even the natives came from somewhere else, originally. All of the people who come to this country come for freedom, or for some product of that extraordinary, illusory condition. That is what we offer here—freedom and opportunity in a land of relative plenty.” (Middletown Journal 2005)
When the United States was first being formed immigration was accepted and even encouraged. In the late 1880’s through the early 1900’s over 27 million people entered the United States with only two percent being turned down. However even with these staggering numbers immigrants were still faced with hostility and poor treatment. Why has immigration always been such a controversial topic? Although immigration still occurs today, it is not accepted across the board. Issues with equality, safety and economics have hindered reform into becoming a unanimous vote.
Why did Americans need the immigration reform build in the first place? Mexican immigrants have been coming to the United States throughout this country through history, but it was a guest worker program that started after World War II that set a stage for patterns for legal immigration we still see today. From 1942 to 1964, the “Bracero Program”, a guest worker program that brought 400,000 agricultural employers per year to the United States. This program had issues such as worker abuse and low wage, so it ended in 1964. But the worker kept coming. In the early of 1970s, there were more than 1 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Still, most Americans did not have strong opinions about immigration policy the way we do today. There were lots of groups had interests to see the system change. President Ronald Reagan supported changing the laws, too, and he was a republican. He said “I believe the idea of amnesty”. After a year in fall, the bill finally gained the legitimate moment in 1986 which was Immigration Reform and Control Act(IRCA). It talked two of biggest issues at the time. The first one, it offered legal status for undocumented immigrants who had been living the United States since before January 1, 1982, and the second one, it penalized the employer who knowingly hired undocumented workers. The bill finally cleared in the house senator, and signed by President Ronald Reagan on November 6, 1986. The Immigration Reform and Control Act(IRCA) was the
Comprehensive immigration reform has been a pressing issue in the United States (U.S.) for decades. Immigration reform was one of the major platforms the President used to campaign and draw an unprecedented amount of Latino support. Six years after those promises were made, Congress and the President continue to disagree about the methodology and necessary framework for such reform. Each has proposed different approaches to solving immigration. Conservatives have pushed for stricter enforcement of current immigration laws as well increased deportations without exceptions. The President and his fellow Democrats have aimed for an immigration theory that can appeal to humanitarian and economic perspectives.
It’s a tough issue since immigrants and their families are involved in this matter. Another key factor is that immigration has a negative effect on society in terms of economy because when immigrants are undocumented, they don’t have to pay taxes where citizens of the United States do. Overall the executive branch as the head of government feels there’s still more to be done with the immigration laws, and also there are gaps in the
No one in government pays the slightest attention to the root of the undocumented immigrants complaints and demands. None of the present reform efforts in Congress is relevant to or addresses the true cause of these immigrants claims for legal rights as other Americans.
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.