The Immigration Reform Project
Introduction
Different from other countries, the United States of America was not constructed naturally. According to the history, the United States is an immigration country which was established by the immigrants from all over the world. The immigrants came to the north American continent in the early 19th century that formed the first immigration upsurge in American History. Immigration country is a reason for United States became strong in the world. The immigrants from all over the world brought their culture and contributed the worth to built the diversity. Now, the native Americans in the United States is less than 1% of the total population. The official United States Census Bureau shows the number of the immigrant, includes legal immigrants and undocumented immigrants, is steadily increase, which reached to 40 million in 2010.
(source: U.S Demographic History by United States Immigration Policy—Environmental Impact Statement)
The American Community Survey revealed that there are 1400 millions new immigrants came to the United States between 2000 and 2010 (Immigrationeis.org).
From the history, we can see the amount of immigrants reach the peak in this dacade. The reason of the increasing of the immigration number is the United States government opens more opportunities to let more immigrants enter the United States. However, immigration triggers many problems in the American society, which distribues in education, employment, social status and so on. Currently, the problems of immigrant status are big issues in the society.
One hand, even though the U.S government open the gate for more immigrants, numerous of immigrants still do not have legal document to protect their status in the society at present. This issue is prime problem. As we all know, many immigrants stay in the United States with undocumented status. In the previous, most of them were deportated and repartriated back to their original countries. In order to avoid deportation and receive their right, the immigrants stood up and launched movements of immigration policy even to motivated the immigration reform. They want to change their situation and gain a legal status in the United States. At the same time, they can still live with their family who is a legal citizen. On the other hand, the society still have issue about the H1B Visa. After his induction, President Obama changes the immigration policy to reduce the deportation of undocumented immigrants and provide more opportunities for the immigrants as well as for the people who want to work in the United States. Because of good educational system, an increasing number of foreigner students come and study in the United State. After they graduate, most of them want to settle down and start their career here. For those people (graduated foreigner students and outside workers) want to get the job in the United States, they should apply the H1B Visa. Nevertheless, this status is hard to apply. A newest data shows the amount of H1B Visa fullfiles the quota of 2014. Therefore, the H1B Visa issue is also a rigorous problem in the immigration reform.
Along with the development of technology, social media such social network (Facebook, blog) provide lots of assistance for the social change, such as for the immigration reform. Social media interact among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. The social media as alternative media to corporate many launches of social movements and the recognition from the society. “Alternative media are most valuable when they present messages directly from individual and groups who are working to transfrom their communities and societies (Kidd)”. Alternative media challenges to the mainstream media, while, the alternative media, such as Facebook, provides a platform for us to self-representation. This form becomes a convenient way that people can express and share the thought/message with non-geographical distinguish in the public sphere.
With the public sphere of media and social communication, the United States immigrant, both legal immigrants and undocumented imigrants, deliver their desires throught this technology. The questions of immigration reform and social change focus on:
How does the immigration reform influence the immigrants (legal immigrantion citizens and undocumented imigrants) and society?
How does the immigrants express their thought/right of immigration reform in the society?
Based on these questions, my aim is to look at the evolution and effects of the immigration reform, and the approach that immigrants act for the immigration right. People aspirations of Immigration reform is a big social change in the culture. Through the research, the project will explore the following theories:
Look at Edward Alden, Cathi Techtaquin, and Lenior Gerald's articles of immigration policy and immigration reform to study the change of the immigration policy after Obama inducted and publics' thoughts about Immigration Reform.
Though Ian Davies's discussion of the relation betwwen immigration and social change to find out the effect of immigration as well as the immigration reform.
Link Sasha Costanza-Chock's “Mic Check! Media Cultures and the Occupy Movement” to explore the way immigrant communities gain representation and recognition by social movement/social community toward immigration reform.
In the following discussion, the questions and theories will be explored by some critical articles and case studies.
