Immigration Reform: Where were you born?

The topic that I want to research is immigration reform. This is a hot-button issue not only in the United States, but throughout the entire World. I would like to research different country's immigration policies and see how they compare.

 Democratic Inclusion and the Governance of Immigration
Lampert, Joseph, joseph.lampert@pdx.edu. "Democratic Inclusion And The Governance Of Immigration." Social Theory & Practice 41.1 (2015): 51-76. OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson). Web. 26 Feb. 2015

This article examines two very popular views on immigration policy. The two views that Joseph Lampert addresses in his essay are "The All-Affected Interests Principle" and "Democratic Inclusion." This peer-reviewed, scholarly article gives readers a perspective on immigration from two unique points of view. He has various acclaimed sources that feel that the current democratic governance of immigration excludes the interests of groups of people. There are many more sources that go on to discuss changes that should be made to immigration and the possible implications. Joseph Lampert is a Political Science professor at Portland State University and he focuses the majority of his research on democratic theory.  Social-Liberal.

 Gangs of the United States and the European Union: Developments in Immigration Restrictions.

Bugaj, Agnieszka1. "Gangs Of The United States And The European Union: Developments In Immigration Restrictions." Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems 23.2 (2014): 401-424. OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson). Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

 This article shows the restrictions on immigration that being made by the United States and countries in the European Union. Agnieszka Bugaj, writes about the history of gang violence in these areas and the correlation it has with immigration. He uses real examples of action that the United States and European Union are taking to regulate immigration in order to maintain national security. He compares and contrasts the polices of each of the countries and shows what is useful and what is not. Agnieszka Bugaj is a graduate from the University of Iowa College of Law and wrote this article as a contribution to the Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems. Social-Conservative.

The Implications of Immigration Federalism for Non-citizens’ Rights and Immigration Opportunities: Canada and Australia Compared 

Bugaj, Agnieszka1. "Gangs Of The United States And The European Union: Developments In Immigration Restrictions." Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems 23.2 (2014): 401-424. OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson). Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

This article takes a look at Immigration Federalism in Canada and Australia. Sasha Baglay and Delphine Nakache conduct research to find out how effective the their immigration systems really are and how the immigrants benefit from their new home. After executing the case studies, they uses their data to compare the immigration policies of the two counties. The divisions of power in each country see different effects from immigration. The study shows the impact immigration has on businesses and the economy. Dr. Sasha Baglay is a professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and focuses her studies on comparative immigration. Delphine Nakache, an International Studies professor at the University of Ottawa collaborated with her in this project. Social-Conservative.

Do Anti-immigration Parties Matter? The Case of the Sweden Democrats and Local Refugee Policy

Baglay, Sasha, and Delphine Nakache. "The Implications Of Immigration Federalism For Non-Citizens’ Rights And Immigration Opportunities: Canada And Australia Compared." American Review Of Canadian Studies 43.3 (2013): 334-357. OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson). Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
The purpose of this article is to take a look at the rising popularity of anti-immigration political parties in Sweden. Swedish scholars set out to find out if these parties actually have an impact on their country's immigration policies. They first take a look at the data from past studies  and form a hypothesis for their new study. By looking at the number of members of elected officials with affiliation to this party and the results of immigration laws they are able to draw conclusions on the party's impact. Niklas Bolin, a Political Science Professor at Mid Sweden University was a big contributor to this study. Gustav Lidén and Jon Nyhlén are colleagues of Bolin and also helped conduct research for the article.  Social-Conservative.

Refugees Find a Closing Of Sweden's Open-Door Immigration Policy

Green, David6, Ari Shapiro, and Robert Acker. "Refugees Find A Closing Of Sweden's Open-Door Immigration Policy." NPR. NPR, 6 Feb. 2015. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.

   This source is a manuscript from a news report on NPR. I was listening to this segment at work a few weeks back and it really caught my attention. For decades Sweden has had an open door policy regarding immigration into their country. They have accepted refugees from other countries such as citizens from Middle Eastern countries. In recent years, a political party has arose in Sweden that is strongly against accepting refugees. In this interview, Ari Shapiro talks with Robert Acker. Acker is a professional basketball player in Sweden who immigrated to Sweden at a young age.  He explains the changes that have taken place in Sweden’s immigration policy throughout the time he has lived there. This is a good source to get a current perspective on this policy. Social-Conservative.

