U.S. Immigration: History and Current Issues

Ken Scott Baron

Sources: “Immigrant America” Portes and Raumbaut

Overview

Immigration Myths U.S. Immigration has 5 types during

history:

Open ◻ Slightly open ◘ Tiny door ◘

Open and Closed ◻ /◼

Slammed Shut ◼ Including Important Legislation and Court

Cases

Myths Taxes

Immigrants don't pay taxes. They pay income, property, and sales

taxes at the federal and state level. $90 - $140 billion a year.

Undocumented immigrants pay income taxes (taxes that cannot be matched to workers' names and social security numbers) $20 billion between 1990 and 1998.

Myths - Welfare

Immigrants come here to take welfare.

The ratio: immigrant using public benefits to taxes pay is consistently favorable to the U.S.

Immigrants earn about $240 billion a year, pay about $90 billion a year in taxes, and use about $5 billion in public benefits.

Myths - Job Stealers and Economy Drainers

Immigrants take jobs and opportunity away from Americans.

The largest immigration to the U.S. coincided with our lowest national unemployment rate and fastest economic growth.

Immigrants are a drain on the U.S. economy. 70% of immigrants arrive in prime working age. We therefore haven't spent a penny on their

education, They will contribute $500 billion toward our social

security system over the next 20 years.

Myth – Don’t Learn English and are Different than previous immigrants

Immigrants don't want to learn English or become Americans.

More than 75% of immigrants after 10 years speak English well

Today's immigrants are different than those of 100 years ago.

The percentage of the U.S. population that is foreign-born now stands at 11.5%; in the early 20th century it was 15%

Myth - Immigrants Export Money

Immigrants send their money back to their home countries.

In addition to the consumer spending of immigrants immigrants and their businesses contribute $162 billion in tax revenues

Immigrants remit billions of $$ a year to their home, this is one of the most targeted and effective forms of direct foreign investment.

Myth – Border and Immigrants

Most immigrants cross the border illegally. 75% of today's immigrants have legal permanent

visas; of the 25% that are undocumented, 40% overstayed temporary (non-immigrant) visas.

Weak U.S. border enforcement has led to high undocumented immigration.

1986 to 1998 the Border Patrol's budget up six-fold and the number of agents doubled to 8,500.

Also border toughened enforcement strategy, heavily fortified typical urban entry points

Myth -Terror and Immigration

The war on terrorism can be won through immigration restrictions.

No security expert since 9-11 has said that restrictive immigration measures would have prevented the terrorists

Most of the 9/11 hijackers were here on legal visas.

Overview

Following Historical Breakdown: Look at current societal impacts of

immigration both legal and illegal.AssimilationEconomicsBilingualismMulticulturalismNational Security

Open Immigration

Founding of the United States until 1880.

Immigration= Relatively Easy and Encouraged.

“Old-Wave” Immigrants primarily from Northwest Europe.

1789 Article 1, Section 8 grants Congress power “To Establish a Uniform Rule of Naturalization”

Open Immigration to 1890

Naturalization Act of 1790 – First official act.

Two-year residency requirement Revised in 1802 – Extended to five

years Became the Five-Year Residency Act

in 1813 1819 – Began documenting all

immigrants as the left their ship

Open Immigration to 1875

1848 - Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo – Citizenship to those remaining in Territory cede by Mexico

Two Waves: 1845-1854 and 1865-1875

First- Predominantly Irish and German

Second – Included British andScandinavian

Open Immigration to 1870

1862 – Homestead Act 1868 – Ratification of the 14th

Amendment 1870 – Citizenship granted to those

of African decent 1 million immigrants per year = 13%

foreign born Gave rise to fear and anxiety in

native-born

Slightly Open to 1920

Began in 1880 and lasted 1920

Rate of 1 million per year continued

Shift to South, Central and Eastern Europe

Know-Nothings and Ku Klux Klan led restrictionist attitude.

Slightly Open except Chinese

1882 – Chinese Exclusion Act – First piece of legislation aimed at a particular race or nationality.

Virtually stopped Chinese immigration

ten years. Reenacted in 1888, 1892 and 1904

Slightly Open, Still Restrictions

1885 – Foran Act – illegal to fund immigration of others.

1888 – Scott Act – extended Chinese Exclusion act ten years/ barred return.

1889 – Chae Chan Ping v. United States upheld Scott Act.

