FREE ESSAY ON IMMIGRATION

IMMIGRATION

Randy j 11/28/00
I wrote this paper to show what immigration is doing to america
America has, is, and will always be a nation of immigrants: the great melting pot. In the
years that have passed since Emma Lazarus' poem was inscribed on the Statue of Liberty
the golden door Americans have seen times when the door was open wide and times when it
was close shut to most immigrants (Sure 4). Many people look at the present immigration
problems as a purely modern dilemma. The truth is America has always struggled with the
issue of immigration, both legal and illegal. Changing times, however, makes it
imperative that our government reexamines and adjusts today's immigration laws to today's
standards. Those standards, however, are not easily defined. Too often the issue of
immigration is used as a political tool or is lost in heated moral debates (Sure 6). In
any discussion about immigration there will be those who claim it is good for our nation
and those who claim it is ruining the nation. 
Americans are now faced with a new dilemma; the nation must decide not whether it is
willing to accept new immigrants, but whether it can afford new immigrants (Briggs 240).
More often than not, the bottom line in any debate of this sort is money; will more or
less immigration mean more or less money for those already in America? All new
immigrants, both legal and illegal must be considered in this equation. Congress can
attempt to ease the burden of legal immigration by passing restrictive laws and only
allowing inside those who they believe will become self-sufficient. Congress must also
find a way to slow the flow of illegal immigration by enforcing the laws already in place
Mont 16). 
America most certainly has immigration problems, but eliminating immigration will not fix
them all together. In fact, America will never eliminate immigration, because no matter
how tightly the door is closed some illegal immigrants will get through (Marley 879).
Since America continues to be seen as a nation of prosperity, opportunity, and freedom
there will be those who wish to come to America. Immigrants have always come to America
looking for a better life and Americans are always forgetting that their forefathers were
once looking for that same life.
Throughout most of America's history immigration was seen as a natural process that
benefited the nation (Divine 2). There were no clearly defined policies on immigration
until the 1890's. During this time the country started questioning the economic benefits
of more immigrants. In May 1921, the first bill in American history dealing with
immigration was passed. This bill restricted European immigration and created the quota
system (Divine 5). The downward turn in the economy could justify this turn toward
restriction. Who could argue for more immigrants when the nation's own citizens could not
find work. The slowing economy and the spirit of intense nationalism in the United States
at this time made immigration a hot topic (Divine 23). After the depression hit, everyone
agreed that there was a need to limit immigration, of course the extent of those limits
was not easily agreed upon (Divine 77). 
World War II brought a new set of immigrants, and eventually the passing of the Displaced
Persons Act of 1947. This allowed people, displaced by war to enter the country above
quota limits (Divine 128). Since then our legislators have been faced with numerous
proposals concerning immigration, too many in fact to mention. Those proposals show a
definite shift in America's attitude toward immigration. Since the 1920's immigration has
not been seen as a natural process, but a process that could overwhelm a nation if left
unchecked (Divine 2).
In recent years the immigration policy has found itself in a state of flux going back and
forth between pro and anti immigration. The Immigration Act of 1990 is one of the more
current policies to regulate immigration. This policy set a flexible annual limit on
immigration at a rate of 700,000 immigrants per year until 1994 when the number dropped
to 675,000. This number of course does not include refugees and those seeking asylum
(Immigration . . . ). If these numbers seem, staggering one must take into account the
estimated 300,000 to 400,000 illegal immigrants added to the nations population each year
(Suro 8).
In the mid-90's there was a shift in America's immigration policy to close the doors and
end the current era of immigration (Suro 8). In President Clinton's 1995 State of the
Union Message he said: It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of
immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent
years, and we must do more to stop it. (Immigration . . . ). This attitude led to the
Immigration Enforcement Improvements Act of 1995, which was meant to secure our borders,
make deportation of illegal easier, and discourage the employment of illegal aliens
(Immigration . . . ). In essence this was a proposal to enforce the laws already in
place. This was a strong attempt by the government to limit illegal immigration while
facilitating legal immigration. Now, due to the lack of credible data, it is unclear if
this legislation worked. What is clear is the continuing struggle to find a balance in
the immigration system. In the past, immigration was somewhat balanced; a good economy
meant more immigrants and a slower economy saw a decrease in immigration (Amselle 60).
However, there are those who now feel the United States has absorbed all the people it
can (Amselle 60).
On the other hand, there are those like Joel Kotkin of the Progressive Policy Institute
who feel that the large numbers of immigrants are working age adults, that America needs
to offset the growing number of pensioners (Amselle 60). Even if the immigrant population
can offset the number of pensioners, the number of resources in the country will still be
divided among a much larger population. One must also take into account the number of
illegal immigrants added to the population. They will also be replacing those retiring
pensioners at a lower wage with no taxes or social security payments. America has a large
population of baby boomers and will need working-age persons to fill the void left by
their retirements, but there must be a limit to the number of immigrants we become
dependant upon and a dramatic decrease in illegal immigrants (Amselle 60).
America is experiencing a period of economic health, but history shows that this upward
economy will not last indefinitely. The working poor is concerned that illegal immigrants
may be holding down wages and taking the few unskilled jobs that are available (Kirschten
16). These are legitimate fears that call into question the government's ability to
regulate immigration. Tax paying citizens are also concerned that the tax dollars they
pay each year are being used to help educate illegal immigrants and not those who are
rightfully in this country (Amselle 60). When there is a large population of immigrants
in an area citizens tend to view them in a hostile manner because of the perceived notion
that illegal immigrants are using resource meant for legal residents (Bean 204).