Group Size Versus Change? Assessing Americans' Perception of Local Immigration.  
Newman, Benjamin J., and Yamil Velez. "Group Size Versus Change? Assessing Americans' Perception Of Local Immigration." Political Research Quarterly 67.2 (2014): 294-303. Political Science Complete. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.

  

This article takes a look at the trend of immigration in the United States. Benjamin Newman and Yamil Velez conduct research to predict the growth of immigration over the next few years. They use statistics to form a hypothesis for the growth of immigration to the United States. The numbers are broken down into ethnic groups. This shows the potential growth for each immigrant group in the United States in the future. This study is helpful because it can help prevent future problems with immigration if progressive action is taken. Benjamin Newman is a professor at the University of Connecticut at Stamford and Yamil Velez teaches at Stony Brook University. Social-Conservative.

Immigration Policy making in The Global Era 

Jupp, J. (2014), IMMIGRATION POLICYMAKING IN THE GLOBAL ERA - by Natasha T. Duncan and LIBERAL STATES AND THE FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT - by Steffen Mau , Heike Brabandt, Lena Laube and Christof Roos. Public Administration, 92: 248–251. Web. 27 Feb. 2015       

This is another article that conducts research on immigration. However, this is a more liberal point of view. They take a look at immigration polices throughout history and determine which ones are useful and which ones are not as useful. They take a look from the perspective of the minority. In this case it is the immigrants affected by immigration policy. This is an important source because in order to present your side of an issue, you must understand the opposing viewpoint. This helps create credibility and understanding. The research was conducted by Dr. James Jupp, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin.  Social-Liberal.

 

                   Immigration Reform: Where Were You Born?

  Since the beginning of time, humans have been traveling the World for various reasons. Human nature demands that people move and interact with one another in order to grow and improve.  Different cultures, ideas, and innovations have been created due to immigration. The U.S. is a country founded by immigrants.

A Look at Immigration Policy in the United States of America

The United States of America has often been viewed as a land of endless freedom and opportunity. The United States of America retains basic human rights such as freedom of speech, freedom to bear arms, and the pursuit of happiness within it's very constitution. This is a large part as to why people have been immigrating to this country for centuries. Unlike many other ancient civilizations which have a large native population, the United States is a country that was founded by immigrants. Although, white settlers were not the first to inhibit the country, they were the first to set forth a constitutional government that gave rights and representation to citizens of this newly formed land. In the country’s early history, Americans accepted immigrants with open arms. Immigration allowed the United States to grow and expand into a World Power. During the 19th century, America underwent the Industrial Revolution in which ideas such as assembly lines and automobile manufacturing overtook America. America needed jobs to be filled and immigrants were the perfect answer to the necessary work force. However, there are many issues and controversies that have arose over recent years which have led many political activists in America to seek reform on immigration policies. The heart of the controversy can be attributed to economic issues, social issues and discrimination based on ethnicity. Benjamin Newman and Yamil Velez, led a research panel in order to find out if Americans have a problem with the current immigration policy and how the effect that the growth of immigrant population has effected the country. The two political science professors commissioned a short survey in which they would interpret the data to draw a conclusion on United States citizens’ take on immigration.

