...Immigration of Yesterday and Today As I was a child growing up in Southern California I never once doubted my citizenship or right to live in the United States. However, that was until one of my older friends in my neighborhood was shockingly deported when I was in the ninth grade. Since that time the issue of immigration has definitely been more relevant in my mind but honestly not that important. Maybe it’s because of the fact that the majority of American citizens never think about serious issues outside of the ones that directly affect them. When in reality the issue of immigration is so enormous that it not only affects the United States but the entire world. Throughout the past fifty years there has definitely been events that have changed, shaped and influenced the public opinion and perception of immigration greatly. In 2014, one of these events occurred when United States President Barack Obama decided to implement a major executive action on immigration policy, offering temporary legal status to millions of illegal immigrants, along with an indefinite reprieve from deportation (Ehrenfreund). This significant event now meant that the idea and topic of immigration was currently ever present and may change a vast amount of opinions in our country. In order to understand who we are today as a culture concerning immigration, it is important to know how we came about to our current status. During the 1960s when the civil rights movement was gaining momentum, our country...
Words: 2308 - Pages: 10
...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...
Words: 1008 - Pages: 5
...Unlawful Burden: Cost of Illegal Immigration on Local Government Abstract What is the cost of illegal immigration today on state and local governments? This has become a hot topic at the federal, state and local levels with a wide variety of opinions. This paper will explore both sides of the issue with a closer look at the state and local impact on taxpayers. Cost of Illegal Immigration Today it is estimated that the annual costs of illegal immigration at the federal, state and local level to be nearly $113 billion dollars, with approximately $84 billion dollars being spent on the state and local levels alone. Recent studies have also estimates that taxes collected from illegal alien workers, both in the above-ground economy and in the underground economy do not come close to the amount of current expenditures. The impact of illegal immigrants on the federal budget differs from their effect on state and local budgets primarily because of the types of services provided by each level of government. The federal government while providing some services requires state and local governments to provide certain services to individuals regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay in order for them to participate in federal programs. This has made most states and local governments bear much of the burden to providing education, health care and law enforcement to individuals living in their jurisdiction. Budgetary Effect of Illegal Immigration The Congressional Budget...
Words: 3217 - Pages: 13
...Immigration Citizens Children The Effects of Immigration on Children and Families Introduction Illegal immigration is a very controversial issue within our society. There are families within our society that are made up of parents that are here illegally but have children who are born here and are citizens. But it is these citizens that are what I am referring to as the incomplete citizens. Who are these incomplete citizens and why are they being impacted by our society? Are there different stipulations for these children that are born to these undocumented families? Do they really receive the same rights as those born to U.S. citizens? Our societies including our politicians have different opinions about illegal immigration. Immigration reform negatively affects those children that are born to undocumented parents. They find themselves facing adversities that had the situation been different would never have to face. Working in an elementary school I have seen first hand how those children are affected as a result of their parent’s legal status. My purpose in this research is to show the emotional, educational, and financial effects that are inflicted on the undocumented families. This is a problem that is not going to be resolved overnight but rather this is a problem that is going to need help from the various disciplines. With this research more information will be found to present how children are affected through the different disciplines and how these disciplines...
Words: 4046 - Pages: 17
...Legislation of Immigration in America For hundreds of years immigrants have migrated to the United States, looking for a new life, a second chance. Many of these immigrants came poor, with their only belongings being the clothes on their backs and little or no money. Immigration affects the United States' in a positive way, those immigrants who come here to take advantage of the opportunity they can attain will help promote a prosperous society. The national government needs to enact more effective and efficient immigration laws to help those people who want to immigrate to the United States of America. In the United States of America there are many view points on immigration as stated in the article “At Issue: Illegal Immigration” written by ProQuest Staff, some people believe that illegal immigrants should be detained and deported for flouting the law while others consider the rounding up and the deportation of illegal aliens to be a waste of the nation’s resources. These viewpoints are the result of frustration that has been brewing amongst political officials and the general public. Immigrants have been treated unfairly and unjustly since they first started coming to the United States, and many new policies were created by the government officials to help rid the nation of these persons I believe that illegal immigrants should not be treated as criminals because these immigrants both those in the past and those of whom will come in the future have a significant impact on...
Words: 1272 - Pages: 6
...Education Changing with Immigration Rachel Villarreal Vasquez PPA 604 Urban Planning/Redevelopment Professor; Lum July 12, 2014 Education Changing with Immigration Controversy about changes in our education has surrounded the United States for a number of years. But immigration has changed the way we teach our children in the United States today, in the past, currently and trending we are beginning to cater to our environment. The education in the United States is no longer the leading one in the World. The United States was known for producing the most educated college students placing them in the highest ranked jobs. Yet, personally immigration did affect the way that education was presented to me, my family and my community. A perspective personal journey of the education lived by an American born child to an immigrant Mexican Mother and an Indian Father whose own foundation is built on education which can and will empower millions of children. Free access to education had always been the key to the success of educating men, women and children. Yet, I can still remember the personal experience that left its long lasting effects, as it has for many others equally. The changes that happen from generation to generation as education changed due to the immigration of people into the United States. As presented in the following article, “At the dawn of the twenty-first century, immigrants were coming to the United States in near record numbers, reminiscent of the great...
