IMMIGRATION

Christopher Castleton, Christopher Neily, Maria Camila Vargas.

The Role of ImmigrantsThe United States has been a country of immigrants since the first British pilgrims settled at Plymouth Rock. Seeking

for freedom of religion, shelter, and new opportunities. They have contributed by:

Founding the Colonies.Assisted in settling and physically connecting continental

USA, from coast to coast.Diversifying the culture of America.Providing a workforce for companies, factories,

construction, farms, ranches, child care, and many other sectors an industrialized nation requires.

Influencing the formation of modern legislation.Helping push for Language Conversion Programs in the

public education system.

Historical Time-LineDespite a constant influx of immigrants from many nations, this represents the ethnicities that were most prevalent in migration

during the specified years:1600-1700’s English and

Africans1830’s Germans and Irish1860’s Canadians1870’s Chinese, Danes,

and Swedes1880’s Italians and

Russians1890’s Hungarians and

Polish1900’s Japanese

1910’s Greeks and Mexicans

1920’s Puerto Ricans1960’s Cubans and

Philipinos1970’s Dominicans,

Indians, Vietnamese, Koreans, Cambodians, Iranians, and Philipinos

1980’s Mexicans

Significant Immigration Acts The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882: Restricted

immigration of Chinese workers and addressed concerns about racial purity.

The Quota System in 1921: Set a quota to allow a certain number of immigrants from a specific nationality and restricted the total number of immigrants depending on the population within the United States.

Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965: Abolished an earlier quota system based on national origin and established a new immigration policy based on reuniting immigrant families and attracting skilled laborers to the United States.

It is important to recognize that United States can be benefited from the immigrants if it takes a different approach about those immigrants who can make significant contributions to the country. Thus, the writer Darrell M. West suggests that immigration could be “a way to enhance innovation and competitiveness” by• Keeping new immigrants that can bring to the nation

“brain gain.”• Targeting VISAS• Following the examples of countries such as Australia,

Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

• Balancing the immigration of family groups.

The Darell. M West approach-The Einstein principle

Diana Trujillo“Curiosity” Mars Exploration

Colombia

Alfonso Cuarón OrozcoFilm director

Mexico

Franklin Chang DíazMechanical Engineer, physicist,

and former NASA astronaut.Costa Rica

Isabel AllendeWriter Chile

Famous Hispanics in America

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTSLegal immigrants like international students

contribute to the economy of the United States. The 886,052 international students and their

families at universities and colleges across the country supported 340,000 jobs and contributed $26.8 billion to the U.S. economy (NAFSA).

International students, who work, pay taxes.The diversity among the students offers a new

perspective about the world.There are many international students that enroll

in STEM fields.

Facts about ImmigrationOver 300,000

immigrants come into this country undocumented every year.

Most Americans agree that immigration policy has failed to keep up with changing circumstances.

Anti-Immigrant Sentiments

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROBLEMS

RELIGION

LANGUAGES

• In Los Angeles, 95 percent of all outstanding warrants for homicide target illegal aliens, as do approximately two-thirds of all fugitive felony warrants.

• More  than 60 percent of the Hispanic gangs in Southern California—whose membership  is in the tens of thousands—is illegal. These gangs involved with drug-distribution schemes, extortion, drive-by assassinations, assaults, and robberies. 

• Fiscal costs alone for immigrants puts us in 10 billion or more dollars worth of a debt a year.

• Over 60 % of immigrants lack a high school diploma

• Over 1 million crimes are committed each year by illegal immigrants

NEED TO KNOW…

Immigration by State

• Legalizing 11 million people will result in them bringing their family members and a potential for 30 million new arrivals.

• Americans do want jobs! The argument is only there to help immigration stay alive.

• Americans would do the job but they cannot compete with how low the immigrants will be paid.

• We have guest worker programs that don’t work, why bring on more?

• It continually hurts the welfare program and our tax dollars.• The immigration plan will vindicate those who have broken the

law.• It won’t stop the gang members from coming over, it will make

it easier for them to get here.• We can barely take care of our Veterans and homeless. How

can we take care of anyone else ?• Illegal immigrants get to vote in elections, which in turn takes

away American favor and turns it into their own.

WHY IS IT A PROBLEM

PRESENT DAY REFORMS In the year 2000, the Legal

Immigration Family Equity (LIFE) Act was passed, which allowed immigrants to obtain permanent residency more easily and allowed their families to obtain a V visa to enter the United States.

In 2010, Pres. Obama passed the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) act, providing a way for young, undocumented individuals to gain citizenship.

Pres. Obama’s Executive ActionOn Nov. 20, 2014, Pres. Obama took Executive Action on Immigration Reform, claiming Congress was acting too slow.