Theory
The immigration policy provides for annual worldwide limit of immigrants, with certain exceptions of close family members. In history, the United States experienced three immigrations. These immigration promoted the change of immigration policy. Different from the previous immigration reforms, this time—the preiod of President Obama, the immigration reform have a support and motivation by the Congress. Meanwhile, Obama administration announce the change of the immigration policy.
“The Obama administration quietly announced last week that it would overturn one of the harsh immigration enforcement measures enacted by the Bush administration following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Beginning next month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said, those who arrive in the United States fleeing torture or persecution abroad will no longer automatically be welcomed with handcuffs and months in a jail cell. Instead, many of those seeking protection will again be permitted to live freely in the country while their applications for permanent asylum are considered by an immigration judge” (Alden 2009).
Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, illustrates annoucement of a change of U.S immigration policy from Obama DHS (Department of Homeland Security). Alden pointed out the concept of the new immigration policy by Obama administration and how well this new policy has worked since 2009:
*launched an overhaul to control the number of the detainees because they found the number of the detainees “more than 440,000 annually in just five yeas (Alden 2009)”.
*stopped the raids that result in jailing, deportation and criminal charges for thoese unauthorized workers.
*The Obama administration appeals to a treatment with fair and humane for the immigrants, even though Bush administration thought the illegal immigrants perphas as terrorist threat after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
*Reduce the number of deportation of undocumented immigrants/workers.
The United States Immigration policy is changing continually. Even though Alden criticzes some problems of the new immigration policy, the change of the immigration policy still good for many immigrants.
Under a new immigration policy, many illegal immigrants will be allowed to live and work in the United States without the deportation (Gavett 2012). President Obama concerned about the immigration reform and thought the reform is a right for the society. He talked to the Congress with“this is a temporary stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people (Gavett 2013)”. Of the immigration reform, critics have different opinions. Jayapal thinks this round (four years) of immigration reform is different because the immigration right movement is stronger than last round. According to Jayapal, the changes of immigration reform are visible in this round. The movement generated a new collective urgency among liberals on immigration reform. Meanwhile, demographic change and immigrant power challenge the Republicans. (Jayapal 2013) During the movement, people stand up for protect their right and assist the immigration reform by hand. Criticized to Jayapal's thought, Tactaquin and Lenoir argued that immigration reform is difficultly to achieve. The Republican Party still control and criticize this transformation because of their conservative ideology. The Republicans think this round of immigration reform will be danger. Compare to the last round of Congressional immigration debate and this round, Tactaquin and Lenoir pointed out the struggle still exists when immigrant communities fight for fair and build “a new human rights movement capable of winning social and economic justice for all (Tactaquin & Lenoir 2013)”.
Social movement as social communication, is a way for immigrant communities to rerepsent their thought and need. At the same time, they can gain attention from the public sphere by these alternative media method. During the movement, media provides many help to report or promote of the social activity. For example, Occupy movement, was spread by every platform with media text and self-documentation (Costanza-Chock 4). According to Costanza-Chock , media platform are most widely used by the Occupy movement. Costanza-Chock mentions that the mixes media method in the social movement includes semi-structed interviews, participant observation, visual research in multiple Occupy sites and participation in Occupy, etc., (Costanze-Chock 1-2). Indeed, these method becomes a social communication for people that have opportunity of representation in the movement. Many activists use face to face communication and participation to speak-out the social issues, the needs and solutions. In addtion, they can be receive the recognition from the soiety by these social movement. Finally, social media/communication assciates the activists to understand social movement and media change as well. As Costanze-Chock writed, the concepts of the social media methods “can be used by movement actors and scholars to better understand the relationship between social movements and the rapidly changing media ecology (Costanze-Chock 11)”.
Case Study
(Source: "Not Legal Not Leaving"--Time Magazine@ Youtube)
Jose Antonio Vargas is an undocumented immigrant in the United States and a journalist at the Washington Post. He loves the United States and regards United States as his home. He expresses his hope to become a legal citizen in the United States. As an undocumented immigrant, Jose describes his current situation in the United States that he participated numerous of events/debates. He want to change the situation and get a legal status. In Not Legal No Leaving, Jose Antonio Vargas claims the facts of the immigration debate, DREAM ACT and ICE. He also points out the effect with illegal status in the society. He as a activist of immigration issue and help other people who like him to deliver their desires.
