Sample English Paper on The Future of Immigration Policy
Introduction
Over the years, there have been several anti-immigration sentiments that have dominated the United States government especially in regards to immigration policy. The sentiments led to the congress passing a Licensing Act that ended up denying public services such as health care and education to children who are born of immigrants. To make matters worse, the Congress came with a ruling that any state that failed to comply with the new immigrant laws would not receive particular federal funds. Currently, the new president Donald Trump has threatened immigration with various travel bans and this has blocked many people from coming to gain any economic and education benefits from United States. The future of immigration policy can be easily determined because of the new laws that are being passed everyday which may end up making the situation of the immigrant’s complex if nothing is done.
Background
The United States of America has always been known as the country of immigrants based on the huge number of foreign individuals that lives in the country. There are millions of black Americans, Asians, Latinos, Mexicans, and other cultural groups who reside in the U.S (Divya 1). Being an immigrant myself, this topic on immigration and the future immigration policy concerns me greatly because it is the only way in which I may be aware of my future in the nation. Nonetheless, as an immigrant, regardless of the policies that have been place for a while now, I must confess that my stay in the United States has become better. I have indeed become a better person compared to when I came to the country and this is contributed to the massive opportunities that are available for people like us as long as you are legally in the country. My career has improved and become better since I came in the US something which I believe I could have not achieved back home in Mexico. In this regard, as an immigrant, I am hoping that the government will me more considerate with us when formulating immigrant policy to enable us continue staying in the country and enjoy improving the economy.
History of immigration
Throughout the history of the U.S., the country has shown positive initiatives towards welcoming several immigrants from all over the world. According to data obtained from Pew Research, the U.S. is among the most multicultural nations across the world. For instance, by the year 2015, there were a total of 46, 630, 000 immigrants who were living in the country though born in different nations (McCarthy 1). It is a clear sign that the US is still a nation that welcomes the wretch refuse of the world; it is a nation that was built mainly for immigrants. In this regard, it means that immigration has been an important value that the nation has lived with and those politicians who are speaking to bar immigration are simply denigrating the walls that had been built in the nation by the forefathers (Schwartz 1).
However, the first law that was passed that tried to bar immigration in the country was in the year 1882 known as the Chinese Exclusion Act (Divya 1). The law was passed because of the fear that the Chinese immigrants were taking too many jobs away from the Americans. On the same year, Immigrant Act was passed by US Congress though this law was meant to regulate immigration and to prevent undesirable individuals from getting into the country (Divya 1). In 1986, Immigration Reform and Control Act was passed which provided amnesty for several illegal immigrants in the country. In 1975, Texas passed a new immigrant law to prevent immigrant children from accessing public school, though this was reversed by the Supreme Court in the year 1982 in a case of Plyer v. Doe (Divya 1). In an attempt to stop illegal immigration, in the year 1994, California passed an immigration law preventing illegal immigrants from public services though the courts also struck this new law down.
It is clear that the government of United States have been trying to fight illegal migration with President Trump making several attempts to bar it completely including building a wall between American border and Mexico. However, the situation has been different for legal immigrants like me who have continued to enjoy several benefits in the nation. Education and legal employment are some of the benefits that several of legal immigrants have been enjoying in the country (Cohn 1). At the same time, many immigrant children who are born in the US have also received citizenship enabling them to continue enjoying the benefits of being American citizen by taking part in building the nation and achieving their American dream.
Significant issues and perspectives
Currently, the significant issue that is in place in regards to immigration is the travel ban and its effects. Though President Trump has made claims that his main intention is to protect the nation against terrorist, this new immigration policy which is meant to prevent certain people from particular nations from entering the US is considered to be unjust and unfair. The effects of the travel ban would reduce the number of immigrants in the nation which can end up affecting the rich culture of the country that have been built as a result of existence of the immigrants. It is important to note that immigration has promoted diversity not only in the work place but also in the classroom. It has enabled several Americans to appreciate other people’s culture and backgrounds while at the same time learn from each other.
Some of the immigrants that have become famous in the nation include Hakeem Olajuwo who played important sport while studying in the University of Houston. He featured in NCAA final four in three consecutive times and later was drafted by National Basketball Association as the big men in the sport league (Immigration Update 1). Another immigrant include David Ho who was born in Taiwan who managed to get good grades (A’s) in math, English and Science and later managed to secure a chance in Harvard Medical School (Immigration Update 1). He later saw and treated the first AIDs patients. By the year 2010, more than a million immigrants in the nation managed to achieve legal permanent citizenship (Schwartz 1). The aim of the government was to promote liberty by giving these individuals a chance to breathe free air without having to worry about their cultural background. Some nations like Canada have also adopted immigration and have benefited several immigrants across the world. At the same time, Mexican immigrants are benefiting from the nation in regards to employment enabling them to send money back home to their loved ones.
The future of immigration
Though there are several controversies that have been raised regarding immigration especially in terms of immigration policy, it is anticipated that by the year 2065, there will be more immigrants. According to a new study by Pew Research Center, they project that there will be a total of 117 million immigrants in the country come 2065 (Cohn 1). They anticipate that one-in-three Americans will be immigrant or have an immigrant background which is compared to one-in-four immigrants today (Cohn 1). It means that the future of immigration policy is good because it seems that the US will remain to be a nation that welcomes foreigners keeping its diversity values alive.
In conclusion, the future of immigration policy can be easily determined as a result of the new laws that make the situation uncertain for the immigrants. Nevertheless, the US has continued to uphold its values of diversity and it is anticipated that this will help save the future of immigrants in the nation. There is a possibility that more immigrants will be given citizenship which will enable them to stand a chance to continue enjoying public services in the country.
Works Cited
Cohn, D’vera. “Future immigration will change the face of America by 2065.” Pew Research Center. Accessed 5 Oct, 2015. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/10/05/future-immigration-will-change-the-face-of-america-by-2065/
Divya, S.B. “The future of US immigration.” TOR. Com. Accessed 6 Mar, 2017. Retrieved from http://www.tor.com/2017/03/06/the-future-of-us-immigration/
Immigration Update. Famous American immigrants. Accessed https://immigrationupdate.wordpress.com/famous-american-immigrants/
McCarthy, Niall. “The United States is a Nation of Immigrants.” Forbes. Accessed 23, Jan, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/01/23/the-united-states-is-a-nation-of-immigrants-infographic/#450d906a7e02
Schwartz, Jerry. “US: A nation of immigrants, but ambivalent about immigration.” The Washington Times. Accessed 2 Feb, 2017. Retrieved from http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/2/us-a-nation-of-immigrants-but-ambivalent-about-imm/