Immigration Reform And Control Act example essay topic

Coming to America... Maybe Immigration has been a part of the United States ever since its inception. When Christopher Columbus made his way across the Atlantic Ocean he discovered a land that was almost entirely inhabited. The colonists, essentially the first immigrants to what would be the United States, began to come over group after group until they finally decided that there were enough people living in America that they were a strong enough power to be a separate entity. In 1776 the Americans declared their independence from Great Britain and through the revolutionary war, created the United States. Views from varying sources as well as some insight from North Dakota representatives will be used in order to examine current immigration laws, explain how and why changes should be made, and determine who will be affected by the changes.

Early in its history, the United States was often called a melting pot because it was a new nation with no distinctive culture at the time it was established. As immigrants came to the United States, oftentimes they quickly lost their original culture and integrated into the new nation rapidly. Although the United States has been shaped by successive waves of immigrants, Americans have often viewed immigration as a problem. Established Americans often look down on new immigrants. The cultural habits of immigrants are frequently targets of criticism, especially when the new arrivals come from a different country than those in the established community. This type of behavior towards immigrants can be found throughout the nation.

When interviewing my district representatives what they were currently doing with immigration laws I received a very common answer from all three of them. They all said that currently they weren't dealing with any immigration laws because they are usually determined at a national level. Representative Ole Aarsvold said in an e-mail response, "Immigration is primarily a federal concern but we have had a couple of bills dealing with this issue, very generally, in this legislative session in ND. I will do some research for you". This led me to open my eyes to the national scope of immigration laws. The United States had no type of immigration laws during its colonial years.

Leonard Dinnerstein is a Professor of American History and Director of Judaic Studies at University of Arizona. His Encarta entry stated, "By the time of the American Revolution (1775-1783), the colonial population had reached approximately 2.5 million people" (par. 21). As more and more people continued to enter the United States people began to think that they needed to control the number that would be allowed into the country. It wasn't until 1882 that the first immigration law was passed in the United States. As stated on MSNBC's Pencil News website it banned people from entering the country that were "convicts, insane or severely retarded people, and people likely to need special care from entering the country" (par 40).

The timeline included in the article also detailed nearly all of the other United States major immigration laws. The US also passed permanent law in 1902 called the Chinese Exclusion Act which disallowed immigrants from China until it was repealed in 1943 as China became a US ally (par. 41). In 1946 "Congress passed the War Brides Act and admitted 120,000 immigrants who were wives or children of soldiers" (par. 42). Most of the early laws the United States were directed at certain groups of people that were trying to migrate for matters other than seeking refuge in the United State.

This changed with the passing of the 1948 Displaced Persons Act and the 1953 Refugee Relief Act and was also addressed in the MSNBC article. The two acts combined to allow an additional 600,000 immigrants per year that were coming to seek a place of safety (par. 43). Another new form of law came about in 1952 which set an actual number of immigrants accepted each year.

The Immigration and Nationality Act, which is also called the McCarran-Walter Act, set the quota at 158,361 per year (par. 44). Later in 1965 amendments were made the McCarran-Walter Act that treated immigrants from the Eastern and Western Hemispheres differently. "Because of this act, immigration from India, Korea, the Philippines, and other Asian countries soared during this time and into the 1970s" (par. 45).

Very few major immigration laws were passed in the years following the McCarran Walter Act. There was little done with immigration laws until the Immigration Reform and Control Act was passed in 1986. As revealed in James Goldsborough's article in Foreign Affairs "The first reform since 1965, IRC A was a result of what its supporters in Congress called the 'grand bargain' " (89). This act allowed illegal immigrants who had been in the United States since 1982 to apply for citizenship. The law changed the lives of some three million immigrants who didn't qualify for citizenship. As stated later in Goldsborough's article "The Jordan Commission was established in 1990 to reexamine U.S. immigration policy" (89).

The team was headed by Barbara Jordan. The Jordan Commission helped lead to the Immigration Act of 1990 which, according to Dinnerstein, "established an annual ceiling of 700,000 immigrants for each of the following three years, and a ceiling of 675,000 per year thereafter" (53). Laws went untouched again until 1996 when the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) was passed (Dinnerstein 54). The IIRIRA also made it easier for United States officials to deport immigrants that did not have the proper paperwork. Also, it required immigrants that wanted to bring over members of their family to be 125 percent above the poverty line so they can be self-sufficient when their family comes to the United States.

