The Determinants of United States Immigration - Research Paper Example

Section/# Immigration: An Analysis and Study into the Determinants of United s Immigration, Change, and Current Nuances, and Future Likelihoods Regardless of what side of the political spectrum an individual might fall, the truth of the matter is that the United States has always been, and will likely continue for some time, a nation of immigrants. Evidence of this can of course be seen in such diverse places as the United States Constitution, Emma Lazarus poem “The New Colossus”, and a litany of other places throughout the nation’s history, founding precepts, and determinant reality. As a function of the immigrant culture within the United States, new terminology has entered the nation’s lexicon; to include terminology such as “the great melting pot”, “multiculturalism”, and “diversity”. However, the extent to which this immigrant culture has been accepted throughout the past has greatly varied. As the shifting waves of immigrants from different parts of the globe have sought to make the United States their new home, backlashes from various groups have resulted. As a function of analyzing the push backs and elements that define immigration within the modern era, this brief analysis will briefly consider the history of immigration as it exists within the United States, the current controversies that exist regarding immigration, how immigration has changed, where the majority of immigrants to the United States hail from, how immigrants are socialized in the American society, whether or not the United States is still a melting pot, why such a level of hostility exists with regards to immigration, and whether or not the economic realities of the crisis have effected immigration as well as whether or not immigrants have a significant impact upon the United States economy and the communities within which they live. Likewise, the methodology that has been employed to measure these question has been a thorough review, contemplation and analysis of prior research done within these fields by a range of different scholars. Firstly, with regards to the controversies, there are a number that have cropped up over the past few years. The first and most important of these surrounds the fact that Latin American (Mexican specifically) immigrants are almost exclusively viewed by elements within American society as being illegal immigrants; regardless of the legal status or work permits that define their life in the United States.1 A secondary yet no less salient controversy that currently exists is muted and exists below the surface. This controversy is ultimately the fact that there exists a large number of individuals within the United States that fear that the nature of the United States, its culture, institutions, and traditions will be diluted by a high number of immigrants.2 Although not specifically stated, this particular argument contains elements of xenophobia and racism within it. Due to the fact that the majority of the individuals within the United States are Caucasian in ancestry, the exhibition of an increasing number of individuals that hail from non-Caucasian nations is doubtless disquieting and provides a great deal of momentum behind the anti-immigrant sentiments that have for long been a fundamental part of the American dynamics. Yet another controversy that is displayed quite commonly in the news media and within the popular culture is the false belief that the immigrant communities universally display a high rate of crime. Although it can be said that certain elements of immigrant communities have a negative impact upon the crime rate in certain American cities, the fact of the matter is that such an argument cannot and should not be universally made to apply to all immigrants within the United States. An undeniable fact concerning immigration in the United States is that it has never been constant; rather it is continually in flux. This is not merely to say that the overall number of immigrants changes from year to year but also the fact that the nation of origin for these immigrants continues to shift with the globalized nature of the world and the labor needs that the United States and its economy exhibits. Whereas immigration within the earliest periods of the United States history was almost exclusively from the relatively rich nations of Western Europe, this began to change as the United States began to enter the era of industrialization and required more workers of both skilled and unskilled labor. As a result of this shift, immigrant from the nations of Southern and Eastern Europe began to come to the United States in increasing numbers. As time went on and the United States continued to develop, waves of Chinese and other Asian immigrants including Indians began to represent increasing percentages of immigrants to the system. Finally, within the current era, a high percentage of immigrants from Latin America as well as certain regions of Africa have begun to represent increasingly high percentages of the immigrants to the United States. As a result of these immigrants contribution to labor and the economy, the United States has been able to build a stratified workforce that speaks to the economics needs of the system. Moreover, key projects within the nation’s history (including but not limited to the building of the Transcontinental Railroad as well as many of the nation’s skyscraper) were ultimately affected by the use of large percentages of immigrant labor. Within the current system, a broad majority of the immigrant labor hails from the following nations: India, the Philippines, the People’s Republic of China, and Mexico. The unique labor skills and professional traits of the individuals from these nations are of course too broad to generalize or stereotype for simplicities sake; however, suffice it to say that immigrants from certain nations possess a broad subject matter expertise in related IT fields, whereas others are able to more appropriately speak to the services economy that continues to grow and expand within the United States. Although many factors of immigration have changed over the years, the needs that the economy generate and the extent to which immigration can seek to speak to these needs continue to be a hallmark of the United States immigration system. Though other determinants such as Green Card lotteries, levels of political and religious persecution, as well as other factors make up a percentage of total immigration, they account for but a small percentage of the greater whole. Another aspect of the unchanged dynamic surrounding immigration within the United States is the method and manner by which these disparate groups are socialized. Whereas the nation has long claimed to be a great melting pot of cultures and a welcoming society, once the immigrant experience has begun, the level of understanding and direct attention that the immigrant receives is all but non-existent.3 Rather, the fact of the matter is that the immigrant experience within the United States is defined by something of a laissez approach on the part of the government and the other shareholders within society.4 This has long been a staple of the