...Rob Williams Prof. Williamson Social Movements 17 December 2013 The DREAM Act When considering social movements, we think about a social or political development aimed at advancing a group of people or organization whose significance lies in their uniqueness. This advancement is not a literal, physical progression, but rather a symbolic movement with the intent to foster support and progress past some deeply imbedded issues. Today in the United States, we are at the center of attention for a social movement that is quite literally, a physical movement. Illegal immigration from Mexico and South American countries continues to be one of the most controversial and debated matters of public policy. The United States allows for an annual limit of roughly 675,0001 immigrants to legally enter our borders, which is extremely conservative relative to other countries. This very limited number forces the majority of immigrants from south of the border to either enter completely illegally, or overstay a temporary work visa issued by our government. While dealing with these illegal aliens serves to be a contentious problem by itself, an even more pressing issue rises to the surface when debating the rights of their children. Thomas Humphrey Marshall described the evolution of citizenship from civil, to political, and finally to social. This idea of social citizenship explained the governmental rights that citizens were guaranteed, “to live the life of a civilized being.”2 The two...
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...Immigration Bailout Melissa Leal ENG/215 April 06, 2015 Charlotte Babb Immigration Bailout Immigration reform, are you informed to what is going on? I’m going to explain how neither parties are taking into consideration how this will affect our nation, how the current immigration reform is putting a strain on our country, how all this is just a political struggle to gain the most influence, and options on how to solve the issues at hand. Let me start by explaining how this personally affects me. My husband is a border patrol agent. The information that I have gathered is strictly information that I have heard from either the media or things spoken indirectly. By no means did I get my information from my husband. The reason this affects many families of homeland security is, the constant back and forth between both parties trying to come to some agreement about a budget, this has been a long-standing issue. The government shutdown happened last year; this affected many federal employees. The difference being is that homeland security workers were still required to go out and do their job without pay. They had to put their lives on the line just as American soldiers did. What I think is the people do not realize that both parties fail to solve the issue and they just put a Band-Aid on it. Then the public is informed that there has been some type of resolution. In hindsight, I was one of those people. I failed to realize the truth until it actually directly affected me....
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...“Trump and U.S. Immigration Policy,” by Philip Martin discusses past immigration policies and what is to come with President Trump’s stance on immigration. While over the years there has been several different proposed bills on how to deal with unauthorized immigration, not many have actually been passed and became a law. Unauthorized foreigners make up a significant portion of the U.S workforce; twenty-six percent in farmers, fifteen percent in construction and nine percent in production and services. To help bring the numbers down, Trump plans to deport two million unauthorized immigrants. To do so he will have to decide on policy that will help enforce it in a legal matter. The two major policies include enforcement-only and comprehensive...
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...Anthony Batista Professor Black ENGL 102 06-06-2012 On the Border Is protecting our borders necessary? For the sake of argument, we can all agree some level of protection is necessary. A hasty generalization, perhaps, but let’s continue nonetheless. The real question becomes-- to what extent should we secure our borders? Here is where we reach a fork in the river. On one side, you have the conservative right-wing view, pushing to secure our borders at all costs. On the other side, is the liberal left-wing view, advocating for leniency when it comes to securing our borders. Let’s start with the conservative viewpoint. In the article “At the Border, on the Night Watch”, Marc Lacey reports on decreased border crossings in the border town of Douglas, Arizona. For example, “no matter the dire rhetoric often heard in political circles, crossings at this stretch of border are nowhere near what they once were” (Lacey). This is a good example of a slippery slope fallacy appealing to the fear factor (i.e. claim that a certain way of thinking or acting will necessary lead to more of the same). Proponents for border patrol argue an increase in staffing serve as a deterrent to thwart border crossings and help to apprehend drug traffickers, which ignores the possibilities of lesser financial incentive due to a weaker U.S. economy for immigrants or perhaps, more attractive crossing routes elsewhere. Another argument of proponents is improved fencing. For example, “Douglas used...
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...Erica Prieto ENGL 1302 Dr. Rechelle Christie February 18, 2014 Legalizing Immigrants It is recognized that illegal immigration has been a common problem to this country for many years now and has only gotten worse. There has been many “solutions” up in the air for quite some time now. Up until this point in time nothing has been done, other mentioning possible solutions. The government has made this topic very controversial and high priority over the years causing the public to be more aware and involved. The country can be safer due to increased security; decreased work force, and not to mention the national debt that has increased as a result to this issue. Many people are very interested in this issue because it seems the government has mixed opinions on this and the country is changing more as time goes by. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity (CIR ASAP) Act of 2013 has several titles under the proposition. One is the importance of secure borders. (Immigration Policy Center) This includes detention and enforcement centers to protect the people and punish the “smugglers” who put innocent people in danger when trying to enter this country illegally. Many immigrants travel for days trying to cross borders to get to this country, where many die as a result of dehydration, or starvation, and getting attacked by wild animals. Under this section it states that medical treatment is ensured for people who are in danger. It also increases...
