Complexity of the US Immigration Policy - Essay Example

? Argumentative essay on the US immigration policy Argumentative essay on the US immigration policy Complexity of the immigration policy: United State of America is one of those countries whose embassies are always filled with queues of people waiting to make their way to America. The United States of America has its immigration office filled with request of those people who wish to settle there. Despite this the current economic scenario, relations with various countries of the world, and the impact of terrorism on the world and it effects have revolutionized the countries policies set for immigration. These prevailing problems have caused the stakeholders to pass on rules, regulations and legislations that are responsible for the opening and shutting of borders as a reaction to the recent scenario. (WEST, 2010)Since a long period of time it has been an area which requires constant struggle as it has affected the way this country functions. The US immigration policy although not being a major area of concern for the government is still a major concern in order to sustain the sovereignty of the nation. The immigration policy set by the United States of America is very tangled. Basically the standards set by the government mainly comprise of uniting families, usually a number is set through which people are allowed to settle their families in America. Secondly, their policies allowthem to accommodate such people who can prove beneficial for their economy and finally migration of refugees. Issues concerning the immigration policy: The US immigration policy has been a victim of constant criticism by the public due to various reasons. One of the major reason so as to why the immigration policy is being criticized that after Obama's government it was expected that the rate of the illegal immigrants will reduce and they would be deported back to their respectable state but so far the government has not been successful in doing so. This way the rights of those immigrants who are lawfully residing in USA their rights are being sabotaged. Another issue that is basically my prime area of concern is the behavior our immigration officials and the immigration policy of the United States have with people belonging to Pakistan or merely Muslims. After the massacre that happened on 9th September in America, the US government has completely changed their attitudes towards the Muslims dwelling in USA or the ones who apply for immigration have to undergo a process which is quite unjust for all. Muslims all over the world who intend to migrate to USA face utter humiliation and a strict process which in other cases or for other communities is quite flexible. Personal experience: I would like to mention here a personal experience of my neighbors who belong to the Muslim community and are a very respectable family whom we have great terms with. The man being a doctor serving our economy who had respectably completed all the procedure and paper work called his family from Pakistan to America. The family as soon as they reached here was captivated by the immigration officers like they were a bunch of criminals who made their way to bombard America. The family who had taken off from Pakistan comprised of the doctor's wife Shireen khan, two sons namely Mohammad Ali and Abdullah Khan. When they reached the United States of America and were waiting to get their passports stamped they were being criticized by the officials for being Pakistanis and Muslims moreover. Hence after getting her passport stamped Mrs. Khan forwarded her sons passport whose name was pretty scary for the officials. They handed over the 12 year old child to the officials for further investigation as he had the name Mohammad attached which somehow made him an agent of some terrorist organization for them. Mrs. Shireen Khan being a typical Pakistani mother got extremely panicked when she saw her child being separated from her and being treated like a criminal. Around four hours had passed and Mrs. Khan was all tears now worrying about what her child must be going through. Finally Mohammad Ali was released and was going through a disturbed mental state. The poor child who had come to America with various anticipations and dreams was interrogated like he was some criminal. Questions like if he had any contact with Osama Bin Laden? Had he come her to perform any criminal activity? Was he a Taliban agent? Etc. was bombarded on the innocent child who had no idea about what was happening to him. After they were done interrogating and figured out he had no such association with any terrorist group they were asked to leave. This left a permanent impact on the mind of the child making him ashamed of his identity and shattering his confidence all over. This story left me pretty confused because at one point we talk about equality and equal justice for all giving every citizen freedom of speech, thought and religion but in this case I cannot see any of them. The immigration policy which promotes such behavior is not only denting the sovereignty of the individual but also harming the sovereignty of the nation. Conclusion: Thus in a nutshell there are many faults that are affiliated to the US immigration system are present and the ongoing process to overcome these issues and bring positive reforms to this system is being done. These reforms are in benefit for the state as well as to provide convenience as well as ease to all those undergoing the process of immigration. Although steps are being taken in order to make it easier and friendly but nothing is being done or Iess is being done in order to bring about a change in the attitude of the officials and reforms need to be made so that the integrity of the people as well as the country they belong to remains intact. I believe that if the officials and the people in authority pay a little attention to this matter then innocent immigrants will not have to suffer. Time Table 1790 A rule of 2 years of residency established by the congress before giving citizenship to immigrants 1798 Policy changed the law of 2 years of residency to 14 years and immigrants considered dangerous for the state could be deported according to the new amendment 1864 Allowing of foreign labors 1868 The 14th amendment allowed African Americans to gain the citizenship of America 1882 Chinese immigrants barred to gain citizenship and no Chinese immigrant allowed for the next decade 1891 Establishment of Bureau of Immigration 1902 Renewal of the act which further barred Chinese immigrants for an indefinite period of time 1917 Barring of immigrants from Asia and introduction of literacy test for immigrants 1922 The results of WW1 made Japanese immigrants ineligible for citizenship 1940 Registration of all foreigners started 1952 National Immigration Act 1980 The refugee Act 2001 The Patriotic Act after the attacks of 9/11 WORKS CITED West, D. M., & Brookings Institution. (2010). Brain gain: Rethinking U.S. immigration policy. Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution Press. Read More