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Charles D. Thompson, Jr.

Teacher. Author. Filmmaker. Photographer.

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Immigration in the U.S. Today


Brother Towns/Pueblos Hermanos is a story about two communities in two different nations and how they intertwine. Ultimately, it is about how we define ourselves as nations and neighbors, our vision of community, and our efforts to connect to one another. News stories about immigrants in the United States appear on TV and in the papers daily. But we don’t have to listen to the news to know that undocumented immigrants live in nearly every community across the U.S. Thus Brother Towns is a story that also affects nearly every city and town in Mexico and Central America, and one that helps us think about not only citizenship, but what it means to be human.(posted with permission from the Migration Policy Institute)

As a country often called “a nation of immigrants,” the history of the United States cannot be separated from the stories of its migrants. Today migration is a huge political issue and has far-reaching social, economic, and cultural impacts in the U.S. The chart above shows that the U.S. continues to be the nation with the largest migrant population.

The size of the population we refer to as ‘immigrant’ is growing every day, and its presence in the U.S. cannot be ignored. To understand who the immigrants are, we need to know where they come from and why they are here.

The film Brother Towns focuses on migrants from Jacaltenango, Guatemala, an area in the highlands of Guatemala that has its own Maya history and language. However, migrants to the U.S. come from nearly every country, every religious background, every ethnicity, and every identity imaginable. A ‘migrant’ cannot be stereotyped or categorized. Each person has his own story, her own hopes and dreams, his own people, and things he leaves behind when he make the journey across borders. This section of the “Brother Towns” site sheds light on this very large, diverse, and personal subject.

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A: Statistics and FactsGeneral facts about the size and social demographics of the immigrant population in the U.S. today.

Quick Facts:

  • 37.5 million = 12.5% of U.S. population = the number of foreign born people estimated to be in the U.S. today, according to U.S. Census Bureau’s 2006 American Community Survey
  • 1 in 9 U.S. residents today is foreign born
  • 40% of the U.S. foreign born population has become naturalized
  • 300,000 immigrants have been granted naturalization annually since 1990
  • 8 million = the estimated number of legal immigrants eligible for naturalization
  • 56% of the foreign born population immigrated with documentation
  • 4% of the foreign born population has temporary or other documented immigrant status
  • 40% (11.3 million) of the foreign born population in the U.S. today is estimated to be undocumented
  • 515,000 = the number by which the undocumented population of the U.S. grows per year
  • 20% of all U.S. born children have at least one foreign-born parent


Stats compiled from:

  • www.ncsl.org/programs/immig/immigcitizen_exesum.htm
  • www.migrationinformation.org/DataHub/whosresults.cfm
  • www.migrationinformation.org/datahub/statelaws_home.cfm
  • www.urban.org/toolkit/issues/immigration.cfm
  • pewhispanic.org/files/reports/46.pdf
  • www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?id=714#8

Where are they from?

Too often we hear phrases that lump together immigrants in broad generalized groupings. Latino immigrants are frequently termed ‘Mexicans,’ for example, though they come from many different countries in Central and South America and represent many different cultures and heritages. Immigrants represent very rich and diverse ethnicities and bring these unique heritages with them when they migrate.

Ethnic Composition of foreign born in the U.S.

  • 45.7% reported their ethnicity as white alone
  • 7.8% reported as black or African American alone
  • 23.4% reported as Asian alone
  • 21.8% reported as some other ethnicity
  • 1.3% reported having two or more ethnicities

Top five countries of origin for foreign-born U.S. population, as of 2007

  • 30.8% from Mexico
  • 4.5% from the Philippines
  • 3.9% from India
  • 3.6% from China
  • 2.9% from El Salvador

The remaining 55.3% reported coming from all over the world, heavily from Central and South America, but no other country comprised more than 3% of the total U.S. foreign-born population.

Sources: www.ncsl.org and www.migrationinformation.org

The following chart shows the country of origin breakdown of the immigrants in the U.S. today:

(posted with permission from the Migration Policy Institute)

Where are they now?

Immigrants can be found in all 50 states, though there are communities and states with particularly large concentrations of immigrants. The five states with the largest foreign-born populations, in order, are: California, New York, Texas, Florida, and Illinois.

The Migration Policy Institute has created a number of maps displaying the geographical location of immigrants across the U.S. today.

(posted with permission from the Migration Policy Institute)

For up-to-date and accurate immigration statistics, check out the Migration Policy Institute’s Database at:
www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/2008DataGuide.pdf

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B: Immigration Policy Background

There are two broad categories under which legal policies regarding immigrants fall. The first is immigration policy, which refers to the terms and conditions for entry into U.S. Immigrant policy refers to policies that help newcomers integrate into the life of the country.

Who has jurisdiction?