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...2013 America’s immigration dilemma Illegal immigration has always been at the forefront when it comes to the domestic policy issues that this country faces and it has divided the nation from deep patriotic Americans to those that have emigrated to the U.S and call it home; all the way to the halls of Capitol Hill along the political lines. The question that is on everyone’s mind is what to do with the millions of undocumented immigrants already settled here for years, mass deportation that would result in breaking up families or do we grant them amnesty and a path to legalization? Many presidents have come along and were not able to bring the lawmakers to the table and draft up a comprehensive immigration reform bill, a bill that would fix the broken immigration system, secure the borders to keep criminals and drugs out of the country and to help all the undocumented immigrants come out of the shadows towards legalization and be able to pay taxes and work and contribute to the economy. Many in Capitol Hill say they do not support any bill that does not address securing the borders first as a priority before any path to legalization that some equate to amnesty. The U.S is a country of immigrants many people say yet its current immigration system is broken and it is nowhere near to being fixed, the state of Arizona has taken it upon itself and moved ahead of the federal government and passed what is called an extremely strict and very controversial immigration law that has some...
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...Higgins, John K. “Immigration Reform Could Open the Door for IT Talent.” E-Commerce Times 2/6/13 John K Higgins wrote an article on the impact that “green cards” and H-1B visa recipients could have on the United States. Higgins discusses how highly-skilled non-immigrants have the ability to improve the U.S. if there visit is made permanent. These non-immigrants are typically those who hold a degree in science, technology, engineering and mathematics also known as “STEM” or those who are striving to obtain a degree. Several businesses support the effort because they feel as though H-1B holders with these skills could be beneficial to their companies. The government noticed the proposals, which led to the bill “Immigration Innovation Act of 2013”. Higgins separates his article into three sections titling them “Visa Reform and High-Tech Funding”, “Costs and Benefits for Tech Sector”, and “Congressional Hurdles and Outlook” In “Visa Reform and High-Tech Funding” Higgins goes into details of the bill and how the revenue will promote funding. He also classifies this segment by the related topics within the bill. The bill is designed to initiate the growth of H-1B visas and the access to “green cards” for high-skilled non-immigrants. An H-1B visa is a program that temporarily permits employers to hire foreign workers. The initial time frame their allowed to work is three to six years. In spite of the time period, The Immigration Innovation Act increased the limit for visas to sixty...
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...International Studies 26 March 2012 Leading Views of Immigration Immigration is an old problem for the United States but is far from an insignificant one. Many Americans worry about the cultural and economic effects of immigration. This is a topic that divides Americans on how to negotiate a solution on this situation. For those who agree with deportation as a solution, approximately half of those people are in favor of a temporary work program. Debates still continue over the positive and negative effects of immigration along with a variety of solutions. The United States has a long history with immigration. Between 1881 and 1924, the First Great Migration occurred with 25.8 million persons entering the country. In response, Congress enacted the National-Origins Quota System, establishing set parameters for individual regions of the globe, such as restricting immigration from the Eastern Hemisphere to one hundred fifty thousand individuals. As a result, only half a million individuals immigrated to the United States during the 1930s. Since then, the number of legal immigrants has increased at the rate of approximately one million people per decade. The 1965 Amendments to the Immigration and National Act repealed the natural-origin restrictions, increased the number of available visas, and made family ties to United States residents a determining factor for applicants entering the country. The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) granted amnesty to three million...
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...The Illegal American Dream Who are the 11.4 million immigrants living in the United States illegally? There are many immigrants who stand to benefit from President Obama’s recent executive actions, which defer deportation for up to 5.2 million illegal immigrants and grant them work permits. A population of immigrants who have already qualified for protection under Obama’s 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. DACA allows certain people who came to the United States illegally as children to earn a reprieve from deportation for two years, subject to renewal. They are also eligible for work authorization. Obama’s recent executive actions, announced in November, target two groups: People who qualify for an expansion of the DACA program, and illegal immigrant parents of U.S. citizens who have been in the country more than five years with no criminal record. (Siegel) With President Obama skirting the constitution with his executive orders, there will be many more illegal immigrants in this country getting benefits which are for American citizens. There are some hard working illegal immigrants in America illegally, but how many are making a difference in their American communities. Veronica Valdez, the author of Walking Across the Stage, wrote, “For my mother, the concept of working has always been something you have to do, as opposed to an opportunity to make a difference in the world or to find fulfillment.” (231). Many illegal immigrants send their money...
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...Believe it Immigration is a very controversial issue that we have been facing for several years many are in favor of it and others against it. I would like to make a change and give out enough information to those who see immigrants as criminals when in reality they are normal human beings that are in search of the “American Dream.” A change must be made, a opportunity must be offered, and a life must be changed this is what I want for each and one of these individuals who leave their home countries and families in order to pursuit better life conditions. What is the “American Dream?” Many may have the same question but few may know the true meaning behind it. I had the great opportunity to interview a man who’s name is Juan who recently emigrated into the U.S from Mexico I asked him what does the “American Dream” mean to him? He Answered…“The American Dream is a dream many of us see very hard to reach, day after day we struggle with our everyday life not knowing whether we will earn enough money to set food on our table and not being able to sleep at night simply thinking of what we can do and how we will reach our needs. Mexico is facing a lot of violence the streets aren’t safe anymore I thanked god everyday for giving me another day of life because once you stepped out of your house you didn’t know whether you would come back or not. There is a difference between our needs and wants. I wont lie there are many things I wish I could have but...
