Mod Am So Lesson 4

The New Colossus / Emma Lazarus

1790 NATURALIZATION ACT

Excluded non-white people from eligibility to naturalize. Naturalization requirements included two years of residence in the country and “good moral character,” and an applicant must be a “free white person.” The Naturalization Act of 1795 extended the residency requirement to five years. In 1798, this was extended to 14 years, then back to five in 1802.

ALIEN ENEMIES ACT 1798

The Alien Enemies Act authorized the imprisonment or deportation of male citizens (ages 14 and older) of a hostile nation during times of war; the act was used during World War II, and today a modified version permits the president to detain, relocate or deport alien enemies during war.

IMMIGRATION ACT OF 1864

IMMIGRATION ACT OF 1864

(ALSO KNOWN AS AN ACT TO ENCOURAGE IMMIGRATION)

To address labor shortages due to the Civil War, this act made contracts for immigrant labor formed abroad enforceable by U.S. courts. It also created a commissioner of immigration, appointed by the president to serve under the secretary of state.

NATURALIZATION ACT OF 1870

Amends naturalization requirements to extend eligibility to individuals of African nativity or descent.

NATURALIZATION ACT OF 1870

CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT

Banned Chinese laborers from immigrating for the next 10 years and authorized deportation of unauthorized Chinese immigrants. Any Chinese immigrant who resided in the U.S. as of Nov. 17, 1880, could remain but was barred from naturalizing. The 1892 Geary Act extended this law for an additional 10 years and required that Chinese nationals obtain identification papers.

IMMIGRATION ACT OF 1903

IMMIGRATION ACT OF 1903

(ALSO KNOWN AS ANARCHIST EXCLUSION ACT)

Banned anarchists, beggars and importers of prostitutes from immigrating. It is the first U.S. law to restrict immigration based on immigrants’ political beliefs.

1917 IMMIGRATION ACT

(ALSO KNOWN AS “ASIATIC BARRED ZONE ACT”)

Banned immigration from most Asian countries, except the Philippines, which was a U.S. colony, and Japan, whose government voluntarily eliminated the immigration of Japanese laborers as part of the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907. Required immigrants over the age of 16 to demonstrate basic reading ability in any language.

1921 EMERGENCY QUOTA ACT

1921 EMERGENCY QUOTA ACT

First U.S. law to create numerical quotas for immigration based on nationality. Quotas were equal to 3% of the foreign-born population of that nationality in the 1910 census. Immigration from Asian countries continued to be barred. Nationality quotas did not apply to countries in the Western Hemisphere, government officials or temporary visitors. Under this law, total annual immigration was capped at 350,000.

IMMIGRATION ACT OF 1924

Further restricted immigration decreasing the annual cap from 350,000 to 165,000. Nationality quotas equaled 2% of the foreign-born individuals of that nationality in the 1890 census with a minimum quota of 100. As a result, the law favored migration from northern and western European countries with longer histories of migration to the U.S. while limiting migration from eastern and southern European countries with newer immigration patterns. Immigration from Asian countries continued to be barred, and the law added a formal restriction on Japanese immigration. Denied entry to the U.S. to anyone who is ineligible to become a citizen due to race (only whites and people of African nativity or descent were eligible).

IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT

IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT

Formally removed race as an exclusion for immigration and naturalization and granted Asian countries a minimum quota of 100 visas per year (though this was still based on ancestry, not nationality; for example, a person with Chinese ancestry coming from the U.K. would be counted in the Chinese quota regardless of nationality/birthplace). Updated the national origins quota to one-sixth of 1% of each nationality’s population in the 1920 census. As a result, most spots were for immigrants from the United Kingdom, Ireland and Germany. Under this law, political activities, ideology and mental health, among other criteria, served as a basis for exclusion and deportation. This law also created quota preferences for skilled immigrants and family reunification.

REFUGEE RELIEF ACT

Authorized special non-quota visas for more than 200,000 refugees and allowed these immigrants to become permanent residents.

REFUGEE RELIEF ACT

IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT AMENDMENTS OF 1976 AND 1978

IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT AMENDMENTS ...

The 1976 amendments to the 1965 law included the Western Hemisphere in the preference system and the 20,000 per year visa limits. This mostly affected Mexico at the time since it was the only Western Hemisphere country that substantially exceeded 20,000 visas annually. In 1978, an amendment to the law established a worldwide limit of 290,000 visas annually. This removed the prior Eastern and Western hemisphere caps.

