The Rawlsian System Of Immigration

Immigration has always been a major part of America. In fact, without immigration the creation of America would not have been possible. The majority of immigrants came to America for religious freedom and economic opportunities. However, for the most part before the 1870’s most immigrants were Protestants from northern and western Europe. These immigrants often migrated to the United States as families and usually lived on farms with family or friends who had already migrated beforehand. A lot of immigrants came to America with a plan or goal in mind. They often had saved up money for the long immigration overseas, were skilled in a certain trade, or had already been educated at a high level. Sadly, this would not last. Immigration

In Joseph Carens’ article, “Aliens and Citizens: The Case for Open Borders,” he insists on open borders. He claims that this idea of free movement has moral roots in which every human being deserves freedom and equality. In his article, Carens applies his argument by refuting three political theories of Robert Nozick, John Rawls and utilitarians. Carens addresses Robert Nozick’s theory by recognizing a common objection towards immigration. Similar to John Locke, Robert Nozick believes that humans in the state of nature have natural rights including the right to property as individuals. However, most people view property rights as collective or national as seen by popular opinion that “It’s our country. We can let in or keep out whomever we want” (Carens 252). As a

Throughout the history of the United States immigration has become apart of our country’s fabric which, began centuries ago. Only to become a hot topic in the US in recent years with its primary focus being illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration is when people enter a country without government permission. As of 2008 the Center for Immigration Studies estimated that there are 11 million illegal immigrants in the US which is down from 2007‘s 12.5 million people. Although the Center for Immigration Studies estimates are very different from other estimates that range from 7 to 20 million. While the Pew Hispanic Center estimated in March of 2009 there are 11.1 million illegal immigrants and that number is from March 2007’s peak of 12

It seems that the word Immigration has took on a new meaning as for it once meant. Immigration is the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country. It has always been a hot topic in our society because of all the controversy behind it, About whose land is actually theirs. It all starts in 1620, when the mayflower for the first time in history touches american soil, And changes the way history would unfold and the very way we live today. They came from England, searching for vast freedom from a corrupt, indigenous society seeking freedom of religion and the thought, ironically searching for the American dream before it became a phrase. They would stumble across humble , spiritual, and land loving givers who would eventually train these new pilgrims on how to live off the good god living land. Things would soon take a turn for the worst when disputes over land came abroad, this ended in a bloody battle leaving the pilgrims victorious with their new land. But history is always prone to repetitiveness once the 1700's came.

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,

In recent history, many Americans have had a growing concern for the immigration (both legal and illegal) growth in our country. While the United States of America was settled by European immigrants, the unprecedented growth the late 1800s saw, led to reform on the immigration policy, which once was nonexistent. Based on conditions floods of immigrants caused in the cities of the country, the immigration reform was needed. Not only were the lives of immigrants negatively impacted in the United States, but so were previously settled Americans.

Immigration has existed around the world for centuries, decades, and included hundreds of cultures. Tired of poverty, a lack of opportunities, unequal treatment, political corruption, and lacking any choice, many decided to emigrate from their country of birth to seek new opportunities and a new and better life in another country, to settle a future for their families, to work hard and earn a place in life. As the nation of the opportunities, land of the dreams, and because of its foundation of a better, more equal world for all, the United States of America has been a point of hope for many of those people. A lot of nationals around the world have ended their research for a place to call home in the United States of America. By analyzing

Correspondence should be addressed to Calli N. Morrison and Constance R. Tullis, School of Social Work, Ross Hall, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 S. University Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72204.

Immigration had shaped the United States of America into what it is today. Without immigrants, this country would had never enhanced from the industrial revolution and created an uprising in the economy. People came to the Americas from all over the world seeking opportunity and a change in their lives, however not all of them were accustomed to assimilating to the cultural standards. One ethnicity had started their migration progress through their own revolution and the selling of part of their lands. The United States’ action of purchasing Alaska from the Russian Empire caused the beginning of Russian culture into the U.S.

I recently had trouble understanding the concept of "New Immigration." I did some extended research on various websites and had a question pop up. I read that Old Immigration was referred to as the time of immigration before the Gilded Age, and New Immigration happened during the Gilded Age. However, I could not categorize the Chinese immigrants to either New or Old Immigration. Were the Chinese separate from the New Immigration, or were they involved in a direct way? If you could answer this question, that would be

Immigration is something that nativists have been fighting ever since the first ship load of immigrants came to America. Even today we see the struggle to keep them out of our country, although the tactics and overall feelings might be a little different today than in the 1800’s. When an immigrant first arrives to America one of his first priorities is to get a job, and that posed a problem for the Nativists because the immigrants were working for such low wages that they ending up taking all the jobs of the Nativists. Another thing that the Nativists had a thought might be a problem was over crowdedness, with millions of people coming to America they saw growth in cities and in rural areas. And of course with growth in population

Around the late 1800’s and early 1900’s America’s ethnicity vastly expanded; the streets of New York city flooded with immigrants in prospect of new lives for their families and fresh starts. “...From eastern and southern Europe rather than western and northern Europe…” (pg. 738, America A Narrative History), the geography varied far and wide. Upon entering the land of freedom, most of the immigrants were to be inspected at the ever famous “Edison Island” in New York. After embarking towards the substantially immense crowds, lice checks, welfare checks, and possibly a standard test determining if you could read or write was given. The streets began to be bustling with foreign languages being shouted in every direction. To some “nativists” this expansion was very horrifying, these people were taking jobs and depriving Americans of opportunities. “Beginning in the 1880’s, nativist advocated restrictive immigration laws and won passage of the Chinese exclusion Act.” (

Immigration law have the ‘aliens’ pursuing fault dreams of becoming a U.S citizen. The United States began to get big waves of immigrants in the late 1800’s and in the late 1900’s. Immigrants came to the “land of opportunities” to begin a new and better life. The immigration laws began with the Page act of 1875, that was when the United States restricted immigrants from Asia. Next was the Chinese Exclusion act of 1882, the act stated the prohibition of all immigrants of Chinese laborers.

Throughout the years we have gone through various achievements; the election of the first “Black” President; the release of enslavement; the approval of “Gay” marriage and more, yet immigration still remains untouched. Now that is clearly an exaggerated statement, but

Michael Walzer’s Membership and Joseph Carens’s Aliens and Citizens: The Case for Open Borders present two strikingly different views on the justifiability of restrictions on immigration. In essence, Walzer argues that restrictions are generally justifiable, and Carens argues that they are not. In this essay, I will argue that Carens’s view is the more compelling one due to the following central reason: it promotes freedom of the individual. I will then apply Carens’s and Brown’s arguments to Donald Trump’s immigration policy, specifically his proposal to build a wall in order to keep immigrants from unlawfully entering the country. I will argue that this proposal is a marked move towards injustice and xenophobia disguised as an attempt to reclaim state sovereignty.