Effect of Immigration on New York City - Article Example

Effect of Immigration on New York More than any other in the nation, New Yorks identity has been shaped by the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have settled here and left their indelible mark on the city. Past immigrant waves have been primarily European, but since 1965, shifts in the sources of immigration have produced a mix of origins that is more diverse than at any time in the citys history. Waves of immigrants from Asia, the Caribbean, and South America have produced unprecedented racial and ethnic diversity in the city. Writing about New York Citys population, Nathan Glazer noted, "If the United States remains the permanently unfinished country, to an even greater degree the same is true for New York City" (Vecoli, 567). Various reports show that immigration continues to shape the city. Immigrant flows are at an all time high since the peaks at the turn of the century. Immigration to the city in the 1990-2000 periods stood at approx 13,000 annually, a 32 percent increase over the average of 86,000 in the 1980s. (Lobo, 12) This growth mirrored the increasing flow of immigrants to the country as a whole; as a result, immigrants to the city constituted nearly 15 percent of all immigrants to the U.S. in both the 1980s and 2000s. (Martin, 02) This article examines the nature of these recent immigrant flows and their impact on the citys population. Immigrants by area of the world Traditionally, immigrants to the city have been disproportionately from the Caribbean and South America relative to the nation, which has been more likely to get immigrants from Asia and Mexico. The Caribbean comprised 33 percent of the flow of immigrants to the city, but only 12 percent of the flow to the nation in the 2005-2009 periods. (Gelfand, 03) Similarly, while South Americans comprised twelve percent of the citys flow, their share of the nations flow was only six percent. On the other hand, just one percent of the citys flow was comprised of Mexicans (Other North America), compared to thirteen percent of the nations immigrant flow. Likewise, Asians were 26 percent of the citys flow but comprised 42 percent of entering immigrants to the nation. (Martin, 5) The 2000s marked resurgence in European immigration to New York City, and a decline in the share of Caribbean flows. Immigration from Europe stood at 22 percent, more than twice the level of 9 percent in the 1990s. (Vecoli, 562) Caribbean immigration, which stood at 40 percent of the total in the 1990s, dropped 7 points in the 2000s. However, the share of the Hispanic Caribbean (primarily the Dominican Republic) actually increased while there was a decline in flows from non-Hispanic Caribbean nations such as Jamaica, Haiti, and Barbados. Flows from Guyana, an English-speaking South American nation with a heavy Caribbean influence, also declined. The number of African immigrants to the city, while small, has been increasing steadily over the past three decades and comprised just over two percent of entering immigrants. The reason that immigrants are able to find jobs in the New York City and put a lot of people out of work is because they often take the low-paying jobs that most Americans dont want to do. Even though a lot of people may not like immigrants because they are putting them out of jobs, immigrants in this economy today are helping to keep inflation low, improve housing values, and benefit taxpayers (Martin, par. 12). In other words, immigration helps provide an increase to the U.S. economy. The only people that are really being hurt right now by immigrants are those people without high school degrees (Gelfand and Yee, par. 10). Every year they fight against immigrants for jobs and their wages just seem to keep getting lower. Immigrants who see their relatives and friends leading a better life than what they were living before, especially of the Hispanic and Latino backgrounds, come to the popular city of New York and try to follow their example, but somehow, everyone isn’t that lucky to survive illegally without falling into the hands of the local mafia network, and in the end they become robbers, and gangsters, and also to compliment their pathetic situations are the current foreign policy of America, that allows illegal migrants to get weapons at ease. Immigrants by country of birth The Dominican Republic has been the number one source of immigrants to the city since the early 1970s and it has maintained that position in the 2000s, sending an average of 22,000 immigrants annually. (Lobo, 11) A significant milestone of this period was the tenfold increase in flows from the former Soviet Union, to 13,300 annually. This increase propelled the former Soviet Union into second place, from its number twelve position in the 1990s. Flows from China (includes mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) stood at 12,000 annually, putting it in third place, a position it has held since the 1980s. Nearly 79 percent of all Chinese immigrants to New York City were born in mainland China, 13 percent were born in Hong Kong, and 8 percent in Taiwan. In addition to the former Soviets, rising European immigration to the city was fueled by Poles and the Irish. For the first time in