2. Immigration: A Catholic Response Part I: U.S. History of Immigration

3. For generations, our families have migrated…

4. Statue of Liberty 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-tossed to me,
I life my lamp beside the golden door.
Emma Lazarus

5. Immigrants satisfy a U.S. demand
In the 1990s: over half of US workforce growth was from immigrants.
: immigrants accounted for 86% of increase in US employment (about 50% were Hispanics of which 50% Mexican).
For next 20 years, no net increase is predicted in the number of prime working-age natives (ages 15-54).

6. “Push” to U.S. Immigration
: Irish Potato Famine – mostly Irish Catholics come.
1850: U.S. seizes 1/3 of Mexico
Mexican border relatively open until 1920
Mexicans come and go freely
1910: Mexican Revolution seizes land
1920: Cristero Movement repressed

7. “Push” to U.S. Immigration
Chinese rush to U.S. in
: Opium War with Britain
Loss of Hong Kong to Britain
Taiping Rebellion
Agricultural crisis and rice shortage

8. “Push” to U.S. Immigration
: Period of greatest immigration
Ellis Island: 1892 – 1924:
5000 enter daily, maybe 1 in 50 rejected
12 million had entered by 1954 when closed
WWI generates Italian, Slav, Greek, Polish, Jewish immigrants (Southern Europe)

9. Historic “Pull” of Immigrants
Immigrants satisfy US economic needs
1864: 1st comprehensive federal immigration law to work frontier (RR, mining, farming, e.g., Chinese recruited for Calif gold rush ).
1870s: Companies recruit in Mexico in part to replace Chinese, but mostly seasonal.
1882: Chinese Exclusion Act, denies more entries, no return if leave, sponsoring relatives and citizenship denied.
WWI: Government, industry and agriculture contract Mexican labor.

10. U.S. Limits Immigration
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.

11. U.S. Limits Immigration 1917: Literacy Act – very exclusionary
need to write or speak English and another language
aims to exclude southern Europeans & Jews & excluded all Asians, including Indians, Malaysians, etc. Even though 12% of US Army is Italian.
9th Proviso: exception for farm workers, mostly Mexicans.

12. U.S. Limits Immigration
: 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.

13. U.S. Limits Immigration 1924 Immigration Act severely limits because
Racial superiority of Anglo Saxons
Immigrants cause lowering of wages
Do not assimilate
Threat to national identity & unity
Limits immigrants to 2% of their national group in 1890, thus against south & east Europeans

14. Mexican immigrants recruited
: 49,000 immigrants enter,
50% are Mexicans.
1920: 500,000 Mexicans emigrated
Poverty & unrest in Mexico before 1910
Restrictions on Japanese, like Chinese
Demand for labor in RR, agric, mines
Waiver of $5 head tax
Seen as temporary, not staying
Will work in undesirable jobs & locations

15. Mexican immigrants deported Depression
Mexican immigration slows to trickle
Emigration exceeds immigration 3-1
Violent reaction against Mexicans as cities & states round up and deport them
Many leave on own out of fear
In 15 month period in 1931, 2 million Mexicans leave.

16. “Pull” of Mexican immigrants
WWII: ( ) Treaty with Mexico to contract workers (Bracero Program)
Private contracts but feds help recruit
US demand initially small, but soon outstrips visas so in early 1950s growers recruit undocumented.
: 4.6 million braceros admitted
1950: 67,000 braceros to 450,000 in 1956
Same time: 5.2 million illegal immigrants arrested.

17. “Pull” of Mexican Immigrants
US knew Bracero program would foment illegal immigration e.g., cut Border Patrol
Undocumented benefit government & private sector.
Government need not pay cost of $450/worker
Owners save $25 bond on each, $15 contracting fee & other restrictions.
Early 1950’s: Prosperity pulls poor Puerto Ricans (U.S. citizens) & others.

18. Historic “Pull” & Limiting
Recession increases arrests in :
: 10,000/year
: 277,000/year
1954: 1,090,000 (Operation Wetback)
1956: 30,000
Illegal immigration issue disappears

19. History of Immigration
European immigration slows in early 1950s due to McCarthyism scare.
1952: McCarran-Walter Act against communist subversives:
- Creates INS & moves it from Labor to Justice
- Establishes 4 category preference system
50% to more educated
50% to 3 preferences for family of citizens & residents – 1st time

20. History of Immigration
1959: U.S. receives large numbers of Cuban refugees.
: JFK & LBJ try to eliminate discriminatory national quotas

21. Contradictions of Push, Pull & Limiting
1964: Civil Rights movement highlights abuses of braceros
1965: Amendment to Civil Rights
Asian immigration restrictions eliminated
Asians immigrants explode in 70s & 80s: Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia & bring families.
Together with Latinos = 85% of all immigrants till 1990s

22. Contradictions of Push, Pull & Limiting
Readjusts quota system 20,000 for each non-Western country regardless of size
170,000 visas for Eastern Hemisphere,
75% for family of citizens y LPRs
Only 120,000 for Western Hemisphere, which creates backlog of Mexicans
: 300,000 backlog of West requests
Annually Mexicans used 40,000 of 120,000 visas
US wrongly gave 150,000 Western visas to Cubans

23. Contradictions of Push, Pull & Limiting
1975: Law disallows woman with child born in U.S. to apply for LPR; child may apply when 21.
1976: US cuts Mexican visas to 20,000
3rd preference of married sons/daughters of citizens = 10 years
4th preference of bros/sisters = 12 years
1979: After Pres Carter appoints Fr Hesburg to commission to review policy, receives recom-mendation for employer sanctions (an idea rejected since 1870s) and broad legalization.

24. Contradictions of Push, Pull & Limiting
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

25. Contradictions of Push, Pull & Limiting
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
Greatly limited judicial review & political asylum
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
Greatly restricted waivers.

26. Contradictions of Push, Pull & Limiting
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

27. Contradictions of Push, Pull & Limiting
2005: Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduces controversial bill, passes House in 7 days:
Felony to aid undocumented people
Felony to enter U.S. illegally
Felony to overstay or violate a visa
March 10, May & 2007: Largest demonstrations in U.S. history
1/2007: Strive bill introduced as more
compassionate alternative, but strong opposition from the right, forces Senate to drop efforts in summer. Senate passes stronger enforcement.

28. Contradictions of Push, Pull & Limiting
2005: Harsher rulings on waivers
Of 300,000 applications for Cancellation of Removal, 99% denied and there is no appeal.
Those applying fulfill the following:
In U.S. for 10 uninterrupted years before arrest
A person of good character, no crime
Has spouse, parent or child who is US citizen or PLR
Would suffer extreme hardship if deported.

29. Contradictions of Push, Pull & Limiting
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.

30. Contradictions of Push, Pull & Limiting
2005: Harsher rulings on waivers
Of 300,000 applications for Cancellation of Removal, 99% denied and there is no appeal.
Those applying fulfill the following:
In U.S. for 10 uninterrupted years before arrest
A person of good character, no crime
Has spouse, parent or child who is US citizen or PLR
Would suffer extreme hardship if deported.

31. Contradictions of Push, Pull & Limiting
Municipalities & states pass strict laws:
Oklahoma: harshest law making any aid to illegal immigrants a crime. Tulsa Archbishop denounces it.
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.

32. The Future?
2007: Save Act stays alive in House, focusing on enforcement only.
2008: Presidential campaign creates limited debate:
Democrats shy from the issue
Republicans emphasize enforcement

33. Rise in # of legal immigrants
1950s: 2.5 million
1960s: 3.3 million
1970s: 4.5 million
1980s: 7.3 million
1990s: 9.1 million – biggest decade