Michael Edmonds Mr. Hadden Sociology 255W April 26,2002 The Immigration Debate Migration is a natural condition of humankind. People have traditionally moved voluntarily hope of freedom and economical, cultural and educational opportunities. As of recent there has been a conflict of interest in terms of immigration. Mr. John Isbister shows both sides in his book, The Immigration Debate. Although Mr. Isbister shows both sides on immigration, he is clearly proimmigration. He says, "immigrantscontribute positively to the quality of American life and that immigration is consistent with the moral values that Americans hold closest"isbister 4). He says immigratswill continue to add to America's melting pot theory.He starts his book talk ...view middle of the document...
S. population, the system greatly favored northern Europeans and discriminate against Asians. The quota system was finally abolished in The Migration Refugee Assistance Act of 1962. The act opened opportunities for families to reunify. Many refugees came from Cuba and Latin America. This actr surprisingly increased the number of non white immigrants. Now crowds of Hispanic and Asains can be found throughout the entire nation. Mr. Isbister says that the new influx of Hispanics and Asains is cyclical and that the population will control itself. The first cycle happened from 1820 to 1967, nearly 90 percent of all immigrants were from Canada or Europe. From the Migration Refugee Assistane Act of 1962, Mexico and other Central American countries were the maority of immigrants. Only thirteen percent of immigrants were from Europe.Now there happens to be a huge influx of illegal immigrants. To control the illegal aliens Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986. This act punished employers who hired undocumented immigrants. It also granted citizenship to illegal aliens who had been residing in the United States for several years. No one really knows how many illegal immigrants there are living in the United States, but estimates say there are about four to five million illegals leaving here, almost all of them are non-white. In response to the illegal alien situation the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service launched missions such as Operation Blockade and Operation Gatekeeper in order to help secure the Mexican border. The INS tryied to block frequent entry points and put more officers across the border. This mission was unable to stem illegal immigration but instead led to rising human right abuseslike robbery, rape and even killing.