May
25
The United States is a country of new beginnings. For hundreds of years, America has been defined as a place of refuge for the persecuted, a nation of immigrants. But now, as Americans, we must learn to reconcile the conflicts between our history, our current economic realities, and the need to protect the interests of American citizens.
The History of Immigration in the U.S.
Throughout American history, immigration has spawned much debate. In colonial America, Ben Franklin worried that an influx of German immigrants would squash the predominant British culture. During the mid to late 1800s, some Americans viewed the Irish as drunkard and lazy, and later, believed that Italians, Poles, and Russian Jews would not be able to assimilate to American culture.
By the end of the 19th century, Congress passed the first immigrant exclusion laws, restricting first criminals and prostitutes, and soon after, Japanese, Chinese and other Asian immigrants as well. Regardless of the new laws, however, immigration reached a record high of 1.3 million people in 1907.
In 1965, Congress passed the Immigration and Nationality Act amendments that ended quotas, and for the first time, initiated the concept of family-sponsored immigration.
In 1987, Congress enacted the Immigration Reform Control Act (IRCA). Among other provisions, the IRCA authorized two programs to identify and legalize illegal or undocumented immigrants who could document both entry into the United States prior to January 1, 1982, and “continued physical presence” in the U.S. since the passage of IRCA. Also included in the IRCA was a prohibition on employers on the hiring of undocumented workers and tough enforcement measures, including sanctions, if they did; however, for the last 20 years, these sanctions have not been fully enforced.(1)
The immigration system of laws set up 20 years ago have not been consistently enforced, the bureaucracy of INS has not functioned efficiently or effectively and the rules of immigration themselves are sometimes capricious and illogical. Along with this level of dysfunction, both entry and status violations are misdemeanors as are the illegal actions of employers resulting in a confusion regarding penalty in breaking these laws.
Current Law
Today, immigrants make up nearly 10% of the population, and the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that nearly 900,000 new immigrants enter the country each year.
Current U.S. law grants immigrant visas for three reasons: family-sponsored immigration, preferential job skills, and humanitarian refuge. Almost three-fourths of immigrants entering the country now arrive as family-sponsored immigrants, and Congress passed federal immigration law in 1990, almost doubling the number of job-related visas. Today, 140,000 especially skilled workers enter the country each year, and many American businesses wish to raise the cap for both skilled and unskilled laborers. Finally, people come to the United States to escape persecution. In 1992, the United States took in almost 120,000 refugees; however, after September 11, 2001, the U.S. decreased the number of refugees allowed in the country. By 2002, only 35,000 refugees legally entered the United States.(2)
(1) National Issues Forums “The New Challenges of American Immigration: What Should We Do?”, 2003
(2) National Immigration Law Center: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Update
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Basic Problem: Illegal Immigration present a problem to us and to the people who practice this. Doing this makes them a potential worker for criminal, drug and other activities plus terrorist actions. REASON: They can receive a threat that they will be delivered to the immigration service if they do not do what they are ordered to do which may well be illegal in itself. This must stop now and illegals removed from the Nation which is at war with people WHO WOULD would use these people making them it a danger to themselves and us. Second reason is the abuse they receive by business men who would UNDERPAY these people and cause them great damage to their families and others. NO ONE OPPOSES LEGAL immigration because it is good for everyone.