40 the immigration debate

8/2/2019 40 the Immigration Debate

1/23

Lets Get Started
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2xa4qHCGKw&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2xa4qHCGKw&feature=related


2/23

The Immigration debate

How much immigration is good for the USA?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ticH7r2rGw&feature=related


3/23

Learning Outcomes

What?

To examine the key arguments over immigration policy in

USA

How?

Teacher and students working together

Why?

To enable to understand the issue of immigration in the U

today.


4/23

Immigration
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/immigration-to-the-usa/5627.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHMovmc36ik&feature=related


5/23

The USAs immigration laws

The 1990 Immigration Act (IMMACT) limits the annual number of immigrants to 700,000.

Controversy has arisen over existing immigration law and immigration outside the law, especially over the 7.5

million illegal alien workers with more than 12 million household members already inside the U.S. Another 700,00to 850,000 are predicted to enter each coming year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8JKcv0IXOo


6/23

Trends in US ImmigrationThe US accepts around 1m people aslegal immigrants every year. Thisfigure has risen in number in recent

years.

The graphs (right) show that illegalimmigration to the USA has risenrapidly (to around 12-13m people) inrecent years. Today, around 12% ofpeople living in the US are foreignborn (37m).

Most illegal immigrants to the USA come from poor countries such

Mexico (est. 6.2m), other South Americans countries or Asia. Themajority of illegal immigrants are found in the US border States oUSA.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456958/html/nn3page1.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456958/html/nn3page1.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456958/html/nn3page1.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456958/html/nn3page1.stmhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/learning/learningzone/clips/411


7/23

Illegal immigration and Mexico

The USA more than most is a nation of immigrants. The debate in the USA is about who should be allowed inmany should be allowed in and on what basis.

Mexico is a pressing issue. Roughly half of Mexico's population lives on less than $5 a day. The US minimum $7.25 an hour. Its not hard to see the attraction of El Norte.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuPWCovsGeM


8/23

Economic Migrants and Refugees

America has constantly drawn strength and spirit fwave after wave of immigrants ...

They have proved to be the most restless, the mosadventurous, the most innovative, the most industrof people

President Bill Clinton, 1998

As with all countries, it is important to distinguish betweeneconomic migrants, who generally do not gain legal admissiand refugees, as defined by international law, who can gain status through a process of seeking and receiving asylum.

Refugees compose about one-tenth of the total annualimmigration to the United States.

Becoming a US Citizen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJVgA7mjJrA&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJVgA7mjJrA&feature=related


9/23

Operation Jumpstart

There's an important debate facing our

nation, and the debate is, can we secure thisborder and, at the same time, honor ourhistory of being a land of immigrants? And theanswer is, absolutely, we can do both. And wewill do both.

President Bush, 3 August 2006

President Bush attempted to neutralise the immigrationissue with his Immigration Bill of 2006-07. OperationJumpstart was his plan to solve the immigration

problem.

Like much else of Bushs domestic agenda, the

President ran into Congressional opposition and the bill

ultimately failed in June 2007.

He did though succeed in using the National Guard topatrol the US/Mexico border.

Border Security USA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is9snBBHaO4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is9snBBHaO4


10/23

Pro-Immigration groups: A Day without Immigrants

Strength of feeling on the issue wasillustrated in March 2006 when hundreds ofthousands of activists marched in Californiato protest against plans to criminaliseundocumented workers.

The Day Without Immigrants protest was aday when legal and some illegal immigrants

stopped work to show the contributionimmigrants make to America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWbyi8Oty2Q&feature=related


11/23

Anti-immigration groups: The Minutemen

"I think it is very importanthave a secure border righnow anyone can cross ouborders and just come rigin. How secure are we fro9/11 type attack if anyonecan just walk over? If it ke

up we will not be Americabut part of Mexico in the ntoo distant future."

Spokesperson,

The MinutemenBy contrast, the Minutemen are a vigilantegroup who volunteer to patrol the US/Mexicoborder to keep out illegal immigrants.


12/23

The language debate

The widespread use of Spanish in Amer

cities has generated a public debate ovelanguage. Some English speakers arecalling for a law declaring English the ofAmerican language.

Others consider such a law unnecessarand likely to cause harm. They citeSwitzerland as a place where the existeof multiple languages does not underminational unity.

Recognition of English as the officiallanguage, they argue, would stigmatizespeakers of other languages and make difficult for them to live their daily lives.


13/23

Are immigrants a drain on resources?

It is argued that immigrants drain scarce resources. A study in the Journal of AmericanPhysicians and Surgeons concluded that the burden of illegal immigrants on the health caresystem in the US forced many hospitals to close due to unpaid bills.


14/23

Crime

The lack of an effective immigration policy means that people traffickers (coyotes)can exploit poorimmigrants.

Even after paying to be trafficked into the USA, illegal immigrants can be used for prostitution, chealabour or to smuggle drugs.


15/23

Do immigrants enrich America?

