Immigration - Amnesty May 1, 2010

IMMIGRATIONNeed for Reform

Semester Project

By: Kym Nuñez

Immigrant Life• Immigration History• Immigration Changes• Immigration Current Concerns


Immigration Issues• Moral Treatment• Humane Treatment• Amnesty Necessity

Conclusion & Recommendations

Introduction


Immigration Since 1607 – Jamestown VAImmigration Methods:

• 1st: Colonization• 2nd: Arrive en mass via Ellis Island (and other ports)

• 3rd: Planes, Trains, Automobiles• 4th: Walking

Immigrant Life - History


Immigrant Life - Changes

Immigration Unrestricted 1607 – 1882• 4 out of 5 people in New York City, in 1890, were immigrants

Earliest Immigration Restrictions:• 1st Anti-Immigrant Law: Exclusion Act of 1882• 2nd Anti-Immigrant Law : Foran Act of 1885

Thousands of Immigrant Laws to Date


Immigrant Life – Changes (cont’d)

Early Immigration Surges (per year)• 1880: 800,00 Immigrants

Primarily Northern & Western Europeans

• 1905: 1,285,000 Immigrants• 1910: 1,200,000 Immigrants

Primarily Southern & Eastern Europeans **By 1910, 6 million passed through Ellis Island

• 1925: 700,000 Immigrants Primarily Asians & North & South Americans



Early Immigration Surges (per year)• 1930: 400,00 Immigrants

Primarily Asians & North & South Americans

• 1942-47: 360,000 Immigrants Primarily Mexican Farm Laborers

• 1955: 400,000 Immigrants Primarily Asians & North & South Americans


Immigrant Life - Changes (cont’d)

Immigration Population Surges

Immigrant Surges

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Importing Temporary Mexican Labor During Wartime• 1942: Bracero Program

US/Mexico cheap agribusiness labor contracts during WW2 while American men at war in Europe/Asia

• 1943: Railroad Program US/Mexico cheap labor contracts during WW2 while American men at

war in Europe/Asia

• 1950: Public Law 78 US/Mexico cheap agribusiness & labor contracts during Korean War

while American men at war in Asia



Imported/Deported Labor • The temporary wartime US/Mexican labor contracts:

Contracts brought many laborers and residents Contracts renewed regularly until 1964

• “Operation Wetback,” 1953-1955, the USA’s round-up program, deported 2 million Mexicans as well as Mexican Americans (US citizens, and their children) back to Mexico – the beginning of the dispensable & disposable labor/people notion


Immigrant Life – Current Concerns

Immigrants – As of 2009:• About 36 million immigrants in the US

• About 12 million illegal immigrants in the US About 70% Latino (Mexico, Central & South America) About 10% Asian (China, Philippines, India) About .5% Canadians

• About 500,000 illegal entries into the US annually


Immigrant Life – Current Concerns (cont’d)

Immigration – As of 2009:• Controlled by Department of Homeland Security

Dept. (DHS) created by 9/11 attacksCombined old departments, added new aspects

• ICE – US Immigration & Customs Enforcement Established by Homeland Security Act of 2002 Combined Customs and INS ICE enforces the laws of DHS Responsible for tracking, capturing and deporting



Immigration – As of 2009:• ICE – US Immigration & Customs Enforcement

Maintains a log of Visa requests for family members of immigrants or citizens

Currently has a backlog of family Visa requests Investigates the borders of the US Conducts employer investigations for illegal workers Raids employers business in search of illegal workers



Immigration – Illegal Immigration 101, as of 2009:

• How to Become an Illegal Immigrant

1) Enter the US without authorization or inspection 2) Stay beyond authorized period on Visa 3) Violate the terms of legal entry


Immigration Issues – Moral Treatment

Immigration – Hate Environment for Latino Immigrants• Conservative and liberal media use prejudice, dehumanizing and

animal-like traits to describe Latino immigrants:

1) “Threatening army of invaders” 2) “The greatest invasion in history” 3) “Swarms” 4) “Hordes”


Immigration Issues – Moral Treatment (cont’d)



5) “Animal-Like” 6) “Will rip apart and subvert American values” 7) “Not American and not decent” 8) “Less Deserving”





9) “Instill a threat to American’s basic well being” 10) “Spread communicable diseases” 11) “Take back prior Mexican territory from the US and give it

to the government of Mexico”