American experience for the immigrant and merely expects that the immigrant will arrive on American soil and immediately begin to act, speak, and behave in a manner befitting a “true” American. Such an understanding is of course problematic due to the fact that depending upon the community or region that the individual resides, or even the company that they keep, the definition of what it means to be American is bound to change and shift depending upon who informs such a definition. Yet, regardless of such a shortcoming, the immigrant is socialized in the same way that any other member of society is socialized, by the media they come in contact with, the friends they keep, the level of political participation they engage in or are interested by, and they experiences they have. In such a manner, one is able to appreciate and understand the level and extent to which the immigrant experience is ultimately predicated upon the level of integration that they have with society; and the level of integration and the experiences gleaned from this is ultimately predicated on the degree to which the immigrant feels as a welcomed member of the new society that they have chosen to join. From such an understanding, the reader and/or researcher can obviously determine the extent and level to which the member of existing society can welcome the immigrant and make him/her feel as a valued member of society becomes the largest determining factor. One of the aspects of the American experience that appears to be changing is the level to which the society can be defined as a melting pot. Although the term has never fully described the immigrant experience, the extent and level to which the current experience can be defined as something of a melting pot is rather far from reality.5 This is due to several factors. The first of these is the fact that many of the new immigrants to the United States settle within regions or neighborhoods that predominately exhibit their fellow countrymen/women. As a function of this, the level of socialization that occurs within these groups is restricted to what they might experience within their home country of origin. A secondary determinant to the melting pot no longer is a correct identification and/or typification of the American immigrant experience is due to the hostility that many of the immigrants face upon first settling in the United States.6 Although it would be unfair to label Americans in general as inhospitable or racist, elements within society are unwelcoming and therefore encourage these new immigrants to recluse within their own communities and otherwise reduce the amount of socialization and/or melting pot experience that they might otherwise gain. With regards to the hostility that continues to be evidenced within the debate on immigration, this is almost invariably a function of either nativism, racism, or some combination of the two. Moreover, a common theme that has been played out recently with regards to immigration is the feeling that the number of immigrants within the United States are taking the jobs that other Americans would be eligible for; thereby creating a sense of jealously and suspicion between the current citizens and the incoming and residing immigrants within the system. One of the main factors that have been realized as a result of the economic downturn has been the fact that fewer and fewer immigrants have been entering the United States.7 However, rather than helping to ameliorate the issues that have thus far been denoted, with regards to hostility towards immigrants, the economic hardship that the economy is facing has only steeled their resolve in staunchly resisting immigration. Regardless of the rhetoric, the fact of the matter is that the immigrants within the United States play a vital role in keeping the economy moving. Even as the recession has hit hard, immigrants, as they always have, have worked tirelessly; oftentimes 2-3 jobs in order to make ends meet and provide a future for themselves and their families.8 As such, the contributions that these shareholders make within the economy are unquestioned. Moreover, by helping to integrate within their communities to varying degrees, they add a valuable component of diversity and understanding among different groups that would otherwise not exist. From the information that has been presented, the reader can aptly note that the issue of immigration within the United States is a complex and nuanced one. Rather than simply stating that the current situation is bad or good, the preceding information has attempting to integrate with the reader the fact that immigration serves as the very backbone of the United States system; for better or for worse. As such, seeking to rail against the changes that immigration brings based on incomplete or nativist instincts is to deny the very precepts upon which the nation was founded. By understanding each of the determinants and nuances of the means by which these groups support the economy, add to the cultural diversity, and provide fresh stimulus to an evolving system that would otherwise have succumbed to the same destructive forces that usher the end of many other nations, the United States has been able to promote a strong level of growth and development both in the past and quite possibly well into the foreseeable future. References Anderson, Elijah. "Beyond the Melting Pot Reconsidered." International Migration Review 34, no. 1 (March 1, 2000): 262-70. ERIC, EBSCOhost (accessed April 4, 2013). Creek, Heather M., and Stephen Yoder. 2012. "With a Little Help from Our Feds: Understanding State Immigration Enforcement Policy Adoption in American Federalism." Policy Studies Journal 40, no. 4: 674-697. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 4, 2013). de Oliver, Miguel. 2011. "Nativism and the Obsolescence of Grand Narrative: Comprehending the Quandary of Anti-Immigration Groups in the Neoliberal Era." Journal Of Ethnic & Migration Studies 37, no. 7: 977-997. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 4, 2013). Downs, William. 2011. "Social Democracy's Strategic Quandary: Responses to Immigration Challenges and Issue Capture in Europe." Perspectives On European Politics & Society 12, no. 3: 242-262. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 4, 2013). Hinojosa-Ojeda, Raul. 2012. "THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM." CATO Journal 32, no. 1: 175-199. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 4, 2013). Hirota, Hidetaka. 2013. "The Moment of Transition: State Officials, the Federal Government, and the Formation of American Immigration Policy." Journal Of American History 99, no. 4: 1092-1108. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 4, 2013). Morren, Meike, John P. T. M. Gelissen, and Jeroen K. Vermunt. 2012. "Response Strategies and Response Styles in Cross-Cultural Surveys." Cross-Cultural Research 46, no. 3: 255-279. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 4, 2013). Prchal, Tim. 2007. "Reimagining the Melting Pot and the Golden Door: National Identity in Gilded Age and Progressive Era Literature." Melus 32, no. 1: 29-51. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 4, 2013). Read More