U.S. Immigration: History
and Current Issues
Ken Scott Baron
Sources: “Immigrant America” Portes and Raumbaut
Overview
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Immigration Myths
U.S. Immigration has 5 types during history:
Open
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Slightly open
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Tiny door ◘
Open and Closed ◻ /◼
Slammed Shut
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Including Important Legislation and Court Cases
Myths Taxes
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Immigrants don't pay taxes.
They pay income, property, and sales taxes at
the federal and state level. $90 - $140 billion a
year.
Undocumented immigrants pay income taxes
(taxes that cannot be matched to workers'
names and social security numbers) $20 billion
between 1990 and 1998.
Myths - Welfare
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Immigrants come here to take welfare.
The ratio: immigrant using public benefits to taxes pay is
consistently favorable to the U.S.
Immigrants earn about $240 billion a year, pay about
$90 billion a year in taxes, and use about $5 billion in
public benefits.
Myths - Job Stealers and Economy Drainers
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Immigrants take jobs and opportunity away from
Americans.
The largest immigration to the U.S. coincided with our
lowest national unemployment rate and fastest economic
growth.
Immigrants are a drain on the U.S. economy.
70% of immigrants arrive in prime working age.
We therefore haven't spent a penny on their education,
They will contribute $500 billion toward our social
security system over the next 20 years.
Myth – Don’t Learn English and are
Different than previous immigrants
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Immigrants don't want to learn English or
become Americans.
More than 75% of immigrants after 10 years speak
English well
Today's immigrants are different than those of
100 years ago.
The percentage of the U.S. population that is foreignborn now stands at 11.5%; in the early 20th century it
was 15%
Myth - Immigrants Export Money
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Immigrants send their money back to their
home countries.
In addition to the consumer spending of
immigrants immigrants and their businesses
contribute $162 billion in tax revenues
Immigrants remit billions of $$ a year to their
home, this is one of the most targeted and
effective forms of direct foreign investment.
Myth – Border and Immigrants
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Most immigrants cross the border illegally.
75% of today's immigrants have legal permanent visas;
of the 25% that are undocumented, 40% overstayed
temporary (non-immigrant) visas.
Weak U.S. border enforcement has led to high
undocumented immigration.
1986 to 1998 the Border Patrol's budget up six-fold and
the number of agents doubled to 8,500.
Also border toughened enforcement strategy, heavily
fortified typical urban entry points
Myth -Terror and Immigration
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The war on terrorism can be won through
immigration restrictions.
No security expert since 9-11 has said that restrictive
immigration measures would have prevented the
terrorists
Most of the 9/11 hijackers were here on legal visas.
Overview
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Following Historical Breakdown:
Look at current societal impacts of
immigration both legal and illegal.
Assimilation
Economics
Bilingualism
Multiculturalism
National Security
Open Immigration
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Founding of the United States until 1880.
Immigration= Relatively Easy and
Encouraged.
“Old-Wave” Immigrants primarily from
Northwest Europe.
1789 Article 1, Section 8 grants Congress
power “To Establish a Uniform Rule of
Naturalization”
Open Immigration to 1890
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Naturalization Act of 1790 – First official
act.
Two-year residency requirement
Revised in 1802 – Extended to five years
Became the Five-Year Residency Act in
1813
1819 – Began documenting all immigrants
as the left their ship
Open Immigration to 1875
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1848 - Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo –
Citizenship to those remaining in Territory
cede by Mexico
Two Waves: 1845-1854 and 1865-1875
First- Predominantly Irish and German
Second – Included British and
Scandinavian
Open Immigration to 1870
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1862 – Homestead Act
1868 – Ratification of the 14th Amendment
1870 – Citizenship granted to those of
African decent
1 million immigrants per year = 13%
foreign born
Gave rise to fear and anxiety in nativeborn
Slightly Open to 1920
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Began in 1880 and lasted 1920
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Rate of 1 million per year continued
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Shift to South, Central and Eastern Europe
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Know-Nothings and Ku Klux Klan led
restrictionist attitude.
Slightly Open except Chinese
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1882 – Chinese Exclusion Act – First piece
of legislation aimed at a particular race or
nationality.
Virtually stopped Chinese immigration
ten years.
Reenacted in 1888, 1892 and 1904
Slightly Open, Still Restrictions
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1885 – Foran Act – illegal to fund
immigration of others.
1888 – Scott Act – extended Chinese
Exclusion act ten years/ barred return.
1889 – Chae Chan Ping v. United States
upheld Scott Act.
