Sociology 134 The Peopling of America

Story: Ali and Samra Sabir; a young couple from Pakistan Won a special lottery for a work visa Residing in New York City; celebrated their first fourth of July in Picnic: chicken and rice dish; potato chips; cricket (passed on lasagna) Clash between strict Muslim beliefs and American life styles Ali wants his family to remain in America, become citizens, but not become Americans Question: Is this possible?

Overview of Peopling of America Involuntary participants –American Indians –Africans –Mexicans in Southwest Immigration: Concepts and History –Terminology –Tensions over immigration –Immigration Policy

Overview, continued Current Immigration Policy and Numbers Current Immigration Controversies

Involuntary Participants “The Indian Problem” –Removal –Reservations –Urbanization (1/4 on or near reservations) Slavery and Its Aftermath –Concentration in South; Great Migration;Return Migration –Why did the net migration flow switch directions? The Original Mexican Americans –Citizenship, but discrimination and prejudice

Concepts Over 70,000 foreigners arrive in the U.S. each day –Immigrants (2,200) –Over 60,000 are tourists, students, and workers on temporary visas –Approximately 5,000 are illegal immigrants, but about 4,000 of these are apprehended quickly; around 1,000 or so remain for some time

Concepts, continued Generations: 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd Refugee (outside the U.S.) Asylee (inside the U.S.) We are the leading receiver of immigrants in most years; 2000: 10% of the U.S. population was foreign born

Tensions Over Immigration Mexico (2 nd leading country of origin of immigrants in our history) Who is first? Tensions over origins (Germans, Irish, Italians, Asians, Mexicans) Tensions over numbers (why are numbers important?) Costs and benefits Effects on countries of origin?

Immigration and Immigration Policy: Open Borders, : individuals who were “free” and “white” could become naturalized citizens; it was 1952 before Asians could become naturalized citizens 1870: extended to aliens of African nativity and individuals of African descent; anyone born in U.S. is automatically a citizen (14 th Amendment)

Restrictive Policies, : prohibitions on entry of convicted criminals and prostitutes 1882: prohibitions on entry of those likely to become a public charge 1882: Chinese Exclusion Act 1903: excluded anarchists and revolutionaries Early 1900s: Gentlemen’s Agreement with Japan

Nativism and Policies Nativism: immigration is dangerous for our society—especially from certain countries 1924: Quota system favoring Northern and Western European countries 1952: all aliens became eligible for naturalization

Purposeful Immigration Policies, 1965-Present Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 1965: –Abolished national origins quota system –Established preferences based on relationship to U.S. citizens and permanent residents and labor needs Refugee Act of 1980 IRCA of : additional funds for Border Patrol; restrict benefits available to immigrants

Changes in Numbers : 4.7M from Europe;.06M from Asia,.4M from America :.8M from Europe; 2.7M from Asia, 3.6M from America :.8M from Europe, 1.6M from Asia, 2.7M from America

Current Immigration Policy Legal Immigration: flexible cap of 421,000 to 675,000 (too much or too little?) Refugee/Asylee Illegal Immigration (5M in 1996, increasing by 275T each year; probably 6.5M in 2002; 2% of U.S. population) Naturalization 1999: 840,000 Rights of Immigrants

Current Immigration Controversies 1.Costs and Benefits of Immigration 2.Illegal Immigration 3.Refugees 4.Citizenship and Naturalization 5.Culture and Identity