Chapter 11: Civil Rights Section 4: Citizenship and Immigration (pgs

U.S. Citizenship To fully participate in American democracy both at the national and state & local you have to be a citizen. Most Americans become citizens at birth. This happens in two ways, either being born on U.S. soil (jus soli “law of the soil”) or being born on foreign soil to U.S. parents (jus sanguinis “law of the blood”).

Citizenship by Naturalization This is the legal process by which an immigrant becomes a citizen. A naturalized citizen has all the rights that citizens by birth have except they can’t be president or VP. After a person enters the U.S. legally they have to live in the U.S. for a certain length of time, they have to learn English, believe in the Constitution, pass an exam, and take an oath of allegiance to the U.S. Then they are a U.S. citizen. The U.S. can make an entire group citizens. For example Puerto Rico in 1916.

Losing Citizenship This is rare but some Americans give up their citizenship this is called expatriation. Only the Federal Government can take someone citizenship. 1st you can lose your citizenship if you became a citizen by fraud, this is called denaturalization. 2nd you can also lose your citizenship if you commit treason against the government. 3rd you can lose it if you swear an oath to another nation.

Responsible Citizenship U.S. citizens should be trustworthy, honesty, and respect the rights of others. Citizens should also obey the law, pay taxes, serve on juries, register to vote and vote. Responsible citizens perform public service, keep up with current events, respect the opinions of others, and practice personal & fiscal responsibility.

Encouraging Immigration The U.S. has a long history of immigration. The federal government has the power to regulate immigration. During the 1st hundred years of our history, Congress did little to regulate immigration. By the end of the 1800s, with less land available and more people coming from southern and eastern Europe Congress started to get involved.

Restricting Immigration In 1875, Congress banned the immigration of criminals In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. In the 1920s Congress passed several Immigration Acts that tried to limit southern and eastern Europe immigration. These laws effectively banned immigration from Asia and Africa and restricted Latin American immigration. In 1965, a new law did away with the country-based quota system. It allowed 290,000 total immigrants every year, 120,000 from the Western Hemisphere and 170,000 from the Eastern Hemisphere. In 1990, it was raised to 675,000 a year.

Political Asylum and Refugees The U.S. has different policies for refugees. Refugees are people seeking political asylum, many of whom come fleeing wars of political persecution in their home country. The U.S. accepts more than any other country, for example 50,000 in 2005.

Illegal Immigration A person who has come into the U.S. illegally is call an undocumented alien. The U.S. has over 12 million illegal aliens today, if they are caught they are subject to deportation. The majority of illegal aliens come from Latin America, and cross through the Mexican-U.S. border. The rest of the illegal aliens travel here as tourist or students on visas and stay when their visas expire. The government tries to keep up with these people, it has been unable to track most of them.

Debate over Illegal Immigration Some people believe the illegal aliens take American jobs and drain government services like schools and hospitals. While others believe that these people are good hard working people, that are paying taxes, buying American goods & services, and filling low paying jobs that most Americans choose not to do.

Illegal Immigration Policies The Border Patrol was created in the 1920s. In 1954 the Border Patrol deported 1 million illegal aliens to Mexico. This brought on many complaints b/c Mexican Americans were also being deported, t/f it ended. In 1986 Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act. This gave aliens one time amnesty, and made it illegal for employers to hire aliens. 2.7 million people used the law to become citizens. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 increased the Border Patrol & made it easier to deport aliens. After 9/11, the U.S. has tried to increase Border Patrol , deportations & fencing & barriers.