Immigration Solution Immigration ties into nearly all elements of a country. Foreigners migrate to other countries for better employment opportunities, policy makers must take immigrants into account when working with the economy. The foreigners set up their own social networks and way of life, this process influences culture. The newcomers need a place to stay, this need influences housing and residency. The newcomers are also consumers who have needs, this characteristic influences available resources. Most of the voting native population either loves or hates immigration, the stance of elected officials on the issue influences politics. Despite the controversy surrounding immigration, there is little progress in the field. There is still much work to be done on immigration policy. More than 2 million people took to the streets on April 10, 2006 in opposition to the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (1). The event is clear evidence that an “Immigrant Civil Rights Movement” is on the rise. Despite the urgency of the immigration issue, the only notable legislation was the “Guest Worker Program” – a system where immigrants sponsors profiteer off of foreigners while the foreigners themselves (through fees)and the native population (through lost of jobs) suffer. Despite the lack of innovation and effective measures in immigration policy, sociologist, universities, and academic organizations have offered many solutions to the problem. Immigration is federal judiciary problem that need be solved at the federal level. The laws concerning immigration have a direct effect on the amount of immigration a country is subject to. A person migrates to another country for three reasons; for jobs, reunification with families, and asylum. A foreigner takes into consideration the benefits of citizenship in comparison to the trouble involved in the venture. Once a foreigner has migrated into the country they don’t remain alone as most people assume. Those foreigners become a part of social networks (church groups, immigrant advocacy organizations, or immigrant teams). The foreigners are granted residency and resources in accordance to availability and convenience. The government controls the benefits to immigrants (through policy), it controls the power of the social networks (through restrictions and benefits) and the government controls the resources and territory allocated to the immigrants (through economic policies). The side effects and disadvantages in migration within a nation are assumed to be a cultural or social problem. When an immigrant is restricted from popular social networks they join radical social networks. Again this is a fallacy within federal policy concerning restrictions and benefits via social networks. When an immigrant lacks employment or residency they find unsolicited jobs and illegal residency, this also is a fallacy in government policy (the government is playing “three wise monkeys”). Immigration trends are directly attributed to the benefits of citizenship. Foreigners in Canada must wait three years before getting Canadian citizenship. A foreigner in the U.S. must wait five years to get citizenship. In Canada the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) controls citizenship. The CIC is an organization all its own and is generally friendly to foreigners. Foreigners who want to become citizens must achieve a certain level of human capital (skills, language ability, and historical knowledge) in accordance to standards set by the government. The U.S. carries a critical flaw in its migration system, the U.S. encourages migration with many incentives and liberties provided by a democratic state, while at the same time it despoils rights and privileges. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was first a part of the Department of Justice. The former INS is now a part of Homeland Security, this organization views immigrants as potential terrorist. (2) In the mid 1900s, four out of five foreign residents were citizens in the U.S. and in Canada fifty years later three quarters of Canadian foreign residents have citizenship (2001 poll) and two out of five U.S. foreign residents have citizenship (2000 poll). Out of 34.2 million foreigners only 13.1 million or 38% held citizenship (2004 U.S. Current Population Survey). As immigration rises so does naturalization. Out of foreigners within the U.S. with a residency of 11 to 15 years residency 57% held citizenship in 1970, 44% held citizenship in 1980, 41% held citizenship in 1990, and 37% held citizenship in 2000. Foreigners are more likely to seek citizenship if they are educated, middle aged, and middle class. Foreigners from non-democratic countries would seek citizenship more often. Most immigrants (about half) in the United States are Hispanic (Central and South America, Mexico, and Spanish Caribbean). Meanwhile in Canada 18% of immigrants come from Africa and the Middle East. Globalization also plays a significant role in immigration. According to the United Nations, 191 million people on Earth are foreigners in 2005. The U.S. leads the world in immigration with 38 million immigrants in 2005. The immigrant population makes up 13% of the population in the U.S., 19.6 in Australia and 18.9% in Canada. A welfare state is when a government assumes the responsibility for the well-being of its citizens. The most predominate welfare states include Australia, Sweden, and the U.S. Globalization impedes the perseverance of the welfare states. More and more immigrants are reaping the benefits of social security, health care, and government resources without putting goods or services back into the system. The set up makes it hard for the welfare state to have universal coverage. There is a desire for wanted immigrants (foreigners with skills and knowledge) in comparison to unwanted immigrants (foreigners who live off of government resources). Globalization plays a factor in immigration. The categorization of wanted and unwanted immigrants also plays a factor in immigration. (3) There is a need for new immigration policy in the U.S. The lack of a new immigration policy has caused tensions within U.S. social networks, caused unemployment, caused a residency problem and has influenced the nation’s culture and patriotism. The immigrant policy need two fundamentals in order to be successful; one, the plan needs the cooperation of the world’s nation, and two, the policy needs to be incorporated into all levels of the immigration process. Thus far, the human capital system of Canada seems to be the best approach for immigration. A democratic state could persevere in the age of globalization if it creates radical new plans on the international political level. Sources: (1): Democracy Now. "Immigration Rights Protests Rock the Country." War and Peace Report 11 004 2006 1. tuesday, June 26, 2007 <http: //www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/11/1426231&mode=thread&tid=25>. (2) “Bloemraad Irene”, Becoming a Citizen in the United States and Canada, Social Forces, The University of North Carolina Press, December 2006. (3) “Xu Qingwen” Globalization, Immigration and the Welfare State, Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, June 2007 |