The United States immigration policy does not allow people to immigrate if they are
expected to be dependant on public services. Yet in 1993 approximately 12% of the 5.9
million recipients of Supplemental Security Income benefits were immigrants, which
account for about 5% of the population (Mont 15). Statistics such as these add to the
growing anti-immigrant sentiment among American citizens. This anti-immigrant attitude
was clearly reflected in 1994 with the passing of California's Proposition 187 (Kirschten
16). Although Proposition 187 was aimed at curbing the health care cost of illegal
immigrants, most Americans simply see it as an immigrant issue and pay little attention
to details concerning the status of those immigrants actually receiving benefits. Actions
such as Proposition 187 can create a very hostile and possibly dangerous atmosphere for
all immigrants (Kirschten 16). 
The main concern with illegal immigration is the strain it can place upon the economy.
Illegal immigration is not only bad for the nation, but for the illegal immigrant as well
(Mont 16). Illegal workers have no recourse in the law makes them susceptible to
unscrupulous business people who will exploit them simply to make money. The supply of
illegal workers has created a part of the United States business economy that works
outside government regulations (Suro 34). Illegal immigrants face lower wages, unsafe
work environments, and a lack of benefits. This in turn keeps wages low and makes it
difficult for legal residents to get these jobs. Most employers are looking at the bottom
line and illegal immigrant workers mean fewer wages and benefits cost, which add up to
more profit. The government passed laws in 1986 making it unlawful to hire illegal
immigrants; then they failed to fund the enforcement of these same laws (Suro 32).
In reality illegal aliens make up less than 2% of the population, but what seems like an
insignificant number of people have had great impact on our nation (Suro 50). The irony
of the entire situation is that while the nation is calling for an end to illegal
immigration, no one is forcing illegal immigrants to leave (Suro 35). While illegal
aliens violate the law with their presence, we guarantee their children access to public
education and emergency medical care (Suro 35). This is just one example of the many
contradictions in America's immigration policies. 
These contradictions are what lead to the frustration many people feel toward a system
that is no longer in control. Many citizens, especially the working poor, feel that
illegal immigrants receive more benefits then they deserve. The reality of illegal
immigration is that it has been an increasingly difficult problem to solve. For three
decades now our government has been trying to find ways to alleviate the number of
illegal immigrants in the nation. One attempt was the Amnesty program in the mid-90's for
those who had been in the country since 1992 (Suro 40). However, this covered only about
60% of the illegal population and drew much debate from California. Which is ironic
seeing as how California is often at the forefront of the campaign against illegal
immigration (Suro 40). Illegal immigration has become a familiar part of American society
and will not likely see much improvement in the next millennium.
Our government has tried to curb the flow of illegal immigrants with such actions as the
North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA], which is expected to reduce illegal
migration from Mexico (U.S. Immigration . . . 5). The problem is the timing of such
policies; NAFTA is expected to work only after a decade in which Mexico can produce the
jobs needed. The INS also reported that by the year 2000, the population of prime labor
age in America would drop by 8.5 million (U.S. Immigation. . . 5). That is a large loss
of labor and can only be offset by the immigrant population. The key is to make sure that
the legal immigrant population offsets this decrease. That is what the government
attempted to do with the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of
1996 (Marley 880). The intent was to cut back on crime, terrorism, and welfare fraud.
However, they fell short of their intent because the inadvertently clumped all immigrants
together, both legal and illegal (Marley 885). 
America will continue to allow immigrants to enter the country for numerous reasons; such
as those who take up a common cause against a foreign foe, as a gesture of shame after
some foreign debacle, for economic reasons, and for purely humanitarian purposes (United
States). Recently we saw our government agree to accept 20,000 Kosovar refugees, and
financially help with 20,000 more in Albania (United States). Now 20,000 is a tiny
gesture in the big picture, but in a world of crises how often can our government afford
such gestures. Can America continue to play the role of the last true hope for the
huddled masses of the world? 
In the past, Americans were proud to be that one shining hope in the world. They were
willing to accept the tired and poor, but America has changed and immigration must change
also. To those in underdeveloped countries the Statue of Liberty and her invitation to a
better life must be hard to resist. What they do not see is what lies beyond her golden
torch, a country teeming with people in fierce competition for that elusive dream of a
better life. The days of give me your tired, your poor may have to end, but our door
should always be open to those longing to work toward a better tomorrow in a land of
freedom.
Bibliography
Works Cited 
Amselle, Jorge. Immigrants: Helping or Harming the U.S.?. The World & I 10 (1995): 60. 
Bean, Frank D., Barry Edmonston, and Jefferey S. Passel. Undocumented Migration to the
United States:IRCA and the Experience of the 1980's.Washington: The Urban Institute
Press, 1990.
Briggs, Vernon M., Jr. Mass Immigration and the National Interest. 2nd ed. Armonk:
Sharpe, 1996. 
Divine, Robert A. American Immigration Policy, 1924-1952. New Haven: Yale University
Press, 1957.
Immigration Enforcement Improvements Act of 1995:FAct Sheet. 'Lectric Law Library. 9 Nov.
1999 *http://lectlaw.com/files/imm05.htm*
Kirschten, Dick. Supply and Demand. Government Executive 31 (May 1999): 16. 
Marley, Bruce Robert. Exiling the new felons:The consequences of the retroactive
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Mont, Daniel. Welfare and Immigrants. Migration World 6 (1996): 8-20. 
Suro, Robert. Watching America's Door: The Immigration Backlash and the New Policy
Debate. New York: The Twentieth Century Fund Press, 1996: 4-40
United States; The Next Masses. Economist 1 May 1999: 26-28. 
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Strategic Plan: Toward INS 2000: Accepting
the Challenge.