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...Immigration Between Reforms and Reinforcement We need them out. No, you can’t say that. It is the same debit is going on for many years in the united states. Mexicans have the biggest share of these debates, obviously because Mexico is the country on the borders that suffers economically, politicly and in many other aspects that will make the united states the haven for Mexicans, even though if they will have to stay in the united states illegally. I tried to find my answers to the issue by looking into articles that talk with numbers and facts more than feelings, but it was not an easy job because most if these articles will try to predict the future, and they are suggesting soli-tons no one before tried yet, they were only successful...
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...Immigration not a partisan issue for Americans In a new Gallup poll released Wednesday, a majority of Americans are widely in support of immigration reform, regardless of political party affiliation. Raging from totals of 59 to 95 percent, Republicans, Independents, and Democrats were all in support of five specific immigration reform measures: 1) Requiring employers to verify that all new hires are living in the U.S. legally; 2) allowing undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. the chance to become legal residents or citizens if they meet certain requirements; 3) creating a system to track the departures of foreigners who enter the U.S. through airports and seaports; 4) increasing the number of visas for legal immigrants who have advanced skills in technology and science; and 5) increasing government spending on security measures and enforcement at U.S. borders Republicans and Independents both favored an employer hire requirement the most, while citizenship opportunities for undocumented immigrants stood most popular amongst Democrats. The least favorite of the five? Increasing border security and enforcement, mainly because it entails more government spending. These five measures would be somewhat incompatible if they were all implemented at once as they all differ in perspective. Above all, the most important result of this poll is it shows the majority of Americans have significant momentum for immigration reform. Calling themselves the “Band of Eight”...
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...What qualities does someone need to be able to fill the gigantic shoes of America’s next president? “Marco Rubio was born in Miami, Florida, on May 28, 1971.” His parents left Cuba after Fidel Castro became the leader during the Communist Revolution. He was raised in Las Vegas and West Miami while his parents worked blue-collar jobs to provide for the family (Walter). Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia wrote that, “Rubio attended Tarkio College in Missouri and Santa Fe Community College (now Santa Fe College) in Gainesville, Florida, before graduating from the University of Florida in 1993. He received a law degree from the University of Miami in 1996 [and in] 2010, Rubio won election to the United States Senate.” (“Rubio”). Rubio’s wife is Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio and they have four children, two boys and two girls (Walter). Some of Marco Rubio’s qualities are compassion, determination, and attractiveness; but even though these are all excellent qualities of a good person they are not the main qualities of a good President. Marco is a person that has been through many problems in life, but with all these hardships this will not help him to be a great president....
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...Since the amnesty Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 IRCS (USCIS 1986) signed by the President Ronald Regal, which provided amnesty for 3 million illegal immigrants, in returns for increased border security and penalties for companies “knowingly” hiring illegal immigrants. Aside from creating the H-2A visa seasonal employment, IRCA failed to create new avenue for legal immigration. The combination of amnesty and inadequate avenue for legal immigration exacerbated the problem for illegal immigration. The law was supposed to be a comprehensive solution with provision intended to clamp down on border security but those provision were never enforced and the subsequent explosion in illegal crossing has resulted in more than 11 illegal immigrants living in the United States now. Texas is the state with most illegal immigrants with an estimated of 1.8 million illegal immigrant living in Texas now, compared to 1.1 million in 2000 (???). In ten years, that represents increase of 54 percent or 70,000.00 persons each year coming to the State illegally. The amnesty of 1986 brought many benefits to the illegal immigrants but also the immediate family members such as spouses, children and parents were also benefited because they could join the family member in the United States later on. I was personally one of the benefited with this amnesty because I could immigrate to the United States in the late 1990’s. During the last 20 years the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called...
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...Immigration Jane Doe December 4, 2014 SYG2000 Professor Rastagh The United States, our ever growing powerful nation was built up on the countless backs of undocumented immigrants. Beginning with the first settlers emigrating from England in hopes of finding freedom from religious persecution, to the countless South American immigrants only hoping to look and find a way for a better life for themselves and their children. President Obama’s illegal immigration reform is not celebrated but applauded by its many supporters in that it not only holds illegal immigrants accountable for years of unpaid taxes, not only helping the national economy but also giving immigrants a chance in citizenship presented that they pay off all their taxes, also keeping the American dream alive in guaranteeing immigrants who have been in the U.S for longer than five years, in ensuring no deportation given a clean background check and also keeping these hard working American Immigrants families alive. In his most recent national address, President Obama argued that this nation’s immigration system is “broken” and further proposed a strengthening of our border security, streamlining legal immigration, earned citizenship, and the exploitation of the undocumented worker by hiring employers. Although I agree with President Obama’s ideas of addressing the outdated and dysfunctional migratory system, I believe his proposal will bring forth more harm than good. It imposes stringent requirements on...
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