 What is an immigrant?  Why do people immigrate?  Why does the U.S. control who is able to immigrate?

 : Period of greatest immigration  Ellis Island: 1892 – 1924: ◦ 12 million had entered by 1954 when closed  WWI generates Italian, Slav, Greek, Polish, Jewish immigrants (Southern Europe) ◦ People immigrate during hard times.

 Limits usually accompanied by anti immigrant, xenophobic campaigns e.g., anti Chinese movement in midst of 1870 US depression.  Up to 1850s – 85% of immigrants were English, Scotch Irish, and German; all other groups suspect because “Not like us.”  After WWI: door slammed shut: ◦ : 15 million enter U.S. ◦ : 5.5 million enter U.S.

1917: Literacy Act – very exclusionary ◦ need to write or speak English and another language ◦ aims to exclude southern Europeans, Jews, excluded all Asians. ◦ 9 th Proviso: exception for farm workers, mostly Mexicans.

 : Red scare aggravates fear & anti-immigrant reaction.  : Quota Law – 1st time numerical limits; uses 1910 proportion, favoring north Europeans.  Border Patrol created; Mexican border becomes a tangible reality, though still permeable.

 1986: Immigration Reform & Control Act (IRCA):  2 step legalization process, legalizing 2.5 million (“amnesty”), less than expected, who fulfill restrictive criteria.  Employer sanctions  Outlaws unfair immigration related employment practices

 1996: Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) hastily passed on eve of threatened government shutdown (9/30). ◦ Harshest law in U.S. history  Retroactively increased grounds of deportability  Mandated 10-year bar to return for residing illegally in U.S. for a year or more.  Permanent bar for false claim to U.S. citizenship

 2001: Pres Fox receives standing ovation when calls for broad legalization before joint Congress  9/11: Hope-filled meeting between Fox and Pres Bush for 9/13 canceled. They never meet.  Severe tightening of immigration procedures ◦ 2003: Homeland Security takes over INS role ◦ Immigration takes on anti-terrorism flavor ◦ All applications take much longer to process

Increased enforcement in 2007 Congress approves 700 miles of fence, more $ for border patrol officers and technology Deportations escalate, 270,000 in FY 07, most in history. More detention space funded, detention soars to 27,000. Minutemen created as vigilante force.

Municipalities & states pass strict laws:  Oklahoma: harshest law making any aid to illegal immigrants a crime.  Waukegan & many other cities require police to ask for ID and if none, to turn over persons to ICE.  Arizona law fines and then cancels business licenses of those caught hiring undocumented people.

 1950s: 2.5 million  1960s: 3.3 million  1970s: 4.5 million  1980s: 7.3 million  1990s: 9.1 million  Today: million?

 The Arizona state government passed a law that would allow law enforcement to question immigration status of anyone they have suspicion of being in the country illegally.

 Arizona politicians claim that they want to discourage illegal entry into U.S. and minimize illegal economic activity. ◦ Why would Arizona want to address this issue? ◦ What do you think are some issues with this bill? (There is a lot of controversy)