the post- 1980 period, Poland figured in the top 10, at number 6, while Ireland made the top 20 list, at number 12. The 2000s also marked the emergence of Bangladesh as a major source of immigrants. For the first time ever, it made the top 20 list, at number 14. (Martin, 04) The source country composition of immigrants to New York City is unique, relative to that for the nation. Mexico, the number one source of immigrants to the United States, and Vietnam, the fourth largest, were not among the top 20 source countries of immigrants to New York City. El Salvador, Iran, Canada, and Cuba were the other top 20 source countries to the United States that were not on New York Citys top 20 list. Demographic characteristics of Immigrants Traditionally, the search for economic opportunity has fueled immigration, which is one reason why immigrants tend to be younger than the general population. The median age of immigrants to the city in the early 2000s was 27 years, compared to 34 years for the city as a whole. Female immigrants defeated male immigrants to the city, and accounted for 52 percent of the total flow in the 2005-2009 periods. (Martin, 2) The Bangladeshi flows had the lowest share of females, who accounted for only 41 percent of the flow. Many immigrant groups start out with lopsided sex ratios, where disproportionate numbers of males or females establish "beachheads," and are only later joined by their families. In the 1990s, for example, only 42 percent of Pakistani immigrants were female, but this increased to 48 percent in the 2000s. The sex ratio of an immigrant group is partly influenced by immigration law. For example, a special provision in the law that allowed the entry of nurses into the United States was used overwhelmingly by women, and especially by Filipino women. Partly as a result, Filipino immigrants had the highest percentage of females (61 %) among the major immigrant groups. (Massey, 9) The occupational allocation of immigrant males was similar in some respects to that for all males in the city. The percentages in professional specialty and technical occupations (18%), service (18%), and precision production, craft, and repair occupations (I5%) were similar to the percentages for all city residents. Immigrant males, however, had a higher representation in the operators, fabricators and laborers category and a smaller representation in sales and in administrative support jobs. Among females, the occupational distribution was substantially different from that for all city residents. The percentage of female immigrants in professional specialty and technical occupations (30%) and service (24%) were well in excess of the percentages for all city workers. (Gelfand, 05) When immigration is thought of many people may think of it as being a negative effect, but not all people feel that way. Some people still feel that immigrants have little effect on the American economy because there are still not enough of them to influence this country’s economy (Martin, par. 9). These people see immigrants as a net benefit to America because they should be paying taxes, using services in moderation, helping drive business development through their own entrepreneurial behavior, keeping industries here in the U.S. that could have relocated overseas, and they take the normal low-paying jobs that U.S. citizens do not want (Martin, par. 9). Immigration law and Immigrant flow For the past 30 years, immigration to the United States has been shaped by the landmark Immigration and Nationality Act of 1980 (INA). This law abolished the national origins quotas of the 1920s that heavily favored northern and western Europeans and replaced it with a system of preferences that placed all countries on an equal footing. The INA emphasized family reunification, the entry of those with occupational skills required in the United States, and the admittance of refugees and asylees. This law led to major increases in non European immigration. The Immigration Act of 2000, the biggest change in immigration law since 1965, provided immigrants with expanded opportunities to enter the nation. (Gelfand, 04) Ireland and Poland each received nearly one-third of these visas and Bangladesh received twelve percent. As a result of visas, these three countries became major sources of immigrants to the city. The diversity program also helped sustain flows from the United Kingdom and created seed immigration for future flows from Japan. Immigration to the city also increased as a result of the growth in refugee flows. In the 1990s, the largest group of refugees admitted to the nation was from Southeast Asia, but few were resettled in New York City. The citys refugee flows totaled 4,400 annually in that decade. This flow nearly quadrupled in the 2000s to 14,900 annually, primarily due to the large influx of refugees from the former Soviet Union, which accounted for 82 percent of all refugees to the city. Many Americans who are considered less-skilled now earn less money and have fewer job opportunities in the city because they must now compete with immigrants in the job market (Martin, par. 10). Within New York City due to the current U.S. economy, there are millions of people out of work. Now whether they lack the skills or there are