The question was simple, “How many immigrants live in your area?” The study had four response choices that ranged from (1) “Many” (2) “Some” (3) “Only a Few” (4) “None”. According to Newman and Velez’s study, “The results in panel A reveal that whites residing in counties experiencing high growth in the immigration population were significantly more likely to report the highest level of perceived recent immigration into their local area” (Newman 297). This is a breakthrough study on immigration because it takes a look at the views of the citizens and the impact that this issues has on American society. The study proved that many Americans described their neighbors as immigrants, even though they themselves were proven descendants of immigrants. People tend to think of immigrants as people who look different than themselves in aspects such as skin color, height, or weight, and people who practice different cultural traditions such as language, religion, and ideology. It also provides a depiction for the demand that the United States has for new immigrants. James Jupp, a Political Science Professor at the University of Texas at Austin uses the market economy law of supply and demand and relates it to immigration policy in his journal Policy Making in the Global Era when he writes:
There is a qualitative and a quantitative dimension to demand. "The focus on quantity of potential and actual migrants is mainly a response to national or international urbanization and industrial demand for labor and skills. The quality of migrants is often subjective and can be controlled more effectively than their quantity or origins. The assessment of quality may be based on such issues as ethnicity, religion, language, historic ties, race, and public opinion. While economists, accountants, and lawyers may measure and advise on quantity, it is often politicians and journalists who have most say in influencing quality. The disciplines of economics and demography may be less important than sociology, history, and political science, when quality is in question" (Jupp 248). Overall, the main point to be understood from this description of quantity versus quality is that immigrant workers may be necessary in America for jobs that Americans do not wish to perform. Immigrants are notably cheaper than American workers who require state and federal wages, and often times work extremely hard in their trade in comparison to "lazy" American workers.

The American Industrial Revolution in the 19th Century created a high demand for immigrant workers. Immigrants began flocking to the United States from all over the world in search of freedom and opportunity. These people began to settle all over America and started families and laid down foundations. However, there were many hardships for these people as they fell victim to discrimination. This is an issue that is present in many societies. At the turn of the century, many of these oppressed immigrants began forming political and social groups that demanded equal rights and opportunities for all. The 20th century gave way to many "far left" movements. This is essentially, a way of thinking that holds true to the belief that all people should be treated equally. Some influential movements such as the Civil Rights Movement, Women's Rights Movement, and Gay rights movement emerged during this time. Since then, Americans have been striving toward become a more unified nation that does not judge people based on their race, color, ethnicity or anything else that may alienate someone. 

South Park: A Look at the Division of people due to Immigration

This video clip in the link above is from an episode of South Park and takes a satirical look at the controversy that is currently taking place on the issue of immigration reform. This displays how irrational people who disagree with one another can be. It is useful to show political issues in popular media such as South Park because it reaches audiences that usually do not keep themselves informed on issues. Being able to laugh at the situation is a good first step to eliminate tensions and work toward a compromise.

                        Immigration Reform in European Union

New policies within the country of Sweden are developing regarding the notion of immigration. Sweden residents claim that new Muslim immigrants do not acclimate as well as previous generations; therefore, a new party has been formed to put a stop to immigration into Sweden. The citizens of Sweden believe that they are acting in their own best interest, but this is not true. Immigration is necessary to further the development of intellectual thinking and any thinking opposite to this compares closely to that of a Nazi in Germany during World War II. It is extremely narrow thinking to believe that any certain group of people is better than another; therefore, it logically makes sense that immigration leads to an improvement in society by sharing knowledge and different cultural practices. This issue was first brought to my attention in an interview that Ari Shapiro of NPR news had with Robert Acker, a first generation immigrant in Sweden and a professional basketball player. Acker sheds light on recent proceedings and Shapiro reports this when he says, "He thinks recent Muslim immigrants are not integrating as well as earlier generations of arrivals. And now a political party that wants to cut immigration to Sweden by 90 percent is booming. We're standing in a neighborhood that is a center of support for that party. Acker says the Sweden Democrats seem to want to get rid of all immigrants, integrated or not" (Shapiro). Restricting immigration implies the idea that the native people are inherently better than those incoming from foreign lands. This bring a lot of social tension and division between different ethnic groups in Sweden. This could prove to be detrimental to the state of their nation because it is causing division amongst the people, rather than peace and unity.

Immigration Enlightenment 

I was mindlessly scrolling through my Instagram feed the other day and I stumbled across the picture in the link above. This picture and caption really gave me a good perspective on the fact that all countries rely heavily on immigrants and imported goods. The logic professed in the caption of this photo from the Instagram account @enligten_the_ spirit that really provoked my interest was when the contributor posted,

"Your car is German. Your vodka is Russian. Your pizza is Italian. Your kebab is Turkish. Your democracy is Greek. Your coffee is Brazilian. Your movies are American. Your tea is Tamil. Your shirt is Indian. Your oil is Saudi Arabian. Your electronics are Chinese. Your numbers Arabic, your letters Latin. And you complain that your neighbor is an immigrant? Pull yourself together."