Yubao, a new immigrant who from China. She came to the United States because her mom and stepfather live in Hawaii. She notices the Immigration provide more opportunities for her and the immigration reform will help her to bring her family to the United States. She is Green Card Holder and apply to be a citizenship.
Of immigration policy, people have many thoughts. At USF, students launched a event on a specific date---May 1, The International Workers' Day, to deliver some messages about the immigration reform express their desire of their rights toward immigration, representation and something in the society.
Report and Synthesis
Nowadays, immigrants have many ways to immigrate to the United States. Employment-based immigration and relative immigration are main pathway to settle down in the United States. Along with the new immigration policy implement, the number of the immigrants is going up and the society still exist many undocumented immigrants. They have been a dricrmination and retriction community in the society. The undocumented immigrants live in a weak area with non-guarantee and social insurance. Immigration and immigration reform bring both advantages and disadvantages to the society.
Immigration reform in the United States of American is widely used to increase legal immigration and reduce illegal immigrants. Accordingly, immigration reform can prevent the deportation of the undocumented immigrants and help them to gain social concerns. Moreover, immigration may increase the economy in the United States.
Authorizing an immediate path to citizenship for the estimated11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States would add as much as $1.4 trillion to the country's economic growth, create more than 200,000 jobs, and increase tax revenue by more than $180 billion in the next decade, according to a new study from the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank. (DeRuy 2009)
immigration reform help the undocumented immigrants become a legal citizens and increase the economy at the same time. As DeRuy analysis, undocumented immigrants pay less in taxes than the citizen. If they become a legal citizen, their earning will be increasing because of their status and the career improvement. At this time, they will spend more money on purchase of food, housing, and service. This indicate the demand of more products and service will create money, jobs, and expands the economy in the society. According to Jayapal, Tachtaquin, and Alden, new immigration reform will reduce deportation and promote the undocumented immigrants to be a citizen in the United States. With legal status, they also receive more legal protection and “lead to more investment in education and trainning (DeRuy 2009)”. As a undocumented immigrant, the job opportunities are limited because their status of undocumented. As a undocumented immigrant, the opportunites of education and tranning are limited. If they are citizen, they can get new job trannings and move up their career. Interestingly, Silicon Valley is not popular by the IT. On the contrary, IC is a main word for Silicon Valley's title. The reason is most of workers in the Silicon Valley are Indian and Chinese. With the development of society and immigration reform, most of high techique workers were hired and worked in Silicon Valley. Most of them gained citizen sponsor or legal worker status (H1B Visa) by the company they serve now. Immigration reform provides more space to apply as a citizen and have insurance of citizen.
Even though immigration and immigration reform bring many advantage for the society and immigrants in the United States, this act challenges the mainstream employment as well. With the increasing of immigrants, job competition is intense. Most of native American think that immigrants “steal” their job chances after the immigration reform.As result, lots of American worker position unemployment in current. A work-trends survey revealed that four in ten research said the “high unemployment is caused by 'illegal immigrants taking jobs away from American' (Surowiecki 2013)”. Actually, immigration reform lead to more immigrants come to the United States and increase the competition in employment. However, in the long term, immigration boosted wages for native-born American worker.
