CURRENT IMMIGRATION ISSUES Who is responsible for immigration
CURRENT IMMIGRATION ISSUES Who is responsible for immigration policies?
What is the Dream Act? ■ Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors: bill for qualifying alien minors that would first grant conditional residency and, upon meeting further qualifications, permanent residency. ■ First introduced by in 2001 by Senators Dick Durbin (D) and Orrin Hatch (R)… failed to pass after several attempts. ■ Set up several requirements.
What are the requirements? ■ They were younger than 18 years old on the date of their initial entry into the US. ■ Have proof of having arrived in the US before age 16. ■ Have proof of residence in the US for at least 5 consecutive years since their date of arrival. ■ If male, have registered w/ Selective Service. ■ Be b/w the ages of 12 and 35 at the time of the bill enactment. ■ Have graduated from an American high school, obtained a GED, or admitted to an institution of higher education. ■ Be of good moral character.
What is “DACA”? Who are “Dreamers”? ■ The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was an immigration policy that allowed some individuals who entered the country illegally as minors to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and to be eligible for a work permit. ■ As of 2017, approximately 800, 000 individuals– referred to as “Dreamers” after the DREAM bill– were enrolled in the program created by DACA. ■ The policy was established by the Obama Administration in June 2012 in order to provide prosecutorial discretion to federal agencies with limited resources. ■ In September 2017 the Trump Administration ended the policy by phasing it out. ■ Multiple lawsuits by individuals, groups, and states… some to keep, some to end immediately. ■ Still in court limbo
Reaction to DACA ■ Research shows that DACA increased the wages and labor force participation of DACA-eligible immigrants and reduced the number of unauthorized immigrant households in poverty. ■ Studies have shown that DACA increased the mental health outcomes for DACA-eligible immigrants and their children. ■ There are no known major adverse impacts from DACA on nativeborn worker’s employment while most economists say that DACA benefits the US economy. ■ Question whether Obama’s executive order created DACA was constitutional and what burden that puts on states. ■ Jan 2018: CBS Poll: 70% of Americans supported Dreamers
Sanctuary Cities ■ Sanctuary Cities grew from the Sanctuary Movement begun in the late 1980 s, early 1990 s. ■ Religious congregations began helping undocumented Salvadorian and Guatemalan families settle in the US in direct defiance of US immigration authorities who strictly limited asylum requests from other countries. ■ The sanctuary activists believed that the federal government was breaking international and domestic refugee law. ■ Police officers should not require about immigration status and should provide city services to everyone equally. ■ There approximately 39 US cities w/ some kind of sanctuary policy.
Sanctuary Cities: Pro ■ Sanctuary cities are safer b/c they encourage good relationships b/w undocumented immigrants and law enforcement. ■ Sanctuary policies are legal and protected by the 10 th Amendment: reserved powers to the states. ■ Sanctuary cities are needed to protect undocumented immigrants against federal immigration laws. ■ Is Illegal Immigration Linked to More or Less Crime?
Sanctuary Cities: Con ■ Sanctuary cities harbor criminals, creating a dangerous environment for US citizens ■ Sanctuary policies defy federal laws to which state and local governments are bound (Supremacy Clause). ■ Sanctuary policies prevent local and state police officers from doing their jobs. – Is Illegal Immigration Linked to More or Less Crime? – Should sanctuary cities receive federal funding?
Separations at the Border ■ April 2018: Separation of family began at the U. S. -Mexico border as a result of policy changes by the Trump administration, namely a “zero tolerance” policy that requires criminal prosecution for those who enter the United States unlawfully, ■ This was an attempt to discourage the practice of releasing migrants apprehended at the border while their immigration cases are pending – a practice the Trump administration calls “catch and release. ” ■ Both the George W. Bush and Obama administrations used family detention to detain thousands of families at facilities specifically designed to house children. ■ They are classified as “unaccompanied alien children” (UACs) and placed into a shelter operated by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Separations themselves were enforced by DHS; “zero tolerance policy” enacted by the Justice Department. ■ Policy was suspended/attempt to reunite families by July 2018 ■ August 2018: still some 700 children not united w/ parents
Other Immigration Issues ■ Would increasing legal immigration reduce illegal immigration? ■ Is illegal immigration an economic burden to America? ■ Does the “zero tolerance policy” really prevent people from coming to America? (Push-Pull Factors of Immigration). ■ Do undocumented immigrants pay their “fair share” of taxes? ■ What constitutional rights do immigrants have: legal, illegal? ■ Should the US build a wall along the US/Mexican border?
Immigration Laws ■ 1887: Chinese Exclusion Act ■ 1907: Gentlemen’s Agreement w/ Japan ■ 1924: National Origins Act: Quota System ■ 1943: “Bracero Program”: provided for the importation of agricultural workers from North, South, Central America ■ 1952: Mc. Carren-Walter Act: removes race as a basis for exclusion. Introduces an ideological criterion for admission: can now be denied entry on the basis of their political ideology (Communists or former Nazis) ■ 1965: Immigration Act: Nationality quotas are abolished ■ 1990: Increased the number of immigrants to come into the country; again permitted those w/ HIV to enter the country.
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