Later in his article Dinnerstein says, "The IIRIRA also expanded the number of crimes for which legal immigrants can be deported, and severely restricted the right of immigrants to appeal decisions made by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to the federal courts" (55). In his 1999 article in Spectrum Chester Hicks shows what type of patterns the United States has been seeing throughout the years. He says, "The current influx has caused the foreign-born population to grow from 5 percent of the nation's population in 1970, to 10 percent of the population today" (17). Most of the changes that have been made to current laws have been small amendments that clarify certain passages or increase the number of a certain type of visas that can be entered. One of the laws proposed was addressed by Joyce Vialet in her 2000 article in Migration World Magazine. It stated the INS Reform and Border Security Act of 1999 was initiated by Senator Abraham (40).

The act would create two bureaus for immigration services and enforcement. The new agency would be headed by an Associate Attorney General. This person would take the responsibilities of the Attorney General. He or she would also be responsible for provided data and planning to the two bureaus. This act would create a bureau for immigration service and one for patrolling the laws that are in effect.

The act didn't pass, but it shows that immigration is a topic in the current legislation. With the economy in its current downfall, though not yet considered a recession, I see the economy slowing to a point that will raise unemployment. Many of the internet companies that I saw so many people make thousands of dollars on are now having to lay off workers due to the decrease in sales recently. I feel that this will lead many Americans to feel that there are too many people and not enough jobs. They will then feel that the United States needs to further regulate immigration. As the people become stirred up they will contact their representative pushing for more control.

The representatives will then in turn strike up legislative matters that will change the current laws that the United States currently has. The people that would be affected by laws restricting immigration would obviously be those trying to enter to the county. Also, immigrants that are currently living in the United States could be affected as well. This was displayed as Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 affected the lives of some three million immigrants who didn't qualify for citizenship after it was passed. Similar laws that could be introduced in the future may not allow as many immigrants into the county because of their level of education. Currently there are thousands of visas available for people of foreign countries that possess a college degree.

If it was a requirement to have a high school education many of the immigrants currently applying for citizenship would be declined. Not only would changes in immigration laws influence the immigrants themselves, but it would spread to other people as well. With fewer people coming over the United States to work the families of would-be immigrants will have a much lower standard of living in their home country. Many immigrants come to the United States with hopes of bringing their families over later on. Changes in current laws may make this a very hard accomplishment. Immigration also offers cheaper labor to businesses.

Many of the migrant workers are willing to work for a lower price. This gives the business an edge over other competitors. Immigration also lowers the cost of products produced in the United States. Bringing in immigrants provides more and different cultures to the United States, which can then expand businesses to other fields of the world. This would help fuel foreign economies as well as the domestic economy and would give more people a better understanding of other cultures. I have selected a quote from President Clinton that was taken from a speech that he gave on April 4, 1997.

He explains what would be an ideal form of immigration and assimilation into the United States. It is published on American Immigration Law Foundation's web page and was delivered as follows: America was built on the dreams and deeds of immigrants. The life of our nation has been continually renewed and enriched by the many different people who choose to come here and become our fellow citizens. Each brings a part of his or her own heritage, which over time becomes part of our common heritage. As we seek to become a more united people, we must not forget our roots, for they remind us of who we are and of what we have to share with others. (par. 1) Immigration has been a part of the United States ever since its inception.

Views from varying sources as well as some insight from North Dakota representatives were used in order to examine current immigration laws, explain how and why changes should be made, and determine who will be affected by the changes. Work CitedAarsvold, Ole. "Re: Thoughts on Immigration". E-mail to State Representative 22 Mar. 2001". American Presidents Talk About Immigration". American Immigration Law Foundation 1997.27 Feb. 2001. web quotes. htm.

Dinnerstein, Leonard. "Immigration". Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. 2000".

Ellis Island Lesson Plan (Immigration)". MSNBC Pencil News. 2000.27 Mar 2001... Goldsborough, James.

"Out-of-Control Immigration". Foreign Affairs. Sept. 2000: 89 Hicks, Chester. "Remaking the political landscape: how immigration redistributes seats in the House". Spectrum: the Journal of State Government.

Spring 1999: 17. Vialet, Joyce. "Immigration Legislation and Issues in The 106th Congress". Migration World Magazine. Sept 1999: 41.