United States Immigration and Economic Policy after September 11

September 11, 2001 was a day that devastated our nation and changed the lives of every American in some way.These terrorist attacks would ignite many changes in the lives of United State citizens.The U.S. government implemented a series of critical immigration policy measures,such as heightened airport security,increased funding,removing criminals,and turning police officers into immigration agents to respond to future threats of terrorism.In this paper we will examine how the attacks contributed to different factors.

Thomas Paine spoke of America as a place of diverse cultures, a “mixing pot”. But, as time has continued, Paine’s idea of a country of different speaking people living in unison, has changed greatly. The climax of this universal prejudice towards immigrants began for many Americans on September 11, 1999. Since the tragic terrorist attack on the World Trade Centers, citizens began to question the immigrant security of America. Fast forwarding ten years after many more terrorist attacks, Donald Trump along with many Americans support the idea of building a wall to block out immigrants from the southern border. Some supporters believe the wall would protect the people, protect the goverment, and protect the country as a whole. However, other

Micah Issitt and Andrew Walter define immigration as the “movement of persons from one nation or region to another with the purpose of seeking permanent residence.” Unfortunately, illegal immigration has become more prominent in the U.S. arousing debates on what to do with the illegal migrants. The 9/11 attacks on the twin towers were caused by terrorists, who penetrated our weak borders to gain access to their planned attack. Under the Obama era, two and a half million more immigrants have crossed the border illegally than during Bush’s reign in office, which shows how our border is becoming more and more vulnerable. If the borders are not secured soon, more and more migrants will come illegally and take jobs from legal Americans, also

Prior to the events of 9/11, for nearly two decades, America welcomed immigrations to our country with open arms. After 9/11, America’s ideals begin to shift pertaining to immigrants, our nation’s safety, and border patrol. America was left with great fear, post 9/11, and began to implement many changes in our border patrol and immigration laws. “In response to record numbers of illegal border crossings and the security fears triggered by the 9/11 attacks, over the past two decades the United States has steadily increased its efforts to secure its borders against illegal immigration. The number of U.S. Border Patrol agents has risen from fewer than

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, immigration control and national homeland security have been issues of concern for both the national government and private citizens. In the wake of the attacks, a lot of articles were written about what the appropriate response should be to prevent another attack. In 2004, Mark Krikorian wrote an article for the Providence Journal entitled “Safety through Immigration Control” in which he contends that the only means to keep America safe from a follow-up attack is to strengthen and enforce immigration law to prevent terrorists from being able to enter the country. Edwidge Danticat, writing for The Nation in 2005, provides a juxtaposition to Krikorian’s stance in her essay “Not Your Homeland”, in which she describes her witnessing of the inhumane conditions many immigrants are forced to endure in the name of increased security to protect the country. She questions whether the added protections are worth the human cost we are paying by treating immigrants and refugees as guilty until proven innocent. At the crossroads of these two perspectives lies the question: what is the proper balance between national security and the humane treatment of immigrants?

As discussed by many, immigrants typically are known to come to America to pursue a sense of freedom that they are not finding in their home country. Whether it is the opportunity for a higher-paying job, a way to practice religion without persecution, or the opportunity to start a family in a safer environment, many immigrants have similar plans. And while people who lean towards a negative outlook on immigration may say that these people take Americans’ jobs and land, others think that immigration gives United States n economic edge in the world, bringing culture to our country.

Immigration has been an essential but disruptive aspect of the people and the political state of the United States; however, debates related to immigration and its benefits are intensified significantly. Opposing immigration keeps ranting on how government should exercise better law to control over the people entering into the States from the foreign land. One of the most buzzed argument is that American citizen is unemployed because immigrants stole their jobs and disrupted the economy (Hoban, 2017). Also, an appeal to National security and vulnerability after several terrorist attacks all over the world and also to the government to keep track and maintain the no. of immigrants to create a safer environment (Cafaro, 2009). However, the contrary to these arguments have often been proven right. The pattern of the immigration shows that the contribution of the immigrants has resulted in an economic boost that cannot be overlooked by the government.

Guarding the Golden Door by Roger Daniels provides an overall clarification of the immigration system in the United States throughout the past and in latest policies. Ever since 1882, America claimed that the settlement objective was to prevent it from occurring, although it permitted the complete opposite. Thus, the single factual policy that has been realistic to American immigration is that it is on a constant twist of shifting policies, which are changed according to the present nature of inexpensive employment for American manufacturing demands. Almost all of the American immigration policy has been shaped by people that did not comprehend the outcomes of the tactics they badly tried to generate, and who made open door policies simply to close them.

“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)

After 9/11, there was a change in immigration laws in the United states. There was increased funding, like in 2002, President Bush passed the HomeLand security act by creating an umbrella entity, to keep the U.S safe from future terrorist attacks. A pair of economists estimated the creation of the Homeland security cost (ed) the U.S $589 billion from 2001-2011. The next problem was:

The history of terrorism is as old as humans’ willingness to use violence to affect politics. Terrorism can affect everyone, whether directly or indirectly. However, a group that is largely affected is immigrants, mainly due to the U.S. policies on Counter-Terrorism. These policies might protect our country, but they also indirectly lead to discrimination against immigrants. The U.S. policy on Counter-Terrorism causes unfair immigration laws, encourages social media to demonize foreigners, and creates an unfair society for immigrants to live in.

The events of September 11, 2001 initiated another shift in the United States' immigration policy by dramatically increasing immigration enforcement. Immigrant removals, including deportations and so-called voluntary departures, had doubled since the attacks and fewer immigrants, especially from the Middle East are allowed in the Western countries. United States and other big countries in the European Union were the first ones to revise their policy in line with the new context of national security. Since September 11 attacks, the emphasis of American immigration policies became border security and removing criminal immigrants to keep national safety and prevent future terrorist attacks. At the same time, the United States kept its commitment

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.

This week’s materials cover the immigration policies, and meso-social analysis of how the immigrants in certain communities adapt.

Implementing stringent security controls along the borders is likely to reduce the influx of illegal immigration into the United States. With the increased border security, the American government could have helped alleviate the occurrence of the 9/11 bombing. Though this strategy is essential in alleviating the influx of illegal immigrants to certain geographic areas, increased border controls in these locations have made other, less controlled areas of the border more vulnerable. Rising crime rates, discarded debris, increased apprehension rates, and growing public scrutiny in these less secure areas provide clear evidence that border security is at once a social, an economic, and a national security issue.