Immigration a National Concern

Immigration a National Concern In history class the United States of America was commonly referred to as a “Melting Pot” of cultural and racial backgrounds. The open–immigration policy that was maintained until the late nineteenth century helped to populate the United States. From 1800 thru 1890, the United States population grew from 5.3 million to 62.6 million (Brunner 392). Immigration had a huge impact on how the United States grew socially and economically. It was a new world that offered hope and new beginnings. It was place of safety and freedom, a place where opportunity and success could be found around every corner. Today some still see the United States as a place to prosper, however to those who were born and lived here see it in a different light. It is a place where native born citizens are continually being pushed out of their communities because of weak immigration policies. They deal with overcrowded education systems and lack of adequate job opportunities to support themselves and families and where politicians say one thing when to get in office do another when there. A survey that was taken in September 1994 showed that out of 800 people, 49 percent were bothered about the presence of illegal immigrants. Over a decade later in April 2007, 45 percent of 1009 people surveyed were personally worried about the presence of illegal immigration (Segovia 378). With these social, economic, and political inequities, the United States must adopt and implement stronger immigration policies restricting immigration and preventing further deterioration of its society. The first immigration policies in the United States started in port colonies such as New York and Boston by imposing a head tax on passenger vessels. Immigration as a federal initiative began in 1790 when congress passed the first nationalization statute defining who was eligible for citizenship in the New Republic (McCue 53). Since then federal immigration policy has defined who, why, and how long an individual can come and stay in the United States. The goals of immigration can be categorized into five categories: 1) social (family reunification policies), 2) economic (labor and market expansion policies), 3) moral/humanitarian (political asylum and political refugees), 4) cultural (diversity policies), and 5) security (policies aimed at reducing illegal immigration and controlling entry) (McCue 54).
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 altered the previous 1952 immigration act whereby it abolished the quota system, put limits on immigrations from the Western Hemisphere, added a cap of twenty thousand immigrants per year from any one country, and extended the family reunification to include parents of citizens (Brunner 391). This act made it easier for immigrants to come to the United States, which was seen as an influx of Asians and Hispanics during the 1980s and 1990s. Though the Federal policy dictated who was able to come in, it did not take into consideration where these immigrants were residing once in the United States (McCue 53). This influx created a huge strain on local communities. Since the local governments had little influence on immigration, they found that the new immigrants were displacing native-born older established residents. Many communities are now confronted with overcrowding in schools, increased need for after-school programs, and community outreach programs (McCue 53).
With low immigrant levels from the 1920s to early 1960s, higher academic achievements were produced among New York City elementary and secondary students. The increased volume of enrollment and language factors exerted added pressures on the school systems (Jeynes 248). Very few immigrants arrive in the United States with a fluency in English. In fact around the turn of the century, like today, the children present in a given classroom often came from several different language backgrounds (Jeynes 251).
Another challenging factor for United States born students, is finding suitable employment. Competition with immigrants lowers wage earnings and reduces their access to graduate training and job opportunities. Low wages and limited job opportunities in turn discourage future domestic talent from pursuing certain careers (Fetcher 29).
Recently immigration concerns have been a heated topic of debate and people look towards government and politicians to help with the issue. According to an article written by Cindy Carcamo regarding a recent poll, most United States voters disapprove of President Barack Obama’s handling of illegal immigration. The poll showed that 60 percent of respondents disapprove of his handling of illegal immigration, while 25 percent approved and the rest didn’t know. With the increase of unemployment, a stiff job market, a slow economy coupled by competition with immigrants legal or illegal, the federal government needs to take a stronger stance on immigration and implement policies such as the point system.
In the article “Immigration in the Twenty – First Century A personal Selection approach” by Lawrence Brunner and Stephen Colarelli, applicants for immigration are assessed according to desirable characteristics. Other countries such as Canada and Australia currently have this method in place. This point system is similar to an employment application where applicants are awarded an allotment of points for each criterion they meet. As an example, those who have a degree or fluency in English would obtain a certain amount of points. More points are allotted for married individuals or those between the ages of twenty five to thirty five years old. Brunner and Stephen suggested that “older immigrants have fewer years of productive work life remaining and will burden the Social Security system, Medicare and other government programs. Immigrants younger than twenty five are less likely to have completed their education and to have acquired work skills (402). Some economists agree with the point system; that the United States would benefit if immigrants are admitted only if they possessed the needed skills. In addition, the point system criteria could be linked with national goals.
Native born citizens are suffering because of current outdated immigration policies. It is time to stop straining the educations systems, help find jobs for the unemployed and create a promising future for native generations. It is time the United States closes down its doors, adopt and enforces a more stringent policy on immigration and start being fair to those who were born and lived here.

Works Cited
Carcamo, Cindy. “Poll: Voters disapprove of Obama’s handling of illegal immigration.” Orange County Register, 16 September 2010: News. Print.
Brunner, Lawrence, and Colarelli, Stephen M. “Immigration in the Twenty-First Century A Personal Selection Approach.” Independent Review, Winter 2010, 389-413. Print.
Fetcher, Alan, and Teitelbaum, Michael S. “A Fresh Approach to Immigration.” Issues In Science and Technology, Spring 1997, 28-32. Print.
Jeynes, William H. “Immigration in the United States and the Golden Years of Education: Was Ravitch Right?.” Educational Studies, June 2004, 248-270. Print.
McCue, Clifford P., and Norris-Tirrell, Dorothy. “The Impact of immigration Policy on Communities: An Introduction to the Symposium.” Policy Studies Journal, 2002, 53- 57.
Segovia, Francine, and Defever, Renatta. “The Polls – Trends, American Public Opinion on Immigrants and Immigration Policy.” Public Opinion Quarterly, Summer 2010, 375- 394. Print.

Cited: Carcamo, Cindy. “Poll: Voters disapprove of Obama’s handling of illegal immigration.” Orange County Register, 16 September 2010: News. Print. Brunner, Lawrence, and Colarelli, Stephen M. “Immigration in the Twenty-First Century A Personal Selection Approach.” Independent Review, Winter 2010, 389-413. Print. Fetcher, Alan, and Teitelbaum, Michael S. “A Fresh Approach to Immigration.” Issues In Science and Technology, Spring 1997, 28-32. Print. Jeynes, William H. “Immigration in the United States and the Golden Years of Education: Was Ravitch Right?.” Educational Studies, June 2004, 248-270. Print. McCue, Clifford P., and Norris-Tirrell, Dorothy. “The Impact of immigration Policy on Communities: An Introduction to the Symposium.” Policy Studies Journal, 2002, 53- 57. Segovia, Francine, and Defever, Renatta. “The Polls – Trends, American Public Opinion on Immigrants and Immigration Policy.” Public Opinion Quarterly, Summer 2010, 375- 394. Print.