New Immigrants, New Americans

Recent emigration from Latin America and the Caribbean– Four Case Studies

• Dominicans, Haitians, Salvadorans and Columbians

Contemporary emigration from Asia and the Pacific Islands– Four Case Studies

• Indian, Korean, Filipino and Vietnamese

Arab AmericansEmigrants from AfricaPrimary and Secondary Labor MarketsEthnic EnclavesSegmented Assimilation

City passes resolution urging immigration law enforcement

By Doug Keeler

Midway Driller Editor, November 16, 2007

The City of Taft is joining other cities like Bakersfield to demand the federal government more effectively enforce its immigration laws and crack down on illegal immigration.

The Taft City Council unanimously adopted a resolution urging government to reform current immigration laws; enforce the laws in effect; develop policies to encourage immigrants to learn English; reimburse local governments for the costs incurred dealing with local immigration; and directed the Taft Police Department to continue to “fully cooperate with the federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

Craig Noble proposed the resolution.

He said it was the same one passed by the Bakersfield City Council and was given to him by Bakersfield City Councilman Zack Scrivener.

“It's not the city's responsibility to take on the role of enforcing immigration laws,” Noble said.

Councilman Dave Noerr strongly supported the proposal.

“All we are trying to do is enforce the laws of our own country.

Immigration Legislation

Nationality Act of October 14, 1940 – Codified and revised the naturalization, citizenship, and

expatriation laws to strengthen the national defense. The naturalization and nationality regulations were rewritten and the forms used in naturalization proceedings were revised.

Agricultural Act of October 31, 1949– Facilitated the entry of seasonal farm workers to meet labor

shortages in the United States. Further extension of the Mexican Bracero Program.

Immigration and Nationality Act of June 27, 1952 Brought into one comprehensive statute the multiple laws which, before its enactment, governed

immigration and naturalization in the United States. In general, perpetuated the immigration policies from earlier statutes with the following significant modifications

Introduced a system of selected immigration by giving a quota preference to skilled aliens whose services are urgently needed in the United States and to relatives of U.S. citizens and aliens.

Broadened the grounds for exclusion and deportation of aliens.

Introduced the alien address report system whereby all aliens in the United States (including most temporary visitors) were required annually to report their current address to the INS.

Established a central index of all aliens in the United States for use by security and enforcement agencies.

Made all races eligible for naturalization, thus eliminating race as a bar to immigration.

Eliminated discrimination between sexes with respect to immigration.

Revised the national origins quota system of the Immigration Act of 1924 by changing the national origins quota formula: set the annual quota for an area at one-sixth of one percent of the number of inhabitants in the continental United States in 1920 whose ancestry or national origin was attributable to that area. All countries were allowed a minimum quota of 100, with a ceiling of 2,000 on most natives of countries in the Asia-Pacific triangle, which broadly encompassed the Asian countries.

Immigration and Nationality Act, 1965

Abolished the national origins quota system (originally established in 1921 and most recently modified in 1952),.Family reunification became the cornerstone of U.S. immigration policy. Allocated 170,000 visas to countries in the Eastern Hemisphere and 120,000 to countries in the Western Hemisphere. Each Eastern-Hemisphere country was allowed an allotment of 20,000 visas, while in the Western Hemisphere there was no per-country limit.

This was the first time any numerical limitation had been placed on immigration from the Western Hemisphere. Non-quota immigrants and immediate relatives (i.e., spouses, minor children, and parents of U.S. citizens over the age of 21) were not to be counted as part of either the hemispheric or country ceiling.

For the first time, gave higher preference to the relatives of American citizens and permanent resident aliens than to applicants with special job skills. The preference system for visa admissions detailed in the law (modified in 1990) was as follows:

1. Unmarried adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.

2. Spouses and children and unmarried sons and daughters of permanent resident aliens.

3. Members of the professions and scientists and artists of exceptional ability.

4. Married children of U.S. citizens. 5. Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens over age

twenty-one. 6. Skilled and unskilled workers in occupations for

which there is insufficient labor supply. 7. Refugees given conditional entry or adjustment —

chiefly people from Communist countries and the Middle East.

8. Applicants not entitled to preceding preferences — i.e., everyone else.

Immigration Reform and Control Act,November 6, 1986

Authorized legalization (i.e., temporary and then permanent resident status) for aliens who had resided in the United States in an unlawful status since January 1, 1982 (entering illegally or as temporary visitors with authorized stay expiring before that date or with the Government’s knowledge of their unlawful status before that date) and are not excludable. Created sanctions prohibiting employers from knowingly hiring, recruiting, or referring for a fee aliens not authorized to work in the United States.

Created a new classification of seasonal agricultural worker and provisions for the legalization of certain such workers.

Extended the registry date (i.e., the date from which an alien has resided illegally and continuously in the United States and thus qualifies for adjustment to permanent resident status) from June 30, 1948 to January 1, 1972. Authorized adjustment to permanent resident status for Cubans and Haitians who entered the United States without inspection and had continuously resided in country since January 1, 1982. Allocated 5,000 nonpreference visas in each of fiscal years 1987 and 1988 for aliens born in countries from which immigration was adversely affected by the 1965 act.

CA Proposition 187, 1994

An effort to curtail and control the flow of illegal immigrants. Policy would have given access to educational, health and other government services to legal immigrants only. Policy declared unconstitutional and thus never officially implemented.Many CA communities implementing similar policies in unofficial ways.

Patriot Act, 2001: Immigration Provisions

Subtitle B--Enhanced Immigration Provisions

Sec. 411. Definitions relating to terrorism. Sec. 412. Mandatory detention of suspected terrorists; habeas corpus; judicial review. Sec. 413. Multilateral cooperation against terrorists. Sec. 414. Visa integrity and security. Sec. 415. Participation of Office of Homeland Security on Entry-Exit Task Force. Sec. 416. Foreign student monitoring program. Sec. 417. Machine readable passports. Sec. 418. Prevention of consulate shopping.

Subtitle C--Preservation of Immigration Benefits for Victims of Terrorism

Sec. 421. Special immigrant status. Sec. 422. Extension of filing or reentry deadlines. Sec. 423. Humanitarian relief for certain surviving spouses and children. Sec. 424. `Age-out' protection for children. Sec. 425. Temporary administrative relief. Sec. 426. Evidence of death, disability, or loss of employment. Sec. 427. No benefits to terrorists or family members of terrorists. Sec. 428. Definitions.

Real ID Act, 2005

Affect the flow of Legal Permanent Residents (LPR)Eliminated 10,000 annual cap on asylee adjustments of statesRecaptured 50,000 employment-based visas to be used for Schedule A occupationsUS workers must not be affected adversely by Schedule A LPRs (primarily medical field including nurses and PTs)Bars states from issuing drivers licenses to persons who cannot prove that they are citizens, nationals, permanent residents, or have lawful immigration status in the U.S.

Discussion Questions

Migration Theories– Push-pull– Chain Migration

Dominant-Minority Theories– Noel– Blauner

Segmented Assimilation Theories– For– Against

Labor Market Theories– Primary– Secondary

In-Class Exercise

Using one of the “four group case studies”, examine how one of the immigration laws presented tonight affected those groups.

Which Migration theory applies to those groups and why?

Which Labor Markets did your groups find and why?