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Immigration occurs when an individual or a group migrates, or travels from one place (a country, state or other region) to another. Many reasons may contribute to the decision to migrate; including economic, political, and religious ones. The effects of immigration are often wide-ranging and significant. This topic has been and continues to be a controversial one. Current issues included in this guide range from the controversy of the border wall, to the plight of the Dreamers, to the quest for citizenship.
| Asylum seekers/Refugees | An individual applying for “refugee status” (a person from another country who has left because they fear that they are endangered because of their race, religion, nationality, social group or political views) in their native country. |
|---|---|
| DACA | Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – A temporary residency program, signed by the Obama administration that provides a path to American citizenship for the undocumented children who were brought into the country and who had been living here for many years (DREAMers). |
| Detention Centers | Camps where undocumented immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, including their children are held when crossing the border or when their immigration status changes or when being deported. |
| Ethnic diversity | Having people from different ethnic groups, cultures, backgrounds, heritages, or ancestries living together in a country. |
| Sanctuary Cities | Cities in the US that protect undocumented immigrants by refusing to cooperate with ICE (US Customs & Immigration Enforcement) and/or the USCIS (US Citizenship & Immigration Services). |
| Xenophobia | “The fear of strangers,” which leads to persecution and discrimination of foreigners inside of a country by its citizens. |
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American Attitudes Toward Immigrants and Immigration Policy by
Sobczak examines the impact of local structural conditions on Americans’ attitudes toward immigrants and immigration policy. Results indicate social structure strongly predicts views of immigration policy, while shaping views of immigrants indirectly. Contrary to expectations, more favorable views of immigrants and immigration are elicited by residents of locales where structural conditions foster increased levels of intergroup association. Yet, the liberalizing effects of heterogeneous social structures do not extend to locales with precarious economic conditions or heightened levels of intergroup occupational competition. Instead such structural circumstances prompt negative reactions toward immigrants and immigration.
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The Criminalization of Immigration: The Post 9/11 Moral Panic by
After the September 11th attacks the United States government sought a response to terrorism. The ensuing "war on terror" brought sweeping new federal regulations and changes in immigration policy. Consequent changes in society’s reaction to immigration and the degree to which immigrants have become criminalized are apparent. Hauptman reveals the effects of a moral panic toward immigration after 9/11, explaining social control initiatives like the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, as a direct result of the concern over immigrants in the United States. Hauptman concludes that the response to the attacks resulted in the criminalization of immigrants in post-September 11th society.
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American Immigration and Citizenship: A Documentary History by
In this book, John Vile provides context for contemporary debates on the topic through key historical documents presented alongside essays that interpret their importance for the reader. The author concludes that a highly-interconnected world presents no easy answers and offers no single immigration policy that will work for all time. The book includes a mix of laws, constitutional provisions, speeches, and judicial decisions from each period. Vile furthermore traces the interconnections between issues of citizenship and issues of immigration, indicating that public opinion and legislation has often contained contradictory strains. Although the primary focus has been on national laws and decisions, some of the readings clearly indicate the stakes that states, which are often affected disproportionately by such laws, have also had in this process.
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Dream Chasers: Immigration and the American Backlash by
Tirman shows how the resistance to immigration in America is more cultural than political. Although cloaked in language about jobs and secure borders, the cultural resistance to immigration expresses a fear that immigrants are changing the dominant white, Protestant, "real American" culture. Tirman describes the "raid mentality" of our response to immigration, which seeks violent solutions for a social phenomenon. He considers the culture clash over Chicano ethnic studies in Tucson, examines the consequences of an immigration raid in New Bedford, and explores the civil rights activism of young "Dreamers." The current "round them up, deport them, militarize the border" approach, Tirman shows, solves nothing.
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The Three U.S.-Mexico Border Wars: Drugs, Immigration, and Homeland Security, 2nd Edition by
This book addresses the three central issues that continue to dominate the U.S.-Mexico relationship today: drugs, immigration, and security. Provides a historical perspective; new coverage of weapons trafficking, human trafficking, the diversified activities of organized crime, etc; Challenges current views about the border as unsafe, unstable
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Immigration: Examining the Facts by
What are the myths and truths regarding immigration in the United States? This book provides readers with an impartial understanding of the true state of immigration and immigration policy in the United States by refuting falsehoods, misinformation, and exaggerations surrounding this topic--and confirming the validity of other assertions. * Addresses contemporary rhetoric about immigration with factual information based on reliable, objective empirical data * Presents immigration-related statistics in an easy-to-read format that allows readers to quickly find answers to specific questions * Fosters a more accurate understanding of the immigration issue and provides readers with opportunities to apply critical thinking skills
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The Law That Changed the Face of America: The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 by
The year 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1965--a landmark decision that made the United States the diverse nation it is today. In The Law that Changed the Face of America, congressional journalist and immigration expert Margaret Sands Orchowski delivers a never before told story of how immigration laws have moved in constant flux and revision throughout our nation's history. Exploring the changing immigration environment of the twenty-first century, Orchowski discusses globalization, technology, terrorism, economic recession, and the expectations of the millennials. She also addresses the ever present U.S. debate about the roles of the various branches of government in immigration; and the often competitive interests between those who want to immigrate to the United States and the changing interests, values, ability, and right of our sovereign nation states to choose and welcome those immigrants who will best advance the country.
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The DREAMers: How the Undocumented Youth Movement Transformed the Immigrant Rights Debate by
On May 17, 2010, four undocumented students occupied the Arizona office of Senator John McCain. Across the country a flurry of occupations, hunger strikes, demonstrations, and marches followed, calling for support of the DREAM Act that would allow these young people the legal right to stay in the United States. The highly public, confrontational nature of these actions marked a sharp departure from more subdued, anonymous forms of activism of years past. The DREAMers provides the first investigation of the youth movement that has transformed the national immigration debate, from its start in the early 2000s through the present day. Walter Nicholls draws on interviews, news stories, and firsthand encounters with activists to highlight the strategies and claims that have created this now-powerful voice in American politics.
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First published: Summer 2020
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