Immigration policy in the United States has become increasingly contentious over the past 20 years. The United States Congress has failed to pass a significant update to our immigration laws despite polls which show a substantial majority of Americans in favor of immigration reform and a reasonable consensus on the shape of that reform package.
While the total number of wars and conflicts has declined, the persistence of conflict and debilitating poverty in many countries and regions has generated a significant and growing number of refugees. Further, as developed countries have grown richer in the past 50 years, the flow of economic immigrants has accelerated. Individuals and families have sought access to more developed countries in search of a “better life” and a higher standard of living. Even before the regional conflicts in Central America and the Arab world broke out in the last decade, large numbers of Hispanic immigrants sought entrance to the United States for economic reasons. Furthermore, the superiority of American education, particularly higher education, generated great demand for immigration access by East and South Asians in recent decades.
These changed conditions have long required a new set of immigration policies in the United States and other developed countries, as well as consideration of significant foreign aid to the economies of Latin American and other countries. Sadly, in the United States, policymakers in Congress have not been able to agree on how to respond to new immigration pressures (Hanson, 2018).
Hanson, K.O. (2018, December 17). Ethical principles for immigration reform in 2019 [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.scu.edu/ethics/all-about-ethics/ethical-principles-for-immigration-reform-in-2019/
Statement of the Problem: Renewed immigration policies are needed regarding who and how many get in; what distinctions we make between economic immigrants, refugees, and the family members of U.S. citizens and residents; who gets to stay if they enter without authorization; what rights and resources are those who enter entitled to; and how we respond to individuals who present themselves at our borders asking for entry.
Identify the immigrant group(s) you wish to study. What is the current United States’ official policy regarding that racial or ethnic group?
Evidence: Research the history of the immigration policy in the United States since 1920. Choose at least 2 different policy changes that have happened. Describe how the policy reflected the attitudes of the people at the time as well as the process that people had/have to go through to immigrate to the United States, including forms, fees, and exams. Be sure to discuss the current policy in place, including quotas, separation and detention policies, and official laws. (You must use at least 5 scholarly sources)
Influence of Context and Assumptions: How have your life experiences influenced your opinions. If the United States government took your opinion and made it law, who would that affect and how would their lives change? What about those who disagree with your viewpoint, or live near the border, what would they say?
Ethical Thinking: Choose 3 of the 8 Key Ethical Questions (state those clearly) and explore how those questions relate to the current state of immigration in the U.S. Explain why you chose those questions and how they relate to the issue.
Student Position: Evaluate the information you’ve presented and form an opinion about the issue. Explain why you agree or disagree with the current policies and whether or not they are ethical.
Conclusions and Related Outcomes: What are the current and future implications of this issue (economically, socially, politically, educationally)?
