Immigration

1
Immigration

• History
• Current System
• Backlash
• Other Issues/Proposals

2
The modern Period

• 1965 Immigration Act
• Not based on national quotas
• priority given to family reunification
• The new boom--3rd world immigration
• air travel, chain sponsorship
• 1986 IRCA granted amnesty for 3 million here
  illegally
• Today an estimated 12 million in the country
  illegally

3
Current System

• Types of legal immigration
• Family sponsored (for Green Card only spouse or
  child)
• Student or Employment based
• Refugee/Asyleereasonable fear of persecution
  for ethnic, cultural, religious reasons
• OtherDiversity Lottery, etc.

4
Post 9/11
5
Is immigration (still) good for the country?

• costs schools, medical, courts, police, etc.
• benefits provide labor, pay many taxes,
  reinvigorate cities
• objection new immigrants not assimilating like
  old--a permanent foreign underclass, especially
  given new economy
• defense are assimilating

6
Backlash

• English as Official Language
• Since 1980s 16 states and several municipalities
  passed Official Language laws, ban bilingual ed
  and services
• 1994 Prop 187
• denying illegal immigrants state-funded education
  and non-emergency medical care
• thrown out by the courts

7
Other issues

• Drivers licenses
• permitted in four states
• Matricular IDs
• granted by foreign countries consulates
• accepted as valid in a dozen states, some cities
• Voting
• a history of non-citizen voting
• NY, Chicago, and others allow it for school
  boardsSF?

8
Proposals before Congress

• House version
• Criminalize as a felony illegal immigration
• Expand border patrol and build 700 mile barrier
  (both House and Senate)
• No path to legal status from within US
• Senate version
• Illegal immigrants in the US for 2 years could be
  eligible for a new temporary guest worker program
• After 5 years of steady employment, can apply for
  a green card