Immigration wars continue.

WHAT IMMIGRATION POLICY DO AMERICANS SUPPORT?

WHY IMMIGRATION HAS NOT BEEN FIXED

The United States constitution expressly gives Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. While the rules changed from time to time, they usually included a residency requirement from as little as two years to as many as 14 years. Usually these laws required a 5-year notice to apply for naturalization. There were laws passed in the 19th century that banned, and later limited, the number of Chinese immigrants. In the early 20th century there were laws that limited the number of Japanese immigrants. They also passed laws that banned entry of people with mental illness and infectious diseases. In 1901 Congress passed laws to exclude known anarchist agitators. A literacy test was added in 1917.  In 1921 Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act, this act limited the number of immigrants based on the proportion of each nationality living in the country. In 1924 the quota of 154,227 was established for immigrants from the eastern hemisphere.

Ellis Island is where immigrants were processed and quarantined before they were allowed to enter the country. My grandparents on my father's side came from Hungary around 1900 and the records of their entry can be still found at Ellis Island. This was a safety measure to make sure people with infectious diseases were not introduced into the general population. Also, my grandparents had to have someone who would sponsor them and take responsibility for them. People were reluctant to sponsor someone that they may become financially responsible for.

Immigration went from 236,000 in 1929 to 23,000 in 1933. This was due to the worldwide financial depression, there were not many jobs available for citizens at that time. As many as 500,000 to 2 million were forcibly repatriated. In the decade from 1930 to 1940 total immigration was 528,000- less than 53,000 per year.

In 1965, the limitations were reversed and new quotas enacted: 120,000 per year from the western hemisphere and 170,000 from the eastern hemisphere was enacted. Family members who sponsor relatives are often outside the quotas.  In 1980 immigrants were limited to 270,000 and refugees 50,000.

In 1986, the Immigration Reform and Control Act was passed creating for the first time penalties for employers who hired illegal immigrants. It also contained an amnesty for about 3 million illegal immigrants already in the United States and mandated increased enforcement of the border. The amnesty was embraced, but the enforcement of the border never materialized.

The Immigration Act of 1990 increased legal immigration to 700,000 and increased visas by 40%.

The last four administrations have not enforced the immigration laws of the country; they have mostly looked the other way as millions of illegal immigrants have entered the country. After the terrorist attack in 2001, it was revealed that most of the attackers were here on visas. Many people enter the country with a visa and are here for years without anyone knowing were they are or what they are doing. This has brought about the call for comprehensive immigration reform, which in most plans would give blanket amnesty to illegal aliens and require enhanced enforcement of the borders and visas. The problem with these plans is history - most of the Republican house members ask, if you have not enforced the laws on the books now, why should we believe these new laws will be enforced? They fear that they will end up with millions of new citizens and the flood of immigrants will continue until the next amnesty is proposed. Most responsible legislators say let's fix the border and visa programs and when that is accomplished, then we can look at what to do with the illegal immigrants that are here now. Many Republican establishment types and Democrats want a comprehensive, all encompassing plan that is implemented all at once - this would not guarantee that illegal immigration would ever be controlled.

While some believe we should not restrict anyone from entering the country, most believe there should be some control as to who and how many immigrants enter the country. In a socialist society allowing many often uneducated, unskilled immigrants to enter the county puts a huge drain on resources, especially in border states. This also depresses the wages of lower and middle class residents. Visas should be limited in the length of time and the authorities should know who the visa holders are and what they are doing in the country. This experiment with open borders is proving to be a serious mistake in the EU countries. How many new people can be assimilated into the country in an orderly way? All these questions will need to be answered before we come to a satisfactory conclusion.