IMMIGRATION REFORM AND CONTROL ACT

IMMIGRATION REFORM AND CONTROL ACT

Granted a pathway to permanent residency to unauthorized immigrant workers who lived in the U.S. since 1982 or worked in certain agricultural jobs. (Approximately 2.7 million were granted this status.) Creates the H-2A visa for temporary, seasonal agricultural workers. Imposes sanctions on employers who knowingly hire unauthorized workers and increases border enforcement.

IMMIGRATION ACT OF 1990

Increased annual immigration cap to 700,000 during fiscal years 1992-1994, followed by 675,000 as of the 1995 fiscal year, and revises the preference categories. This allocates 480,000 family-sponsored visas, 140,000 employment-based visas, and 55,000 “diversity immigrant” visas annually. It also creates H-1B visas for highly skilled temporary workers and H-2B for seasonal, non-agricultural workers and revises the grounds for exclusion and deportation, particularly those based on political and ideological grounds. This act authorized the attorney general to grant “temporary protected status” (TPS) to nationals of countries suffering from armed conflicts, natural disasters or ““other extraordinary and temporary conditions.” Today, the secretary of homeland security may designate a country for TPS under the same conditions.

HOMELAND SECURITY ACT 2002

In the wake of 9/11, the Homeland Security Act transfers nearly all the functions of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which includes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

SECURE FENCE ACT 2006

Following the failure of immigration reform legislation in the Senate, this law mandates the construction of a double-layered fence approximately 700 miles long (not yet completed, largely due to lack of funding) and increases staffing and technology at the Southwest border.

DEFERRED ACTION FOR PARENTS OF AMERICANS AND LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENTS (DAPA) AND DACA PROGRAM EXPANDED

DEFERRED ACTION FOR PARENTS OF AMERICANS AND LAWF...

A second executive action by Presiden Obama, it allows unauthorized immigrant parents who have lived in the U.S. at least five years and have children who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents to apply for deportation relief and a three-year work permit. Also expands eligibility for DACA to any unauthorized immigrant who entered the U.S. illegally as a child. This executive action is on hold as a state challenge works its way through the courts.

And today's policy

CONVO!

CONVO!

• What was the most interesting historical/legal change in the approach towards immigration?
• What do you know about the history of immigration in your own country?
• How can a change of law affect the population in general? Can you give examples?

No Jews

No Irish

Not Quite White

Nobody really

Immigrants are bad

so...

prez

CONVO!

• Do you have any friends or family who are immigrants? How does that affect your view of immigration?
• What should immigrants know before they can become citizens?
• What would happen if we erased all country borders and let people live wherever they wanted? Would it be a good or bad thing? Why?

CONVO!

Right now...

Since 2000, legal immigrants to the United States number approximately 1,000,000 per year, of whom about 600,000 are Change of Status who already are in the U.S. Legal immigrants to the United States now are at their highest level ever, at just over 37,000,000 legal immigrants.

How to get citizenship

Naturalization

Source: Migration Policy Institute

Deportation

Risks and rights

Innovation and jobs

CONVO!

CONVO!

• When is immigration helpful to a country and when is harmful?
• Do you think immigrants to a country work harder than people born in that country? Why or why not?
• What can cause a country to change it's mind about immigration policies?
• When a government has decided to change their mind about immigration policy, how might they use propaganda to change public opinion?

Examples

Explain why these examples are 'petitio principii'

• Everyone wants the new iPhone because it is the hottest new gadget on the market!
• God is real because the Bible says so, and the Bible is from God.
• Killing people is wrong, so the death penalty is wrong.
• The rights of the criminal are just as important as the rights of the victim. Everyone's rights are equal.
• Fruits and vegetables are part of a healthy diet. After all, a healthy eating plan includes fruits and vegetables.
• Student: Why didn't I receive full credit on my essay? Teacher: Because your paper did not meet the requirements for full credit.
• The greatest thing we can do is to love each other. Love is better than any other emotion.

Convo

1) Have you heard a "begging the question" argument recently?

2) Do you think it is easy to identify this type of fallacy?

3) What could you say to a person making a petitio principii argument that would quickly point out the fallacy (without saying "Ah ha! A logical fallacy!")?

3) Can you think of a quick test you can do on arguments that would reveal this fallacy?

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

https://youtu.be/MyjLfin9Anw

Example 3

Example 4

Example 5

CONVO!

• What further questions did you come up with during this class?
• How are "begging the question" arguments used in conversations about immigration?
• Are there some truths about immigration that are valid for all countries, or does each country have a specific situation?
• What is your personal relationship to the concept of immigration?