Problems that Led to Creation of the 1965 Act
Ethnic Discrimination
Civil Rights
Illegal Immigration
Refugees
Groups Affected by Immigration
Controversial Issues
- The issue of immigration affects:
- Legal immigrants
- Illegal immigrants
- Prospective immigrants
- Refugees
- US citizens
- Border control
- Access to social services
- Amnesty
- Job protection
- Cultural Values
- Population Growth
Conclusion
- Major subject of debate for the 2016 presidential election, pointing towards the necessity of a future change
- Reform will require bipartisan cooperation and compromise
- The church must play an integral role in caring for and advocating for immigrants
This is Donald Trump and he did not approve this message!
"They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. THEY'RE RAPISTS!"
"I would build a great wall, nobody builds better walls than me!"
"BOATS!" - Donald Trump
"PROBABLY!" - Donald Trump
"Some of them - I assume - are good people."
How the Church Should Respond
History of the Policy
1. There needs to be advocates in the church to counter the negative media portrayals of immigrants
2. We need to see immigrants the way God sees them and "welcome the stranger"
3. Understand that it is not our responsibility to enforce laws
4. Speak out against the inadequacies of the current immigration system instead of blaming immigrants for being here illegally
Timeline
- Immigration Act of 1924 - Each country had a quota representative of its population in the U.S. as of the 1920 census
- 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act (McCarran-Walter Act) - Gave preference to relatives and those with skills and served as a precursor for the 1965 Act
- Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 - Abolished the quota system and focused more on family reunification and the employment of skilled workers in the US
- 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act - Provided amnesty for 2 million undocument persons who had continuously lived in the US before Janurary 1st, 1982
- 1990 Immigration Act - Allowed for the admission of immigrants from so called "underrespresented" countries
- 1996 - More difficult for poor immigrants to enter the US by making sponsorship more difficult to complete and restricting access to social welfare programs in the US
- 2001 DREAM Act - Never federally passed but provided a framework for states to implement and for the DACA of 2012
- 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) - Grants legal presence and defers deportation for children of immigrants under 31 that arrived before they turned 16
Current Problems Regarding the Act 1965
- Poor regulation of illegal immigration
- Border control
- Temporary visas
- Negative media portrayal of immigrants
- Dehumanization of immigrants
- 11 million undocumented immigrants are currently in America
- Economic impacts of immigration
- Job protection
- Welfare services
- Unequal distribution of cost between federal and state governments
Areas of Reform
Details of the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965
- Main focus on family reunification and skilled workers
- Permeable cap of 20,000 immigrants per country; 290,000 total
- Family of US citizens exempted from quotas
- 50,000 annual diversity visas
- Focus on deporting criminals- legal or illegal
- Focus on border control
Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Comprehensive Immigration reform should include:
- Humanitarian border control
- Reduce backlogs through reform of family reunification system
- Create legal paths for workers and their families
- Earned legalization of undocumented workers
- Guarantee rights of immigrants
- Programs to help with integration into US society
The Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965