Policy of Selective Immigration - Essay Example

IMMIGRATION Introduction: According to Purcell, (p.xii), all Americans are immigrants or descendants of immigrants. Everyone who has lived in America came from some other place. Even the “Native Americans” who greeted the first European settlers in the late 16th and early 17th centuries were descended from people who had immigrated by foot from Asia, many thousands of years earlier. Most of the immigrants were people seeking a change; they were unhappy or uncomfortable or threatened, and they thought America offered a better life for themselves and their children. The U.S. has never been the melting pot that was expected. Instead, immigrant ethnic groups have maintained their unique identities for generation after generation. The immigrant heritage has worked itself into the basic fabric of American life. The cycle of anti-immigrant feelings and politics seems closely tied to economic issues: when the nation needs laborers, immigrants of all kinds are welcomed, when jobs are scarce, immigrants are excluded. (Purcell, p.xii). In “Unchecked Immigration” what is Peter Brimelow’s claim, and what solutions does he propose? Using secondary sources to advance your argument, state whether you agree or disagree with Brimelow’s claim and solutions. According to Peter Brimelow, in the article Unchecked Immigration, the 1965 Immigration Act triggered an influx of historically high proportions, particularly compared to current U.S. birth rates. If the present trends continue, the U.S. population will reach 390 million by 2050. More than a third of the population would be post-1970 immigrants and their descendants. Because the 1965 Act arbitrarily choked off immigration from Europe, this influx has been almost completely from the third world. As recently as 1960, whites who were 90% of the population, by 2050 will be on the verge of becoming a minority. A demographic transformation such as this is without precedent in the history of the world. Also, the 1990 census revealed that native-born Americans both black and white were fleeing from the immigrant-favored areas, where they were being replaced in equal numbers by immigrants. They fled to two different parts of the country, where their own people were. Peter Brimelow claims that the U.S. is coming apart ethnically under the impact of the enormous influx. He wonders whether America continues to be the integration of ethnicity and culture as a nation, and whether the American nation-state can survive. The solutions to the problem, that Peter Brimelow offers are that: In the same way as the Eisenhower administration ended the similar illegal immigration crisis of the 1950s, a second operation Wetback should be implemented to end the illegal immigration of recent times. This would mean that : 1) Seal the borders, and deport the illegals already here. 2) Legal immigration should be halted with a five or ten-year moratorium. No net immigration, with admissions for hardship cases or needed skills balancing the two lakh legal residents who leave each year. 3) During that moratorium, there should be a debate, in which Americans would be asked for what they want. 4) Immigration can then be resumed, at moderate levels, with an emphasis on skills, and on evidence of cultural compatibility, such as speaking English. Taking into account Peter Brimelow’s claim and solutions given above, I would prefer to take the middle path, where due consideration is also given to the cause of immigration to some extent. His criterion of no net immigration, with allowance only for hardship cases and skills-based entries, would be good suggestions. Peter Brimelow’s claim and solutions offered, are well thought out, and appear as the only plausible solutions to the pressing problem of increasing immigration. On the other hand, it is important to give due credence to those who are pro-immigration like George Gilder: Geniuses from Abroad. Gilder is of the opinion that the U.S. has become a great nation, and unparalelled in its economy and development mainly because of the immigrants from other parts of the globe who were highly qualified, and supplied the brain and know-how. He says that America is the global technology and economic leader only because “it offers the freedom of enterprise and innovation to people from around the world.” At the other end of the spectrum, a strong reason for adopting stringent measures to curtail immigration , would be to help in the fight against terrorism, and for the maintenance of security, law and order. Jean Louis Bruguiere1 is of the opinion that the development of terrorism is directly related to the nature of migrant flows and efforts to control them. This is especially true of radical Islamic groups such as Al Qaeda. Illegal immigration accounts for its rapid development in recent years, and the active nature of its networks. Hence, the issue of immigration management is very pressing. Thousands of African Americans had been brought into America from the fiteenth century onwards. They were forcefully brought into the country as immigrants for the purpose of working as slaves on the plantations and to provide the labor force for developing the cities’ infrastructure and buildings. Their inhuman treatment and bondage form part of the dark history of the western nations. Their descendants form the largest proportion of blacks in the country. Once the requirement for their work is over, they should not be treated like illegal immigrants, but should be integrated into society as true citizens of the U.S. and treated without discrimination at any level. According to Jacobson (Ed.), (p.19), “The impact of immigration is the quintessential American experience, establishing a pattern that is replicated in almost every action of American life.” Borjas; Jacobson (Ed.), p.217, states that the fear that immigrants displace natives from their jobs, and reduce the earnings of those who are able to keep their jobs has a long history in the U.S immigration debate. The presumption that immigrants have an adverse impact on the labor market, continues to be used as a key justification for policies designed to restrict the size and composition of immigrant flows into the United States. However, research by modern econometrics proved that immigrants do not have a major adverse impact on the earnings and job opportunities of natives in the United States. (p.218). One possible explanation for the immigrants to be resented with regard to job opportunities, is that : by offering cheaper labour, they may be displacing native Americans in their jobs. Espenshade; Jacobson (Ed.), p.231 states that a second criterion is the fiscal impacts of immigrants. These more recent issues are: how much do immigrants pay in taxes to federal, state, and local governments? How large are the benefits that immigrants receive in return, and how do the two amounts compare within various jurisdictions? Growth in the refugee population (p.232), helps to explain the rising proportion of immigrant families receiving welfare. When refugees are excluded, working age migrants are less likely than their native born counterparts to receive welfare. At the times when their labor is not required, poor migrants may be a drain on the economy to some extent. Conclusion: In the poem The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus, the Statue of Liberty, is referred to as The Mother of Exiles. She stands with a glowing beacon raised in her hand, welcoming poor people weary and frightened, running away from their native homelands where it was difficult to survive. She is ready to receive them warmly: “From her beacon-hand/ glows world-wide welcome…”, while she reiterates: “Send these the homeless, tempest-tossed to me/ I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” The concept of a nation of immigrants tends to suggest that the United States is an inclusive country, captured in the image of the Statue of Liberty, beckoning to the world, the poor, the destitute to come to her open arms. (Rau, p.21). The immigration motif, according to Jacobson (Ed.), p.3, is more subtle in its effects, creating questions of “belonging”, and consequently whom should be welcomed and whom should not be. This concept is seen in the Declaration of Independence.(p.3). It would be beneficial to adopt a policy of selective immigration, for the benefit of the country, and the immigrants, and ‘Unchecked Immigration’ should be discontinued. REFERENCES Brimelow, Peter. Essay: Unchecked Immigration. Gilder, George. Essay: Geniuses from Abroad. April 1996. Jacobson, David. The Immigration Reader: America in a Multidisciplinary Perspective. Blackwell Publishing, 1998. Lazarus, Emma. Poem: The New Colossus. Purcell, L. Edward. Social Issues in American History Series: Immigration. Greenwood Press, 1995. Rau, Dana Meachen. The Statue of Liberty. Compass Point Books, 2002. Read More