BELLWORK What do you think attracts so many immigrants to come to the United States?

TAKE NOTES OF ANYTHING IN: BLACK

A Nation of Immigrants Chapter 14, Section 1 Essential Question: What is immigration?

Immigration Policy Immigration: the movement of people into a country to which they are not native in order to settle there. Usually, immigrants are motivated to leave their native country for a variety of reasons, for example political issues, escaping conflict or natural disaster, economic issues, etc. The Constitution gives Congress the power to make immigration policy. Throughout various times in American history anti-immigration movements have occurred, for example in the 1840’s with the large immigration of Irish Catholics, between 1880-1910 with the huge influx of Catholic and Jewish immigrants, and from the 1960’s until know with the growth of Latino and Asian immigrant populations.

Early Restrictions In 1790, Congress passed a law defining who could become a citizen if a person was not born here, it was only possible for someone who was “a free white person.” Revised after the Civil War to allow people born in Africa to become citizens, but Asian immigrants were still excluded. During the California Gold Rush, many Chinese immigrated to America, Californians began rallying against the Chinese because of them “stealing their wealth.” In 1882, Congress responded by passing the Chinese Exclusion Act which banned Chinese laborers from entering America for 10 years.

Origins of the National Quota System Congress introduced a quota system in the Immigration act of 1924. 1924 Immigration Act’s Quota System: Each country’s immigrants were limited to 2 percent of foreign-born residents from that country listed in the U.S. Census of 1890. For example, Great Britain had a high quota because there were many British- born residents in America in 1890, in contrast to the Italian quota being low because of the low number of Italians in that census. The act led to Immigration dropping sharply until the 1960’s.

1965’s Immigration Reform Act Inspired by the civil rights movement, President Johnson’s 1965 Immigration Reform Act abolished the quota system based on national origin. The new law set up an annual limit of 170,000 from the Eastern Hemisphere and 120,000 from the Western Hemisphere. 1965 Immigration Reform Act priority system: Unmarried children of U.S. Citizens Doctors, lawyers, and other professionals Married children of U.S. Citizens Siblings of U.S. Citizens Workers whose occupations are needed Refugees

1986’s Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) President Reagan’s 1986 Immigration and Reform Control Act (IRCA) had two purposes: Slow illegal immigration by punishing employers who knowingly hire undocumented immigrants, employers who violated the law paid penalties between $250 to $2000 per undocumented worker. Offer a way for long-term, undocumented immigrants to become legal, if they could show they had entered the U.S. prior to January 1982 and lived here continuously then they could apply for amnesty. There is no evidence to show improvement of illegal immigration due to this act, many considered the penalties too minimal.

The Current Political Debate As illegal immigration continues across the southwestern border, the debate continues. In 2007, George W. Bush pushed for a bill to fill short- term labor needs through a quest worker program as well as strengthen border control. Many Republicans said that the penalties the bill set up were not harsh enough and that the bill really amounted to amnesty, the bill did not pass. Amnesty: pardon to individuals for an offense against the government.

Most Current Political Debate on Immigration Watch: http://www.voanews.com/media/video/us-immigration-reform-appears-unlikely/2577764.html Quick-write: What do you think of Obama’s executive action? Do you agree with it, if so why? Do you disagree with it, if so, what do you think should be done about immigration and the growing problem of illegal immigration?

What is an alien? It isn’t an Ewok. An alien is the term for someone who lives in a country where he or she is not a citizen. All immigrants are aliens before they become citizens. There are five different types of aliens. Resident alien: is a foreigner who has established permanent residence in the U.S. Nonresident alien: a foreigner who expects to stay in the U.S. for a short, specific time period. Enemy alien: a citizen of a nation with which the U.S. is at war. Refugee alien: a person fleeing a country to escape persecution or danger. Undocumented alien: one who entered the country illegally, or one whose permit for residency has expired.

Do aliens have rights? The Bill of Rights protects anyone living in the U.S., even enemy aliens. When state governments make laws limiting the rights of aliens, the Supreme Court often strikes them down. Like citizens, aliens may own homes, attend public schools, and use public facilities. Aliens also have most of the same responsibilities as citizens, including paying taxes, and obeying the law, however they cannot vote and are usually exempt from military and jury duty. In times of war, travel of aliens may be limited, even in times of peace, they are required to notify the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services if they change their residence.

Closing Activity In 2010, Arizona passed an act that made it a misdemeanor crime for an illegal immigrant to be in Arizona without carrying registration documents required by federal law. The act sparked constitutional concerns over potential civil rights violations and many accuse it of encouraging law enforcement to racially profile. The issue made its way into the Supreme Court in 2012. In a 5 to 3 decision, the court struck down sections of the act, one was requiring legal immigrants to carry registration documents at all times. The Bill of Rights are supposed to apply to even aliens, and the act was a clear violation of that. The court left intact a section of the act that required police to arrest and hold anyone they believe has committed a crime and whom they think is in the country illegally, holding them until their immigration status could be checked. Do you think the court made the write decision? Why? Do you think the section they left advocates racial profiling? Why?