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Immigration 1

Immigration

Casey

Liberty University

CJUS 380

April 17, 2023

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Immigration

Problem statement

A nation of immigrants is a common way to describe the United States. Except for Native

Americans, most people who call the United States home are immigrants, their ancestors, or

former slaves. Food, language, and the arts are just a few examples of how this diversity has

influenced American culture. Many other aspects as well. Bullock, Haddow, and Coppola (2017)

defined immigration as the act of moving from one country to another and residing there as a

permanent resident or legal citizen of that country." Immigration reform is a strongly contested

and contentious topic because politicians have long struggled with the economic, security, social,

and human rights concerns that surround it. If immigration laws need to be amended, they should

be based on compassion for everyone involved, including those who already reside in the United

States and want to immigrate there. The only morally and ethically acceptable action is to let

everyone who wishes to immigrate to the United States do so and have their applications and

evaluations based on their qualifications, not their ethnicity or religion. Immigration rules should

not be discriminatory toward any one country or based on an individual's income, education, or

political or religious beliefs.

Literature Review

Background of the problem

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Ever since the first explorers came to America, immigration has been a hotly debated

subject in the country. Since nearly everyone in the country is a direct offspring of an early

immigrant, the country is often referred to as the "melting pot." For one reason or another, the

U.S. has always been a country where people seek sanctuary or migrate. Whether it is to escape a

dictator or just take advantage of the wealth of options available here, many people who

immigrate to the U.S. do so in search of a better life. A significant portion of the United States

expansion at the turn of the century was due to immigration, which also had an impact on urban

culture, population, and economic development.

Open immigration is one of the fundamental ideas that has contributed to the greatness of

this country and allowed millions of immigrants to live better lives. When the founders of the

first colonies only allowed people whom they believed to be Caucasian to immigrate and become

citizens, migration started in the 1600s. Before the start of the industrial age, when immigration

into the U.S. started to rise drastically, immigration only made up a small portion of the country's

population throughout the ensuing two centuries. Bullock et al. (2017) claim that immigration

boosted the U.S. population by over 30 times between the 1820s and the following 100 years,

adding 30 million people to the country.

With the first Immigration Act passed in 1882, the United States began to implement

immigration policy. According to Bullock et al. (2017), this Act levied a tax on anyone entering

the country illegally to raise money to fund and enforce immigration laws. Many more measures

were introduced due to the later immigration laws and acts to restrict and vet potential

immigrants. They also stated that the procedure for immigration into this country is becoming

standardized and regulated, with documentation and manifest records identifying individuals

who were admitted and those who were barred from entering because of concerns about

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additional immigration after World War I, the Literacy Act of 1917 was enacted at the beginning

of the 20th century. The Emergency Quota Act, implemented in 1921, limited the number of

immigrants from each nationality to just 3% annually because of the Literacy Act's minimal

impact on immigration.

The United States did not start to relax its restrictions on immigration until after World

War II and the passage of the War Brides Act of 1945, the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, and

the Refugee Relief Act of 1953. These three laws made it possible for many families and war

refugees who would not have otherwise been allowed access to the country to enter. Over the

course of the following few decades, numerous changes and laws were passed, giving more

displaced people—including refugees and escapees—the chance to find safety. The Immigration

Reform and Control Act of 1986 increased the Immigration and Naturalization Service's (INS)

ability to exercise law enforcement authority and impose penalties on any employer who hired

unlawful immigrants. Immigration continued to increase until that point.

In the 1990s, immigration started to rise once more, and thanks to a lottery system, the

immigration system was designed to make it easier for inhabitants of less developed nations to

become citizens. Each year, the number of immigrants entering the United States grew steadily

until it eventually exceeded 1 million. Following the September 11, 2001, attacks, the INS was

divided into three divisions: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCP).

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, immigration reform has stalled significantly

due to the heated debate it has generated among the public and policymakers (Orrenius &

Zavodny, 2019). Immigration needs to be reformed, but not at the expense of dismantling

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families, losing the talents and skills of foreign labor, risking economic suicide, or sending

thousands of individuals back to unsafe nations.

Supporting evidence

The U.S. economy will benefit from allowing unrestricted immigration. Martin P. L.

(2016) found that 26% of the workforce in agriculture was made up of undocumented or illegal

immigrants. After that, 15% of the workforce is in the construction sector, and 9% of the

workforce is in production and general services. Losing this workforce would devastate

agriculture, raising food prices while slowing the building sector and creating huge delays in

infrastructure (Abramitzky et al., 2019). According to studies on immigrant integration, current

immigrants are assimilating into American society just as quickly as earlier immigrants and are

picking up English more quickly than those who immigrated in the early 20th century.