As I mention above, immigration reform have to sovle the issue of H1B Visa commendably. As we all know, more and more foreign students come to the United States to get education and look for the job in the United States. Even though President Obama concerns about the immigration reform, the legal worker status is hard to apply. Most of immigrants (Chinese or Indian, although some of them get a good jobs and citizen/legal status by the companies) still suffer from work discrimination. In currently, H1b Visa mainl provide for those people who have high technique skills, particually so called STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) workers. The United States wants to absorb STEM worker and improve the innovation, while, the government ignores a problem of employment discrimination for thoes people who have no high technique skills. In the cities of the United States, most of imigrants work as housekeeping, cook or low level worker. They receive a lower salary without good social welfare. For this reason above, more and more immigrants stand up and protect their right by hand. Social communication as lternative media is a great platform for people to express their desire and need directly. More and more immigrants launched social movement in order to deliver their dissatisfied and need for the society. For example, Jose A. Vargas, a journalist at Washington Post, gather other undocumented immigrants and produced a short documentary to communicate and convey the injustice and hope to be a citizen. Costanza-Chock's article display that media platform, tools and skills used most widely for social movement. Another example is San Francisco Marched on May 1st 2013. The immigrants and non-American worker held a parade of employment unfair and some weakness of immigration reform in Mission St. and 24th. And, University of San Francisco student conducted a small communication about immigration reform on campus (case study above). The two activities is ways for people to representation and gain recognition and attention in the public sphere. During the activities, the activists speak out their need and dissatisfied. The undocumented immigrants want to get legal citizenship; The legal immigrants want to protect their right as the American in the public. Their representation and recognition lead to the change of the society. The social activists protest the unfair through the social movement/communication to protect their right in the society.
Concludion
Immigration is like a double edges sword. It gives American both of negative and positive effect. For the negative part, the increasing numbers of immigrants raise many austere employment competitions for the native-American. Moreover, immigration reform still exists work discrimination for the undocumented immigrants, new immigrants or low technique skill workers. While, the immigration produces benefit for the American society. Immigration reform increases the social economy and improves the work wages for the native-American. In addition, more and more undocumented immigrants have opportunity to be a legal citizen and possess civil right in the society. For those people are STEM worker, immigration reform offers more H1B Visa for them work legally. For the social diversity, immigrants from all over the world bring their own culture and exchange the civilization in the United States. This mixing of culture let America turn into a diverse country and attract more and more people. All the advantages above are factors to motive the United States became a power nation in the world. At the same time, American is a dream country for most of immigrants. Immigration influence the social change deeply and promotes the development of the society. Move to media culture, media platform assist the immigration reform process and affect the society. Social communication (including social network, movement or interview etc.,) as alternative media to spread peoples' desires directly and help them to obtain attention in the society, change the situation and protect their civil right. Many social movements contributed for the immigraion reform in history and motive the success of immigration. Generally, media provides a good platform for immigration reform. All in all, immigration reform drive the social change and alternative media support and trigger a concern of immigration reform and the changing of the society
Reference
“U.S Demographic History”. United States Immigration Policy—Enviromental Impact Statement. immigrationeis.org. Web. 9th May 2013.
Kidd, Dorothy. “The Value of Alternative Media”. Peace Review: Media and Democratice Action. Vol. 11.1. March 1999.
Alden, Edward. “Obama Quietly Changes U.S. Immigration Policy”. New America Media: Expanding the News Lens Through Ethnic Media. 28 Dec. 2009. Web. 9th May 2013.
Tachtaquin, Cathi and Gerald, Lenoir. “Why This Rouhg of Immigration Reform is Not So Different”. National Network for Immigration and Refugee Rights. Nnirr.org. 25 Jan. 2013. Web. 9th May 2013.
Jayapal, Pramila. “Why This Round of Immigration Reforms is Different”. Colorlines. 16 Jan. 2013. Web. 9th May 2013.
Gavett, Gretchen. “New U.S. Immigration Policy Could Prevent Thousands of Deportations”. Frontline. Pbs.org. Jan.15th 2012. Web. 9th May 2013.
Costanza-Chock, Sasha. “Mic Check! Media Cultures and the Occupy Movement”. Social Movement Studies. Routledge: Taylor & Francis Groups. 1-11.
Vargas, A. Jose. “Not Legal, Not Leaving”. Time Magazin. Time.com. 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 9th May 2013.
DeRuy, Emily. “Immediate Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants Would Boost Economy”. Elections. ABC NEWS. 22nd Mar. 2013. Web. 9Th 2013.
Surowiecki, James. “Immigration Reform and the American Worker”. The New Yorker. Newyorker.com. 22nd Feb. 2013. Web. 9th May 2013.