Slightly Open to 1920
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1892 – Ellis Island
1894 – Bureau of Immigration
1898 – Wong Kim Ark v. United States:
Native born are eligible for nat.
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even if parents are not.
1907 – Dillingham Commission: Led to the quota acts of
the 1920s
Tiny Door for Some
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The “Pet-Door Era” – 1920-1965
Pro-restrictionist groups pushed for quota
acts: 1921, 1924, 1929
Immigration shifted back to Northwest
Europe.
Era of restrictive legislation
Tiny Door More Quotas
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1921 – 3% of pop. Of a country as of 1910 census.
only 4 million entered from 1920-1930
1924 – Johnson-Reed Act – 2% of pop. Of a country as
of 1890 census.
Brought about shift back to Northwest Europe
Barred most Asians – “aliens ineligible for
citizenship”
1929 – proportion of pop. Or of each nationality for 1920
census.
Only 150,000 admitted.
Tiny Door for Women
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1922 – Cable Act – women can become
naturalized unless married to ineligible
alien.
Labor Appropriations Act of 1924
Established the U.S. Border Patrol
Great Depression
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Immigration slowed dramatically between 1929
and 1939
1940 – End of Depression – Congress passed
Registration Law and Nationality Act
Required all citizens to register address
annually.
Consolidated all naturalization policy into
one Act.
Tiny Door then Opening
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1942 – Executive Order 9066 – Japanese
Americans to relocation camps.
1943 – Hirabayashi v. United States upheld
“military necessity”
1944 – Korematsu v. United States allowed for
excluded zones
1952 – Immigration and Naturalization Act
removed racial and national-origin barrier.
Open and Closed
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Began with the Immigration and
Naturalization Act of 1965
Replaced quota system with preference
system
Immigration in the following decade was
up 60%
Act was amended in 1966 to allow for
more refugees
Open and Closed to some
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1967 Afroyim v. Rusk – Dual Citizenship
1970s – concerns over immigrants
entering illegally
5.4 million immigrants entered
1978 – Pres. Carter – Select Commission
on Immigration and Refugee Policy
Recommended closing backdoor and
opening front door.
Open and Closed
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1980 Refugee Act
1986 – Immigration Reform and Control
Act (IRCA)
Immigration Act of 1990 (IMMACT)
Culmination of IRCA and SCIRP
1993 - NAFTA
Open and Closed
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California passed Proposition 187
Claimed Illegal immigration was a
financial burden
LULAC et al. v. Pete Wilson et al. –
declared 187 unconstitutional
1996 – Illegal Immigrant Reform and
Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA)
Slammed Shut
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Began in 2001 as a result of 9/11 terrorist
attacks
2001 – USA Patriot Act
2002 – INS is abolished and duties
granted to Department of Homeland
Security
2005 – USA Patriot Act Improvements and
Reauthorization Act
Current Immigration Issues
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Assimilation – Conflicting Values and Norms
Transnationalism – Back and Forth for well off
immigrants
Economics: “Push-Pull”, “Equilibrium”, “Labor-Capital”
“Family Migration”
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Bilingualism “Litmus Test of English” unlike Europe
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Multiculturalism – Canada encourages, US not so.
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National Security – Post 911 strong
Assimilation
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1st step – Naturalization process
Pre-1970s – Strong pressures on
immigrants to assimilate into the culture
Large numbers – fear that immigrants
would not form emotional attachment to
new country
Assimilation
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Assimilate by acquiring skills
Naturalization – more job opportunities
Proponents: Immigrants have no problem
assimilating
Age is greatest distinguishing factor
Economics
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Pros:
more workers create more wealth
provide basis for S. Security and Medicare
most still pay income and property taxes
benefit from brain-drain of other nations
Economics
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Cons:
Immigrant wages are decreasing
Create a strain on taxpayers and government
Tax burden in most states: couple hundred $/yr
Bilingualism
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Economic and Ideological detriment
Single language unifies incredible
diversity
Multiple languages are inefficient
Argument for: too many Americans are
illiterate anyway
Multiculturalism
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Distinct Culture Groups
Organizational and Conceptual Borders
Maintain ties to home country, thus no
true American identity
Proponents: Proportion has remained
stable over the years
National Security
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Major Concern recently – Became
important in 1920s
7,000 miles of border
Department of Homeland Security
Struggle until recently
Advances in transportation security
Creative thinking to prevent attacks
Summary and Review
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Five Eras of Immigration: Open-Door, Door
Ajar, Pet-Door, Revolving-Door, Storm-Door
Immigration: history of legislation
Current Issues: Assimilation, Economics,
Bilingualism, Multiculturalism, and National
Security