Immigration Reform In America

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Take back your tired, your poor, and your huddled masses! America was once known as the “melting pot” of the world, where any and all were welcomed. However, under the new pressures of a recession, a growing population, and the unemployment issue, many immigrants, both legal and illegal, are being turned away. Harsh, unequal immigration regulations undermine America’s founding principles and contribute to the tensions and discriminations that continue to occur regarding a citizen’s national origin. A standard, across-the-board policy would allow America to continue its “melting pot” legacy while maintaining a feasible economy for all. When the settlement of America began, people from England and Western Europe travelled to begin a new…show more content…
When World War I began in the early Twentieth Century, the U.S. tried to limit their involvement to prevent the conflict from coming to America. Even after the War had ended, tensions between the European nations were still very hot. Due to the European animosity, which had stemmed from the War, the Quota Act of 1921 was passed by Congress to limit the flow of immigrants from Europe. This Act grew into the well-known Immigration Act of 1924, also known as the Johnson–Reed Act. The legislation limited Northwestern Europe and Scandinavia to 142,483 people, and Southern and Eastern Europe to 18,439 people due to their involvement in the War. All other nations were limited to a mere 3,745 (History Matters). President Calvin Coolidge justified the Immigration Act of 1924 by stating that the tensions of WWI, which were still fresh in the minds of Europeans, could cause conflict in the U.S. For that reason, he thought that limiting the amount of immigrants from that area could reduce potential ethnic struggles between them in America. However, the limitations statistics simply did not back that statement up. When the Act did not keep enough unwanted immigrants from entry, the President decided to include a mandatory literacy test for immigrants 16 years or older. Yet, even the rigorous literacy tests did not keep enough new people from entering the U.S. To combat that, a provision was placed…show more content…
The first being the economic impact, followed by the dangers of illegal immigration and the threat of immigrants taking American jobs. To help ease those issues, the first solution to illegal immigration would be to cut the funding to the border control effort. Although this may seem highly contradictory, research has found that a majority of the illegal immigrants that have come to the U.S. have applied for some kind of legal documents. However, due to the almost 10 year lag in the application process, many felt as though they could not wait until it was legal. If funding was redirected in a way that would decrease the lag time, many immigrants would no longer have to sneak in to the U.S. (Sassen). The next part of a solution would include greater enforcement of the visas once they have been distributed. In the Border Study, the amount of immigrants and visitors to the U.S. from Mexico was analyzed. Their data can be found below, in Figure
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