Slightly Open to 1920

1892 – Ellis Island 1894 – Bureau of Immigration 1898 – Wong Kim Ark v. United

States:Native born are eligible for nat.

even if parents are not. 1907 – Dillingham Commission: Led to the quota

acts of the 1920s

Tiny Door for Some

The “Pet-Door Era” – 1920-1965 Pro-restrictionist groups pushed for

quota acts: 1921, 1924, 1929 Immigration shifted back to

Northwest Europe. Era of restrictive legislation

Tiny Door More Quotas 1921 – 3% of pop. Of a country as of 1910

census.only 4 million entered from 1920-1930

1924 – Johnson-Reed Act – 2% of pop. Of a country as of 1890 census.

Brought about shift back to Northwest Europe

Barred most Asians – “aliens ineligible for citizenship”

1929 – proportion of pop. Or of each nationality for 1920 census.

Only 150,000 admitted.

Tiny Door for Women

1922 – Cable Act – women can become naturalized unless married to ineligible alien.

Labor Appropriations Act of 1924 Established the U.S. Border Patrol

Great Depression

Immigration slowed dramatically between 1929 and 1939

1940 – End of Depression – Congress passed Registration Law and Nationality Act

Required all citizens to register address

annually.Consolidated all naturalization policy

into one Act.

Tiny Door then Opening

1942 – Executive Order 9066 – Japanese Americans to relocation camps.

1943 – Hirabayashi v. United States upheld “military necessity”

1944 – Korematsu v. United States allowed for excluded zones

1952 – Immigration and Naturalization Act removed racial and national-origin barrier.

Open and Closed

Began with the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965

Replaced quota system with preference system

Immigration in the following decade was up 60%

Act was amended in 1966 to allow for more refugees

Open and Closed to some

1967 Afroyim v. Rusk – Dual Citizenship

1970s – concerns over immigrants entering illegally

5.4 million immigrants entered 1978 – Pres. Carter – Select

Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy

Recommended closing backdoor and opening front door.

Open and Closed

1980 Refugee Act 1986 – Immigration Reform and

Control Act (IRCA) Immigration Act of 1990 (IMMACT)

Culmination of IRCA and SCIRP 1993 - NAFTA

Open and Closed

California passed Proposition 187Claimed Illegal immigration was

a financial burden LULAC et al. v. Pete Wilson et al. –

declared 187 unconstitutional 1996 – Illegal Immigrant Reform and

Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA)

Slammed Shut

Began in 2001 as a result of 9/11 terrorist attacks

2001 – USA Patriot Act 2002 – INS is abolished and duties

granted to Department of Homeland Security

2005 – USA Patriot Act Improvements and Reauthorization Act

Current Immigration Issues Assimilation – Conflicting Values and Norms

Transnationalism – Back and Forth for well off immigrants

Economics: “Push-Pull”, “Equilibrium”, “Labor-Capital” “Family Migration”

Bilingualism “Litmus Test of English” unlike Europe

Multiculturalism – Canada encourages, US not so.

National Security – Post 911 strong

Assimilation

1st step – Naturalization process Pre-1970s – Strong pressures on

immigrants to assimilate into the culture

Large numbers – fear that immigrants would not form emotional attachment to new country

Assimilation

Assimilate by acquiring skills Naturalization – more job

opportunities Proponents: Immigrants have no

problem assimilating Age is greatest distinguishing factor

Economics

Pros:more workers create more wealth

provide basis for S. Security and Medicare

most still pay income and property taxes

benefit from brain-drain of other nations

Economics

Cons:Immigrant wages are decreasing

Create a strain on taxpayers and government

Tax burden in most states: couple hundred $/yr

Bilingualism

Economic and Ideological detriment Single language unifies incredible

diversity Multiple languages are inefficient Argument for: too many Americans

are illiterate anyway

Multiculturalism

Distinct Culture Groups Organizational and Conceptual

Borders Maintain ties to home country, thus

no true American identity Proponents: Proportion has remained

stable over the years

National Security

Major Concern recently – Became important in 1920s

7,000 miles of border Department of Homeland Security

Struggle until recentlyAdvances in transportation

securityCreative thinking to prevent

attacks

Summary and Review

Five Eras of Immigration: Open-Door, Door Ajar, Pet-Door, Revolving-Door, Storm-Door

Immigration: history of legislation Current Issues: Assimilation,

Economics, Bilingualism, Multiculturalism, and National Security