The U.S. federal government has exclusive authority over immigration policy, and thus controls the methods and processes under which people can legally enter the country. States and local levels of government are responsible for policy that affects the lives of immigrants within their communities. These immigrant policies cover things such as helping newcomers integrate into the country’s economic, social, and civic life. Not only are states responsible for initiating programs to serve the needs of their new members, they are also responsible for implementing programs required of localities by federal law, and providing services authorized by the federal courts.

States, however, are not required to enforce federal laws governing immigration generally. This enforcement falls to the Department of Homeland Security, specifically ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and/or the U.S. Border Patrol. Learn more about these federal government branches at their websites, here:

www.ice.gov/about/index.htm
www.dhs.gov/files/immigration.shtm
www.cbp.gov

Source: www.ncsl.org/programs/immig/immigpolicyoverview.htm

Section 287(g) is a part of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA). It allows for the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, designating some personnel to enforce federal immigration law. Only under this clause, with the specific authorization granted for DHS, is a local law enforcement agency allowed to work on behalf of federal immigration law.

Learn more about 287(g) and the Immigration and Nationality Act here:
http://www.ice.gov/partners/287g/Section287_g.htm

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C: Current Immigration Policy

Immigration policy is one of the largest areas of political debate in the U.S. today. In the absence of a comprehensive federal policy, states have taken on the responsibility of legislating reforms in their jurisdictions. In 2007, 1,059 state-level, immigration-related bills and resolutions were introduced in legislatures nationwide. Of these, 167 (or 16%) were enacted into law. According to the Migration Policy Institute’s (MPI) classification system, measures that expand the rights of immigrants, comprising 313 bills, exceeded any other type of legislation proposed during 2007. State legislators introduced 263 bills that sought to reduce immigrant rights, though only 28 of these passed in state legislatures in 2007. Bills seeking to further regulate immigrant employment and law enforcement also made up significant portions of the total bills introduced regarding U.S. immigrant policy. The top areas of immigration-related bills in 2007 were: employment (364 bills); immigration law enforcement (187 bills); and identification of immigrants (120 bills).

Number of State Laws Introduced by Legislative Typology, 2007

(posted with permission from the Migration Policy Institute)

Source: Migration Policy Institute and New York University School of Law. 2007. State Responses to Immigration: A Database of All State Legislation. www.migrationinformation.org/datahub/statelaws.cfm.

The Migration Policy Institute has also compiled a database of all bills and resolutions relating to immigrants or immigration from across the nation for 2007. The database can be searched by state or region, legislative typology, bill status, and year. The Institute will update their databases with information for 2008 soon. Available here:www.migrationinformation.org/datahub/statelaws.cfm

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D: Future Policy

At the time of this writing, the Obama administration is reexamining the U.S.’s current policies regarding immigration and immigrants. As of yet it is uncertain how the administration might change policies with regard to border protection, immigration enforcement and services, deportation, and justice for migrants.

This report, published in February of 2009, looks at the overall direction and future of U.S. immigration policy:
www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/DHS_Feb09.pdf

This article, published April of 2009, looks specifically at the obstacles the Obama administration faces at it begins to tackle immigration policy:
www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?ID=724

Stay informed on future immigration policies in the U.S. by visiting the following websites:

The White House’s Immigration Issue Page: www.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration
Migration Policy Institute: www.migrationinformation.org

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E: U.S. Immigration History

The following poem is mounted on the inner wall of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty at Ellis Island. The poem reinvented the statue’s purpose, helping it to become a welcoming mother, and a symbol of hope for the millions of immigrants who come to the United States.


The New Colossus
By Emma Lazarus, 1883

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.”
Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door”

Most of us are familiar with pictures of immigrants landing on Ellis Island, welcomed by the promises of the “mighty woman with a torch” – the Statue of Liberty. America’s history is deeply rooted in a history of migration. In order to gain perspective on the current migration situation, it is helpful to view it in the context of a wider migration history.

Immigration data was first collected in the US in 1850. That year there were 2.2 million foreign-born people living in the United States, – nearly 10% of the total population. In the following 70 years the foreign-born in the U.S. fluctuated between 13 and 15%, with most immigrants coming from European countries.

The foreign born population living in the U.S. declined between 1930 and 1970, reaching an all time low of 4.7% of the total U.S. population in 1970 (with a total U.S. population of over 200 million by 1970, the actual number of foreign born in the U.S. was 9.6 million people at that time).

Since 1970 the percentage of people living in the US who are foreign born has risen steadily with the influx of immigrants from Latin America and Asia. By 2000 11.1% of the U.S. population was foreign born.

