Immigration in the United States has ignited debate for as long as it has existed. The RAISE Act is the product of a history that put a greater value on highly skilled immigrants who benefit American economy than traditional American ideals of acceptance and hospitality. Whether prioritizing economic gain or cultural development, the RAISE Act demonstrates how opposing sides develop arguments founded solely on what they deem deserving of primacy. The United States boasts of being a tolerant magnet for immigration; however, immigration in the United States has a history of being controlled by those in power to limit and prioritize who has the right of becoming a citizen. The Naturalization Act of 1790 was one of the first pieces of legislation …show more content…
Against the resulting increase of immigrants from the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, proponents of the RAISE Act support the merit-based program as it puts importance on an individual’s skills as well as limiting the overall number of immigrants. According to Reihan Salam of the National Review, the limiting of family-based immigration that the RAISE Act provides would drastically reduce “chain migration,” in which one immigrant sponsors a relative and so on, creating an increasing population that supports high immigration levels. Supporting his point, Salam cites Princeton sociologist Marta Tienda, who found that from 300,000 Asian immigrants arriving between 1996 and 2000, 1.2 million relatives had been sponsored. In addition to the worry of a decreasingly prevalent, mono-cultural society, proponents of the RAISE Act simply do not see an economic benefit from the majority of immigrants. As Daniel Horowitz, senior editor of the Conservative Review, cites from Pew, 18 percent of immigrants in 1970 lived below the poverty line, compared to 28 percent currently. Horowitz also mentions that percentages of nonimmigrants under the poverty line has remained between 13 and 15 percent. In the National Review, Salam cites economist at the Harvard Kennedy …show more content…
In an interview with Boston University School of Law, Sara Sherman-Stokes, clinical instructor and associate director of the Immigrants’ Rights & Human Trafficking Program, expressed concern for refugees under the RAISE Act, which would only welcome 50,000 annually. In context, 84,995 refugees were admitted into the United States in 2016. Sherman-Stokes comments that a limit on refugee admission reduces the flexibility needed in the current global situation. Raul A. Reyes of NBC News writes that the RAISE Act favors white and English-speaking immigrants and makes it much harder for Latin Americans, Asians, and Africans to come legally. He also remarks on how a system only based on merit excludes immigrants without opportunity to achieve skills in their native country. The system would reject immigrants with the desire to work hard but do not have certain qualifications. To support his point, Reyes cites the entrepreneurs of Google and Yahoo, who both came from underprivileged immigrant families. If the RAISE Act were to pass, not only would the United States’ ideology of providing support be lost, but so too would potential talent. Issie Lapowsky, senior writer for WIRED, describes this in a way that relates to the tech industry. While the
In 1924 US congress passed the Johnson-Reed act. This act reduced the amount of immigrants coming to the US from any other country to a mere 2%. Many thought this act was unjust and consequently, “un-american”. One man, Robert H. Clancy, a Republican congressman from Detroit, stood up for those being oppressed by this act. Mr. Clancy states his points in the 1924 speech “An “Un-American Bill” through the use of diction, a myriad of anecdotes, and a motley of pathos.
In “We Need the Diversity Visa Lottery” by Machmud Makhmudov, the author explored the necessity for the State Department’s diversity lottery visa program. Makhmudov generally spoke about how the eradication of the visa lottery program would be detrimental for immigrants around the world and for United States relations. Makhmudov utilized specific rhetorical devices to convince his audience and inspire empathy. Personal anecdotes thus compiled the op-ed piece. Makhmudov began by descriptively describing the years of his youth where he mostly noticed the impact of his immigrant background.
Historically, immigration has been a prevalent concern in the United States, impacting the stratification and disparities we see within our social institutions today. Despite our nation’s legacy of immigration, contemporary immigration and its policy reveal the barriers and challenges that have been placed by existing inequalities in America, inevitably shaping a culture of exclusion and assimilation. One way to illustrate is to consider the documentary film 9500 Liberty shot in Prince William County, Virginia during a large population growth in 2007. The documentary exposes racial tensions as Prince William County implements an illegal immigration enforcement policy which required police officers to inquire about the citizenship or immigration
For a solution, we need to change the fundamental way employers like Walmart and McDonald’s do business. He would also say that in addition to raising minimum wage we need to have all kinds of social programs to prop-up the low-wage workers. We need a “strong economy and a tight job market” (34). 2. After I read writer A (Surowiecki), I thought . . .