no opportunities for them, many people are forced to take low-paying, unskilled jobs just to make some money. So if more immigrants continue to enter each year seeking jobs, it decreases the amount of work available. At this point, immigration contributes for about 25 percent of the U.S. labor force and this is mainly because of low native birth rates and high levels of immigration (Martin, par. 11). Demographic Impact of Immigrant flows The 563,000 immigrants who entered between 2005 and 2009 constituted 8 percent of the citys 2005 population of 7.3 million. The impact of these immigrant flows was dramatic in some of the citys residential neighborhoods. The 7,200 immigrants entering the Green point area of Brooklyn in the 2005-2009 periods, for example, were equivalent to 19 percent of that neighborhoods 2000s population of 37,500. (Gelfand, 06) Green point has traditionally been the major Polish enclave in the city, and the overwhelmingly Polish flows to this neighborhood have helped maintain the Polish character of Green point. Similarly, immigration to Sheep’s head Bay-Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, which was primarily from the former Soviet Union, and the overwhelmingly Dominican flows to Washington Heights, Bronx, comprised 18 percent of the 2000s population of these neighborhoods. (Massey, 12) In the midst of net outflows from the city, entering immigrants have helped New York City avert the catastrophic population losses that have occurred in many of the cities of the Northeast and Midwest. If no immigrants came to the city in the 1990s, for example, the city would have suffered a population loss of nine percent, instead of the gain of nearly four percent it registered. Immigration has also had an indirect effect on the citys population growth. The youthful age distribution of immigrants, combined with the high fertility rate of some groups, has led to a substantial growth of the second generation. As of 2005, an estimated 33 percent of the citys population was foreign born, and approximately another 20 percent were the offspring of immigrants. (Martin, 04) Immigrants have also been crucial to maintaining the citys housing stock. This is especially true with regard to the citys housing units that have minimal government restrictions or regulations on rents, rental conditions, or type of tenancy. Close to one-half of housing units in these categories that have turned over since 1990 were occupied by immigrants. Just as immigration has enabled the city to avoid dramatic population losses since 1980, so it has enabled the city to avoid dramatic housing losses, in precisely the portion of the housing stock - privately constructed and owned rental housing - most vulnerable to abandonment. Conclusion Once again, New York City has witnessed a shift in immigration patterns. Immigration from the nations of Europe surged in the 2000s, especially from the former Soviet Union and Poland, as well as from Ireland, which made the top 20 list for the first time in the post-1965 period. Despite a notable increase in flows from the Dominican Republic, the share of the Caribbean, as well as that of South America, declined due to a substantial drop in immigration from Jamaica, Haiti, Barbados, and Guyana. There have also been small, but significant, increases in flows from Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Guatemala, Mexico, and Japan. Given that family reunification is a linchpin of U.S. immigration law, these "seed immigrants" will no doubt form the basis for future flows. Some of these nations may follow in the footsteps of Bangladesh, which sent only a modest number of immigrants in the 1990s, but by the early 2000s was the fourteenth largest source of immigrants to the city. How will immigration to New York evolve in the next decade? As always, the flow of immigrants will be defined by forces in the source countries that propel immigration, and by U.S. immigration law, which acts as a gatekeeper. While there are long waiting lists for potential immigrants, there are a number of important issues that could affect future flows to the city. These include: the continued recognition of immigrants from the countries of the former Soviet Union as refugees; the future of the diversity visa program; and the continued emphasis on the entry of those with skills. Another important determinant will be the success of moves afoot in Congress to restrict legal immigration to the United States. While it is impossible to predict how the saga of immigration will exactly play out in the future, it is safe to assume that immigrants will continue to reshape the demographic and social landscape of the City of New York. Works Cited Gelfand, Donald, Yee, Barbara. (2009) "Influence of immigration, migration, and acculturation in the fabric of aging in America." Trends and Forces: 1-7. Lobo. A. P (2000) ‘Immigration to New York Metropoliton Region’. Staten Island. Pg 10-12. Martin, Susan. (2007)"Immediate and Long-Term Challenges" U.S. Immigration Policy pg.1-5. Massey, Douglas. (2006)"The Changing Geography of Mexican Immigration to the United States" Social Science Quarterly Number 1, 1-15. Vecoli. R.J. (2002) ‘New York’s Two Great Waves of Immigration’. Bloomington, pg 560-7. Read More