Source: http://www.workingimmigrants.com/2008/05/a_wealth_of_data_about_immigra.html

Foreign-Born Population and Foreign Born as Percentage of the Total U.S. Population, 1850 to 2007

(posted with permission from the Migration Policy Institute)

Prejudice against recent immigrants is not new or unique to the current surge of Latin American immigrants. In nearly every era of major immigration to the U.S., slanderous words and stereotypes have been used to refer to immigrant groups. Since the 1700s concerns and controversies about the integration of immigrants into American culture and society has created ethnic strife. Groups ranging from the Irish to the Italians, to Blacks to Chinese and Japanese have all experienced racial prejudice and discrimination. Ideas of racial superiority and exclusiveness were formed into ‘nativist’ ideologies, which morphed through history as the particular immigrant stereotypes changed. “Nativism” is defined as “a sociopolitical policy, … favoring the interests of established inhabitants over those of immigrants” (from The American Heritage Dictionary, Copyright 2009.) Nativist ideology can be taken to more radical measures that turn into stereotyping and racism.

The definition of ‘immigrant’ has proven to be extremely fluid over time, changing with the current memory of the citizens. Groups once viewed as immigrants eventually became integrated and now are considered ‘natives’. We easily forget historical prejudices expressed towards immigrant groups, and the similar adversity we (or our ancestors) once faced. Even the concern over the threat to English as the national language is not new and has been raised during most immigrant waves throughout U.S. history.

To read more about historical instances of racism or prejudice against immigrant groups in the U.S., check out resources such as the following:

Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation
By John Ehle
The history of racism and prejudice in America began even before the official founding of the nation, as white settlers came into contact with the country’s native inhabitants. Though not at first, these interactions eventually began to turn towards violence. This book looks at the continuation of this racism into the early 1800s with the Trail of Tears, a forcible removal of the Cherokee Nation from their land in Georgia which relocated them to the West.

The Strange Career of Jim Crow
By C. Van Woodward

Slavery and the Making of America
By James Oliver Horton and Lois E. Horton

These books look at the history of African American segregation in the U.S. from the time of Reconstruction to the 1950s.

How the Jews Became White Folks and What That Says About Race in America
By Karen Brodkin
This book looks at the changing objects of racism in the U.S., especially in relation to the history of Jews in the United States. Racial inferiority has often been ascribed to immigrants, especially when they are employed as unskilled labor.

How the Irish Became White
By Noel Ignatiev
This book chronicles how the definition of ‘white’ has changed in the U.S. through the lens of racism towards Irish immigrants to the U.S. in the early 1800s. It explores how Irish immigrants evolved from being oppressed and unwelcome to part of a respected white racial class.

Working Towards Whiteness: How America’s Immigrants Became White: The Strange Journey From Ellis Island to the Suburbs
By David R. Roediger
A look at how the definition of ‘whiteness’ changed in the U.S. between the late 1800s and the end of WWII.

The Tragic History of the Japanese-American Internment Camps (From Many Cultures, One History)
By Deborah Kent
A study of racism towards Japanese Americans during WWII when Japanese-Americans were stripped of their rights during this time of national fear.

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F: Economic Impact of Immigration

Migration and the Economy

In 2009 the National Conference of State Legislatures published a report on the economic impact of immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants, on the economies of 16 U.S. states, including some of the most highly trafficked by immigrants. Nearly all the states reported a very positive net economic impact from their undocumented immigrant populations.

Source: www.ncsl.org/IssuesResearch/Immigration/StateStudiesOnFiscalImpacts/tabid/17271/Default.aspx

Immigration is also affected by the current global economic downturn. The Migration Policy Institute has published a report examining the affects on current and prospective immigrants into the U.S. as a result of the sagging international economy:www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/lmi_recessionJan09.pdf

Jacaltenango, Guatemala Jupiter, Florida

 

Immigrant Brain Waste

Though many undocumented immigrants take unskilled labor jobs when they arrive in the U.S., many immigrants are high school and university graduates in their home countries. We found that a number of college-educated Jacaltecos in Jupiter were taking minimum wage jobs in the U.S. It is impossible to measure the under-utilized knowledge represented by the immigrant population in the U.S. However, it is quite possible that the American economy could substantially benefit from the under-utilized knowledge and skills of the immigrant population. The Migration Policy Institute’s report on this subject is available here: www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/BrainWasteOct08.pdf

 

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Primary Sidebar

Brother Towns Info

  • Immigration in the U.S. Today
    • Why Do They Come?
    • Becoming a U.S. Citizen
    • Immigration Concerns
  • The Border
    • History of the Border
    • Crossing the Border
    • U.S. Border Patrol
  • Day Labor in the U.S.
    • What is Day Labor?
    • What Are Day Labor Centers?
    • Myths About Day Labor
    • Day Labor Abuses
  • Maya History
  • Making the Movie: Introduction
    • Contributing Artists
    • Film Crew
    • Acknowledgements & Funders
  • Brother Towns Contacts
  • Study Guide & Posters

© 2021 Charles D. Thompson, Jr. · All Rights Reserved · All Photos by Charles D. Thompson, Jr. · Website by Tomatillo Design

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