The 1965 Immigration Act: A Sociological Analysis What was the 1965 Immigration Act? The 1965 Immigration Act explicitly abolished the discriminatory national origins quotas that had regulated entrance into the country since the 1920s. It explicitly prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence in the U.S. government’s decisions to issue immigrant visa. (ERIKA LEE)
Introduction: For countless years, our nation as a whole, has attracted millions of people from areas allover the world. Some even describe the United States of America as the land of immigrants because of all the different ethnicities that make up our population. As a nation we have strived to incorporate laws to regulate this immigration to keep order in our society. There are millions of opinions out there on this topic and each citizen has their own but most people can agree on the idea of how immigration has shaped our nation. Our country has adopted new ideas or inventions, different ways of life, and customs just from opening our borders to people who lived in different parts of the world. The United States of America thrives on the backs of immigrants because of not only the impact they made years ago but because of the impact they continue to make on American lives every single day
The Economics of Immigration Reform: By: Kevin Moore This political cartoon emphasizes a bit of a more liberal perspective in regards to immigration policy and embraces this idea of allowing all people, from all different countries into the United States of America. The 1965 Immigration Act in a way was created to also embrace open immigration due to the policies that existed before this act was put in place. Beforehand, the aim of the Immigration Act of 1924 was to restrict immigration from eastern and southern Europe, especially Italians,Poles,Greeks, and Jews. Not only did it restrict Europeans but it canceled African immigration and banned the immigration of Arabs and Asians.In order to receive a visa you had to fit in the quota of your national origin place, which basically only allowed for Europeans to immigrate. The 1965 Immigration Law put an end to these quotas and embraced a new ideology.
Methods: 1. Secondary Data Analysis that emphasizes the extent of how many immigrants entered the United States of America because of the facilitation in regards to immigration due to the implementation of the 1965 Immigration Law. This study applies mainly qualitative methods based on a secondary data analysis, such as the use of literature and publications. Secondary Data Analysis Method: Aiming to highlight the rise of legal immigrants that entered the United States after 1he 1965 Immigration Act was introduced. Migration Policy Institute (MPI): “Legal Immigration to the United States, 1820-Present,”
By: Rachel Navarro Faculty Advisor: Dr. Navid Ghani Department of Sociology
US Citizenship Law By: Ph.d.s and Pigtails
This political cartoon emphasizes how ignorant some people believe Congress can be in regards to immigration reform even though there are many people in our country fighting for some relief in terms of getting themselves or their family members some form of citizenship. The 1965 Immigration Law has allowed many immigrants into our nation but now there is a surplus of undocumented citizens due to the consequences this immigration act had on our nation.
Conclusion:
“From 1971 to 1980, 4,493,000 immigrants were admitted into the United States, an increase of 1,171,000 over the years from 1961 to 1970. The increase in numbers accelerated in the decades that followed. By 1990, of the estimated 21,596,000 foreign- born people living in the United States, about 43 percent had arrived during the 1980’s. By the year 2007, more than 38 million immigrants lived in the United States, accounting for about 12 percent of the country’s total residents.” (Carl L Bankston III) After analyzing the statistical evidence that is presented in the chart above from the pew research center, it is evident that there has been an increase over the years on the number of immigrants residing in the United States. The increase over the years is a direct consequence of the 1965 Immigration Act. The policies that were implemented through this act such as family reunification, allowed for foreign born citizens to enter the United States.
The legacy of the 1965 Immigration Act is tremendous and still relevant today even though it was written decades ago. It changed our nation forever and it made our country prosperous in many aspects. Even though this act’s provisions are still intact today there is always room for improvement especially in a country where change is inevitable and needs to be dealt with in order to protect the citizens and undocumented immigrants of the United States of America. The 1965 act was approximately written 55 years ago under different circumstances than the ones we live in today. Immigration has become a hot topic in politics recently because of the ongoing dilemma of illegal immigrants that reside in the USA. Back in 1965 there was not as many illegal immigrants compared to today so that is why that specific act worked for them but it is now time for a change in order to make it more relevant to our current situation. Instead of just trying to kick out every single illegal immigrant that has built a family and their whole lives in this country, we could implement a new act that helps these undocumented immigrants receive the citizenship they long for. Any first generation can tell you how extensive and hard the process of receiving your papers is and how much money it truly costs. It can take years to gain citizenship and that is extremely unfair. The system no longer works for the immigrants today and not only does it not work but it also harms them.
Works Cited:
Lee, Erika. “Legacies of the 1965 Immigration Act.” South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA), South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA), 24 Aug. 2018, www.saada.org/tides/ article/legacies-of-the-1965-immigration-act. Bankston , Carl L. “Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.” Immigration to the United States, immigrationtounitedstates.org/594-immigration-and-nationality-act-of-1965.html. “A Nation of Immigrants” Pew Research Center and Hispanic Trends, The Pew Research Center, 29 January 2013 https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2013/01/29/a-nation-of-immigrants/ Muzaffar Chishti, Faye Hipsman, and Isabel Ball, “Fifty Years On, the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act Continues to Reshape the United States”, Migration Policy Institute, 15 October 2015 https:// www.migrationpolicy.org/article/fifty-years-1965-immigration-and-nationality-act-continues-reshapeunited-states