Words: 1318 - Pages: 6
...the president of the United States of America. This is a result of the varying nature of the issues he is required to act on. Now, knowing this it is of no surprise that the president needs help sometimes and usually that help comes from studying past presidents’ actions. For example, immigration reform is frequently addressed by presidents making some form of executive action. This is an outcome of the last ten presidents having simply looked at what their predecessor had done and then mimicking his practices. Those doing this however, have created a cycle that must be ended because executive action in the United States is an ineffective course of reforming immigration. The aforementioned,...
Words: 1969 - Pages: 8
...Immigration and Immigrants A Pathway to Permanency Immigration and Immigrants: A Pathway to Permanency American culture has been shaped by immigrants from all around the world dating back to the founding of this country. Since the beginning, people have migrated to the United States for relief and opportunity. The United States is currently experiencing a new wave of immigration; namely Latinos. Many of whom are migrating to escape the dangers of their homeland. Others are migrating to move beyond the political chaos and economic deprivation of their countries in hopes of having an opportunity at the American Dream and all of its promises. It can be agreed that immigrants come to the United States for the betterment of themselves and their families. However, their dreams are often shattered by the obstacles of gaining residency and citizenship no matter the length of the time they have resided in the United States. While immigrants are the foundation of our nation, immigration regulations were put into place in the 1700’s and has undergone changes throughout the years. Over the past several decades, there has been an emphasis on immigrants’ impact on our economy. In our current state combined with the vast amount of illegal immigrants entering and residing in the United States, immigration and immigrants are significant to America’s success. Our country’s international stature is dependent upon the advancements we make to enhance the lives of our young immigrant population;...
Words: 3491 - Pages: 14
...to make changes in immigration policy. The new immigration plan will not only protect many unlawful immigrants from being deported but it also gains them access in obtaining driver licenses and social security cards. In another word, they will be legally to work in United States but it offers no path to citizenship. This will open a path for many high skilled workers to the United States labor force. Another major change is that Obama’s action will end a program called Secure Communities, therefore Immigration and Custom Enforcement as well as other law enforcement agencies will begin to priority their focus on criminals and felons rather than working families and security on the border will be increased. While many Americans think this is a righteous move that should have been done long ago to fix our broken immigration policy, the plan is opposed strongly by the Republicans. President Obama has no option but to use his executive action. House Speaker John Boehner states that the president is acting like a king or emperor with his executive action on the new immigration reform. The plan is also facing lawsuit from many different states, but Obama administration believes that the policies could withstand any lawsuit. Obama says in his speech, “The actions I’m taking are not only lawful; they’re the kind of actions taken by every single Republican President and every Democratic President for the past half century.” Funding is not an issue for the new immigration reform as it is self-funded...
Words: 2526 - Pages: 11
...The Economic Impact of Immigration Within Canada There has been an appeal in immigrating to Canada ever since the early 1800’s, but only in the past seventy years have we seen drastic changes in domestic immigration law and policy. Most notably Canada has received recognition for its Immigration Act of 1976 as well as our current Immigration and Refugee Protection Act from 2002. Canadian immigration is still evolving today and currently Canada is known as a country with a broad immigration policy that is reflected in the countries ethnic diversity. Policy goals, selectivity and trade are three prominent aspects of Canadian immigration that I have found compelling journal articles written on. Although every aspect of immigration has its differences, they all similarly share a united end common goal of further benefiting Canada. Economics is a similarity that plays a large role in each aspect and article, from strategically selecting immigrants that will quickly economically assimilate to using immigration to increase trade flow from foreign countries. Although in contrast – the article that I have found to obtain the most compelling argument on Canadian immigration policy is the one that disagrees with using immigration solely for economic means, it implicitly states that immigration policy should not solely be seen in economic benefits but that it should be seen as primarily a cultural, social and humanitarian policy opposed to an economic one. In the first article I examined...