Supporters of immigration point to the contribution immigrants make to the US economy. They claim that newimmigrants work harder and they also add to the cultural melting pot which the USA has always been.

President OBama!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fllzUQKYLY&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fllzUQKYLY&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDj6tSExaqs


16/23

Are immigrants necessary for the US economy?

It is highly unlikely that many businesses in Southern California, especially, could cope withoutimmigrants.

That was the essential message of the Day Without Immigrants protest. Vineyards, restaurantshousemaids, cleaners, low paid, insecure jobs are carried out by illegal immigrants, often paid l

than minimum wage, with no holiday or sick pay.


17/23

A Human Rights Issue?

Defending the rights of immigrants was one of the founding principles of the AmericanCivil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Just as African slaves played a key part in the building of America, human rights activistsclaim illegal immigrants are the slaves of modern America.

President Obamas 2008 campaign anthem Yes We Can was adapted from the 1960sMexican American farm labourers chant Si Se Puede
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qErFzLPQyhU&feature=related


18/23

ARIZONA LAW

Arizonas state law on immigration,

SB1070, signed on April 23 2010,makes illegal immigration a state

misdemeanour (in addition to beingfederal civil violation).

It empowers local police to makelawful contact in order to check th

immigration status of people whocause reasonable suspicion and t

arrest them if they lack documents.

To the Hispanic community, this, ineffect, means that Hispanic lookingdrivers will be pulled over by the poon potentially any pretext.

Arizona Law
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ltqJ8-FG8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ltqJ8-FG8


19/23

THE NEW POLITICS OF IMMIGRATION

Pro-immigration groups havbeen mobilised.

Arizona has suffered boycotand many companies havecancelled conferences.

Your Vote is Your Voice, slogan of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project.

Antonio Gonzalez of SVREEP says that SB1070 has made the Hispanic lobby 100 times

larger than the Tea Party.

Todos somos Arizona demonstration
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb0pDX9tEK4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEWIf065au8&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb0pDX9tEK4


20/23

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND IMMIGRATION

President Obama has promised comprehensiv

of immigration and while criticising Arizona,acknowledges the lack of federal action on immhas encouraged actions such as SB1070.

He has stated that illegal immigrants need a pa

legal status. This would involve illegals registe

admitting that they had broken the law, pay a fintaxes and learn English. Not, in essence, that m

different from President Bushs plan.

Indeed, President Obama has deported more pthan any other President. On average, more thapeople per day, most of them Hispanics have bdeported since 2009.

Obama and Immigration reform
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnIN3AF9bd0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnIN3AF9bd0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpGuMXLW5fg&feature=related


21/23

ALABAMA LAW

The new Alabama legislation requires schoolsand employers to find out whether their studentsand workers are in the country legally.

It also makes it a crime knowingly to give a lift orrent a room to an undocumented worker.

Alabamas state police also has new powers. If,

in the course of their duties, they come across

anyone whose status is suspect they are able todetain them without question.

Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama

Alabama Law

S C D 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EcWQT_pcbYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EcWQT_pcbY


22/23

Supreme Court Dec 2011

ALABAMA HAS PREVAILED WHERE FOUR OTHER STATES WHICH

ENACTED ANTI-IMMIGRANT STATE LAWS, INCLUDING ARIZONA, DIDNOT. TODAY ALABAMA LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WILL HAVE T

RIGHT TO QUESTION AND DETAIN ANYONE THEY SUSPECT MAY BE

UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT, GOV. ROBERT BENTLEY SAID, AFTER

FEDERAL JUDGE UPHELD KEY PROVISIONS OF THE STATES

IMMIGRATION LAW ON WEDNESDAY.

YESTERDAY U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE SHARON LOVELACE BLACKBURN

RETURNED HER RULING FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICES

CHALLENGE TO ALABAMAS RECENTLY PASSED HB 56, WIDELY

RECOGNIZED AS THE HARSHEST STATE IMMIGRATION LAW ON THE

BOOKS. BLACKBURN BLOCKED SEVERAL PARTS OF THE LAW, BUT LE

STAND PROVISIONS THAT NO OTHER JUDGE CONSIDERING THESE LASO FAR HAS, INCLUDING PROVISIONS THAT GIVE LAW ENFORCEME

OFFICERS UNPRECEDENTED POWER TO ACT AS IMMIGRATION AGE

T d
http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/06/alabama_immigration.htmlhttp://colorlines.com/archives/2011/06/alabama_immigration.html


23/23

To do

1. What is the power of states over immigration?

2. Give 5 reasons why immigration is more of an issue in 2

3. Who are coyotes and minutemen?

4. Name 2 states with large Hispanic populations what is

importance of these states for November?

5. Who is Alan Bersain?

6. Why did Arizona pass theirimmigration law?

7. Explain what is meant by no match legislation.

8. Give a brief description of other laws are suggested?

9. Cut n paste immigration sheet

40 the immigration debate

Documents