In the article, How the Supreme Court Immigration Decision Hurts All of Us by Roberto G. Gonzales, an assistant professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education (2016), the genre is an article, argues that America should get an immigration reform to bring immigrants and families out to the public and to show connections and economic contributions to make America stronger. Our country (America) is made of many cultures the only country that’s made that way. Our country everyone has rights and freedom, we are all equal but some more equal than others because that’s just how society is. Gonzales supports his argument by giving examples of beneficiaries that had a positive impact in their lives, able to get good paying jobs, credit cards, driver
America is characterized as a country of endless opportunities and freedom. People risk their lives to escape their countries to come to this diversified and wondrous nation to have a desirable quality of life. However, foreigners face a possible likelihood of being unable to escape poverty due to their immigration status and the disadvantage of lacking educational accomplishments. Numerous Americans have become outraged over time due to the decreased employment opportunities and have placed their blame towards noncitizens. Due to the vast majority of these aliens belonging to Mexico, the racial assumption continues to be directed towards Mexicans when referring to immigrants.
The problem can be solved if this country changes to the merit-system, like Canada, to collect talented people from all over the world. The article demonstrates the problem of discrimination against immigrants of color, which has been happening in the United States for a long time. It is hard for the immigrants of color to become employees and find a job. Thomas found the job in her field and improved her
In the editorial Merit Based Immigration Sounds Nice, But Who Deserves the Most Merit, John Carson asserts that the concept of merit based immigration, while justified, has several areas that need clearer guidelines. The author begins by giving unbiased background information on the issue, and why this merit is an arbitrary subject. Moving forward, Carson illustrates how from the founding of the nation, “merit [has been used] to justify inequality,” (Carson). In his passage the author, continuously displays the ways merit can be used in favor of certain groups, and how those in power later choose to extend human rights to. John Carson, believes that since the founding of the nation, “merit is employed as a way of unequal doling out limited resources,” (Carson).
When most people hear the words “illegal immigrant”, they think of bad people coming across the border to the United States and creating problems. Whether it’s from transporting drugs or taking a lot of job positions. What most people don’t think about is that some of those illegal immigrants that come into the United States are coming to have a better life. They want to have a fresh start and work their way up. A lot of those immigrants come to the US at a young age which leads us into the idea of the Dream Act.
Immigration has been a part of many native-born American pasts. Whether first generation or fifth generation, most people in the United States have ties to immigration. Immigration can provide a multitude of benefits to a country including: more diverse culture, new foods, more workers, and more academic scholars. Immigration can provide families, and individuals, the ability to take their aspirations and make them come true. However, with vast immigration comes great responsibility.
One of the biggest controversies in the United States today is immigration. This is a huge topic in the country today because there is numerous people on both sides of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform that present great evidence about it. This reform is impacting millions of immigrants that are working and living in the Unites States today, but it also affects the people that are citizens of the United States. In this paper I am going to present arguments from both sides of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform, then come to a conclusion on which side I choose to place my opinion. There are a lot of worthy things that this reform is going to accomplish for immigrants in the United States.
Throughout the last twenty years, the United States government has failed to establish equitable and lasting immigration reform. Different attempts such as the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals established in 2012 serve as examples of incapability to grant true reform to undocumented communities. This infectivity is a cause of polarized congressional leadership. Both sides argue for their personal views rather than alleviating the status of many migrant communities. The inadequateness of immigration reform can be explored through several aspects.
Annotated Bibliography Beadle, Amanda Peterson. " Top 10 Reasons Why The U.S. Needs Comprehensive Immigration Reform." ThinkProgress. © 2016 - Center for American Progress, 10 Dec. 2012.
Drawing on course readings and outside sources, I argue that Bill C-24 serves to control the immigrant population by introducing the knowledge and language requirements and citizenship
In times such as now, immigration policy is a topic of controversial and emotional discussion. The key in having educational, progressive, and prosperous conversations is understanding the theoretical foundations behind the argument that a person stands for or believes in. Having factual evidence to support ideas on concepts such as: the opportunities that immigrants bring to a country, what the international rules actually are that govern the entry and exit of people from one country to another, and the causes, trends, and consequences of international immigration. Finding reason and support for these claims can take the discussion behind immigration policy from one of heated and emotional argument to one of educational and beneficial conversation.