This action cracks down on border immigration, focuses on deporting felons instead of families, and requires undocumented immigrants to pass a background check and pay taxes. By passing these procedures though, immigrants have temporary stay without fear of deportation.http://www.uscis.gov/immigrationaction

Early in 2015, Pres. Obama sent the mandate to all the states, bypassing certain regulations.

Because of the hastiness and measures taken, many regional courts, organizations, and civilians are making attempts to undermine the implementation of the action.

Daniel Garza, the Executive Director of the LIBRE Initiative, commented "We appreciate the intent of the executive action but its hard to swallow the precedent that Obama is setting. Twenty-five states have sued. While the executive action benefits undocumented immigrants, it's not aligned with the constitution. In the long run it's going to create confusion and be detrimental to the political legal processes of the U.S.”

Even now, Republican Congress is trying to pass a bill which utilizes the Department of Homeland Security to repeal the executive action – which, in itself, as also cause turmoil throughout the Union. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pablo-manriquez/new-poll-shows-americans-_b_6819056.html

EFFECTS OF THE REFORMSSince these reforms have

been put into effect, many immigrants have joined the workforce of America – from high tech careers to cattle ranchers and plumbers.

Young migrants have been able to integrate themselves easily into society through DACA (see chart).

Family based visas account for nearly 2/3 permanent visas, and now many have also been reunited with family.

Effects of DACA

http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/how-daca-impacting-lives-those-who-are-now-dacamented

Touching Closer to HomeMany of us have family members or friends who were or are immigrants to the U.S.

Do we want to see them deported or ridiculed because they were born in a

different country?

Chris Castleton and Siblings

Camila Vargas’ Family

Chris and his kids

• Slow decline in illegals• Other races grew slightly although Mexicans were down• 6 states alone account for 60% of illegal immigrants

A Current Debate

Keep families togetherCheck background for criminal

activity, if there is none, grant a work visa.

Promote shared gains for both parties

Form new policies that help and not hurt those in need.

Build an immigration system that serves the needs of the American families and businesses.

• Reduce the amount of time it takes to get a visa

• Help more individuals get work permits to help the economy

• Documented workers provide more taxes paid

• Higher skilled workers help benefit the lower skilled workers

A new plan which was approved by the House Judiciary Committee in March of this year was the Comprehensive Mass Deportation Plan – Making anyone who is illegal or has overstayed their visa limit a target for deportation. It also makes the states responsible for finding and deporting illegals, plus the Federal Gov. would coerce the States to fulfill certain deportation quotas.http://immigrationimpact.com/2015/03/19/house-judiciary-committee-signs-off-on-comprehensive-mass-deportation-plan/

POTENTIAL REFORMSA new reform could benefit the American economy and the workforce.

Use social media to help recognize this concern.Protect those that are here making an honest

living and contributing to society.Hire legal immigrantsHelp those in need find a good job and provide

for their familyRealize that immigrants on average, raise living

standards for American citizens rather than lower.

Realize that this country was formed through immigration

Set aside fiction/beliefs and do your own research about how immigrants help the American economy

WHAT WE SHOULD DO?

THANK YOUGRACIAS

OBRIGADO/A

Cited SourcesMain Sources http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/11/20/a-history-of-immigration-reform http://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/us-immigration-policy-program/CIR  www.fairus.org http://borderbattles.ssrc.org/Hirschman/printable.html https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/explainers/why-does-us-need-immigration-reform http://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/immigration-reform-border-security https://progressive.org/news/2013/07/183149/what-real-immigration-reform-would-look https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration http://cis.org/OpedsandArticles/David-Seminara-Legalizing-illegal-immigrants-a-bad-idea http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.asp?id=196 Illegal Immigration: Costs,

Crimes, & Related Problems

Other Resources http://immigrationimpact.com/2015/03/19/house-judiciary-committee-signs-off-on-comprehensive-

mass-deportation-plan/ Comprehensive Mass Deportation Plan http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/24/5-facts-about-illegal-immigration-in-the-u-s/ http://www.uscis.gov/immigrationaction Executive Actions on Immigration http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/how-daca-impacting-lives-those-who-are-now-

dacamented DACA Chart Fiorina, M., Peterson, P., Mayer, W., & Johnson, B. (2011). America's new democracy (6th ed.). New

York, New York: Pearson/Longman. West, D. M., & Brookings Institution. (2010). Brain gain: Rethinking U.S. immigration policy.

Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution Press. http://www.immigrationcounters.com/ http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/17/politics/texas-obama-immigration-injunction/ and http

://www.huffingtonpost.com/pablo-manriquez/new-poll-shows-americans-_b_6819056.html for reports on the Executive Action