Words: 2055 - Pages: 9
...Nery Mejia Ms. Ybarra English 1301 24 April 2015 Immigration Reform in the United States: What would you do if you lived in a country with fewer opportunities and options for a better future, and you wanted to improve your life? Would you immigrate to developed countries like the United States, either legally or illegally? That is what many of our ancestors have done. We can look at the past and present history in the United States. As humans we immigrate to other places due to many reasons often searching for better pay, family, and to find opportunities to be successful. At this time, “about 11.7 million undocumented immigrants are living in the United States illegally, a population that has not varied much over the last three years but may recently be increasing again, according to new estimates published by the Pew Research Center Hispanic Trends Project.” Most of the undocumented people, have families and want to live permanently in the U.S. Some people say they should not be here and the U.S. government should send them back to their country because they came illegally (breaking our laws). However, others believe that the U.S. government should pass the new law proposed by President Obama legalizing all undocumented immigrants already here, with no criminal records, to give them a chance to live here as legal residents to have the opportunity to work legally. For the undocumented who have families to continue to live without fear of being deported...
Words: 1320 - Pages: 6
...The United States has always been the “melting pot” of various racial and ethnic groups. In spite of the sides of our history where each group experienced prejudice and discrimination on different levels past and present, our nation is still rich with cultural diversity. From this I have learned a lot over the last nine weeks about my culture, other cultures, and the possible future if all of us come together to become a more pluralistic society. I began to understand the classification of subordinate groups (or minority groups) and how it ties into labeling. In spite of the generalization of minority groups there are other sub-groups within a minority group. For example, although there are Columbians, Puerto Ricans, Argentinians, Mexicans, and more, the designated majority group classifies these different groups as Hispanic or Latinos. In a way this type of classification denies their different cultures. Granted, there a lot of Hispanics that speak Spanish, but there are several different dialects within, just like with American English. Having a few friends who has Spanish as their primary language, I found that there are more than one way to ask one's name. There is the traditional way that is taught in classrooms across the country – Como se llama – and there are informal ways of asking one's name based on one's cultural background – an associate of mine asks "Cual es tu nombre" whereas asks "Tu Nombre?". In addition to learning this, I also learned about identifying the...
Words: 1238 - Pages: 5
...by two Miami anglers who found him floating on an inner tube several miles off Fort Lauderdale. Elian was transferred to a United States Coast Guard vessel so he could be transported to a nearby hospital for treatment for dehydration and hypothermia. Elian's mother, Elisabeth Brotons, drowned during the voyage from Cuba. The INS temporarily paroled him into the care of Lazaro Gonzalez, his great uncle, in Miami. On January 19, 2000, Lazaro Gonzalez, instituted alternatively as interim temporary legal custodian, of Elian Gonzalez, a six-year-old child, against the Attorney General, the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service ("INS"), and other federal defendants. The complaint challenged the INS's refusal to accept and adjudicate two asylum applications that Lazaro submitted with respect to Elian and an essentially identical application that bore Elian’s signature. PROCEDUAL HISTORY On January 27, 2000, the government filed a motion to dismiss or, in the alternative, for summary judgment. The district court heard oral argument on the government's motion on March 9, 2000. On March 21, 2000, the district court granted the government's motion to dismiss or for summary judgment and dismissed the case. Plaintiff appealed. On April 19, 2000, this Court issued an injunction pending appeal, barring Elian's removal from the United States during the pendency of this appeal. ISSUE 1. Whether the district court was correct in holding that Elian Gonzalez has no...
Words: 2804 - Pages: 12
...University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 5-2010 Bharati Mukherjee and the American Immigrant: Reimaging the Nation in a Global Context Leah Rang University of Tennessee - Knoxville, lrang@utk.edu Recommended Citation Rang, Leah, "Bharati Mukherjee and the American Immigrant: Reimaging the Nation in a Global Context. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2010. http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/655 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact trace@utk.edu. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Leah Rang entitled "Bharati Mukherjee and the American Immigrant: Reimaging the Nation in a Global Context." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in English. Urmila Seshagiri, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Lisi Schoenbach, Bill Hardwig Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) To the Graduate Council:...
Words: 30269 - Pages: 122
...Paper Angelo State University Capstone Seminar Dr. James Phelps May 5, 2016 The Immigration Crisis Over the past 20 years immigration has become a hot topic in American culture. Since September 11, 2001, the concern for security at our nation’s borders is higher than ever. The threat of another attack lies imminent in the country’s mind. With the increase in concern for border security comes the issue of how to approach and handle the illegal immigration epidemic that is currently affecting the United States. We should first look back at the Roman Empire to give us a better understanding of the problems and solutions of immigration. There are astonishing similarities between the rise of the United States and power and the upsurge of Roman Republic. (Pagdan) These likenesses are not due to the specific character of both states, rather there is a common pattern in the development of every powerful state and the United States and Rome are examples of this pattern. The effects that immigration has on the United States are limitless. There have been endless debates over these effects since as early as the colonial times. The economic, fiscal and demographic effects are three major topics that tend to rule these debates. Regardless on someone’s political view of immigration, everyone should realize how it has and is shaping the United States today. The economic, fiscal and demographic effects are three major topics that tend to rule the debates on immigration and its laws...
Words: 3756 - Pages: 16