Immigration – Hate Environment for Latino Immigrants• Rebuttals for Latino immigrants:

Latinos are not animals, stop using those descriptions Latinos have strong family values Immigrants are deserving, our families were immigrants 1/2 the Latino immigrant population is actually from at least 30 other

Latino countries, other than Mexico



Immigration – Hate Environment for Latino Immigrants• Rebuttals for Latino immigrants:

Only 1/2 the Latino immigrant population is actually Mexican All Latino immigrants are not mercenary soldiers secretly fighting

with Mexican immigrants to take US territory back to Mexico It is impossible to determine citizenship by appearance

2 people from the same neighborhood in Guatemala live in the US, 1 legal, 1 not, can you identify the citizen by appearance?


Immigration Issues – Humane Treatment

Immigration – In-humane Treatment by ICE• ICE outsources building and maintenance of facilities to house

overflow of detainees for deportation Impossible for family communication Lower standard of care than a state or federal jail or other ICE facility

• ICE provides poor medical attention for sick or injured detainees 107 deaths in ICE detention only since 2003

• ICE separates illegal immigrant parents from citizen children through by deportation (after raids, etc.)


Immigration Issues – Amnesty Necessity

Immigration – Amnesty • Many Immigrants migrate to the US for opportunity

US government & companies created this environment

• Many US companies provide immigrants with jobs US companies save money US companies still need cost savings US companies pay lower wages


Immigration Issues – Amnesty Necessity (cont’d)

Immigration – Amnesty

• Many illegal immigrants Pay sales taxes wherever they are Pay income taxes & Social Security that is unclaimed Contribute to economy through living and spending here Contribute to local communities


Immigration Issues – Amnesty Necessity (cont’d)

Immigration – Amnesty - Help• Improve Borders & provide Fast-Track to citizenship

Invest in real border security, technology, etc. Require all immigrants register into system Provide ID cards with fingerprints, etc. Toughen the consequences for employers hiring new immigrants Require immigrants pay a $5000 to $10,000 fine (installments?) Require English classes and standardized competency tests Allow those registered and paid legal & Visa opportunities Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act 2009 addresses all above


Conclusion & Recommendation

Immigration• Immigration History - Occurring since 1607

Addresses all types of labor shortages Continues to build and blend the melting pot of the US Creates and improves the economy through spending/living

• Allow Amnesty program for all current immigrants Require all immigrants register into system, take English classes Provide ID cards with fingerprints, etc. Require immigrants pay a fine Allow those registered and paid legal & Visa opportunities


Conclusion & Recommendation (cont’d)

Immigration• Immigration – Humane and Moral Treatment

Do not use secret facilities Improve level of care for detainees Stop separating families

• Allow Amnesty program for all current immigrants Require all immigrants register into system, take English classes Provide ID cards with fingerprints, etc. Require immigrants pay a fine Allow those registered and paid legal & Visa opportunities

ADL (Eds.). (2008). Immigrants Targeted: extremist rhetoric moves into the mainstream. Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved from http://www.adl.org/

Bernstein, N. (2010). Officials hid the truth about immigration deaths in jail. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/us/10detain.html.

Edmonston and Smith. The new Americans: economic, demographic, and fiscal effects of immigration. National Academy Press.

Garraty, J.A., (1966). The American nation; a history of the United States. New York, NY: Harper & Row Publishers, Inc.

Jacobson, M. & Sollors, W. (Eds.). (2007). Immigration and American popular culture: nation of newcomers; immigrant history as American history. New York, NY: New York University Press.

NCLR (Eds.). (2010). Fact sheet. National Council of La Raza. Retrieved from http://www.nclr.org.

PHC (Eds.). (2005). Estimates of the size and characteristics of the undocumented population – full report. Pew Hispanic Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewhispanic.org/files/reports/61.pdf.

Preston, J. (Ed.). (2007). Immigration quandary: a mother torn from her baby. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/17/us/17citizen.html?ei=5088&en=995bf8e6cb90c8de&ex=1352955600&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1195326374-2mUVluDap1JR/s2ibNmOzA.

Stevens, J. (2010). America’s secret ICE castles. The Nation. New York, NY. Retrieved from http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100104/stevens.


Works Cited


Thank You

Questions?

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Immigration - Amnesty May 1, 2010