The economy of the United States benefits greatly from immigration as well. The most

direct way that immigration improves potential economic output is through expanding the labor

force. The productivity of immigrants is also rising. The findings of economists Gaetano Basso

and Giovanni Peri suggest that immigrants are more mobile than locals in reaction to regional

economic conditions, maybe because they have fewer enduring attachments to their families and

communities (Abramitzky et al., 2019). This may contribute to the more effective operation of

labor markets. Additionally, it has been demonstrated by economists Jennifer Hunt and

Marjolaine Gauthier-Loiselle that immigrant’s foster innovation, which is essential for raising

living standards. In particular, they discover that an increase of just 1% in the proportion of

immigrant college graduates leads to an increase of 9–18% in patents per person.

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Only when free immigration enables everyone to enter this country can we draw from all

the brightest minds in the world. The United States misses out on acquiring an advantage in

economic expertise when immigration restrictions only allow a small number of immigrants

from a small number of countries. In the United States, immigrant entrepreneurs play a

significant role in driving innovation and firm formation. Immigrant self-employment has

increased significantly over time, particularly for those with less education, and now outpaces

native-born Americans. While immigration may boost overall economic development in the

United States, it will likely result in reduced earnings for Americans working at the bottom of the

labor market (Abramitzky et al., 2019). On average, immigration has had little impact on native-

born Americans' incomes.

The country's security is a top concern, but if there were an open immigration policy, it

would be possible to fully assess all newcomers, making the border more secure. Illegal entry

into the United States is impossible to prevent because the U.S. limits and inspects many other

states as being unsafe or unwanted (Orrenius & Zavodny, 2019). In addition, there is no

justification for separating illegal immigrants from their kids and deporting them back to their

home countries. Any factor, including national security interests, economic considerations, or

anything else, should not justify the purposeful inflicting of dread onto children.

Internal security has come to be seen as a security concern challenged by immigration.

Since the 1980s, there has been a perception that immigration poses a threat to national security.

Huysmans emphasized how the Schengen Agreement and Dublin Convention linked

immigration to terrorism, transnational crime, and border control. Immigration has occupied a

major position on the counter-terrorism agenda since the September 11 terrorist attacks;

governments have tightened immigration regulations, associating immigration with terrorist

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operations (Orrenius & Zavodny, 2019). Immigration was quickly elevated to a national security

concern in the U.S. As soon as possible, President Bush announced a plan to combat terrorism

through immigration law, and the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service was

added to the newly created Department of Homeland Security; immigration became officially

recognized as a threat to internal security.

The USA PATRIOT Act was enacted six weeks after 9/11, tightening border restrictions,

stepping up monitoring of foreign nationals living in the U.S., and enabling the government to

imprison, try, and deport foreigners suspected of engaging in terrorist activity. The War on

Terror's tools included immigration laws and border security. Many academics agree that

immigration restrictions are necessary to safeguard the internal security of the receiving state.

Some claim that because Canada has a high immigration rate relative to its population, it is

impossible to adequately vet each immigrant, which leads to the entry of hazardous individuals

(Orrenius & Zavodny, 2019). Therefore, lowering the annual immigration intake would be the

most efficient strategy to keep out undesirable immigrants. While there is no doubt that terrorism

poses a serious threat to the internal security of nations around the globe, its relationship to

immigration needs to be taken into consideration.

Right-wing political parties frequently gain from the crucial election issue of

immigration. A prime illustration is the politics of today in Europe. This article examines how

much U.S. voters care about immigration, which has occasionally been on the periphery and in

the spotlight recently. It turns out that how much immigrants participate in politics significantly

impacts how immigration affects politics (Alesina & Tabellini, 2022). The study makes one

thing abundantly clear: Republicans are typically hostile to immigration reforms, particularly if

they provide a route to citizenship for those who are currently unauthorized. Given their

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propensity to support progressive parties, naturalized immigrants are a liability for conservative

leaders.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it has been successful in having an open immigration system. The United

States does not have problems with immigration until the government intervenes and restricts,

controls, and over-legislates the practice. It has been demonstrated that the United States has

encountered issues that might lead to economic, security, and social difficulties whenever

attempts to restrict immigration were made. We should be loving one another rather than

stepping on one another for personal or political gain.

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Reference

Abramitzky, R., Ager, P., Boustan, L. P., Cohen, E., & Hansen, C. W. (2019). The effects of

immigration on the economy: Lessons from the 1920s border closure (No. w26536).

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Alesina, A., & Tabellini, M. (2022). The political effects of immigration: Culture or economics?

(No. w30079). National Bureau of Economic Research.

Bullock, J. A., Haddow, G. D., & Coppola, D. P. (2017). Introduction to homeland security (5th

ed.). Waltham, MA, USA: Butterworth-Heinemann.

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Orrenius, P., & Zavodny, M. (2019). Do immigrants threaten US public safety?. Journal on

Migration and Human Security, 7(3), 52-61.