Mexican Immigration in the U.S.

Résumé du document

Until the mid 1920s, US immigration was largely unrestricted, but soon after the Congress passed a legislation it limited the entry from all regions except north-western Europe. It began in 1965 and has been continuing thereafter, and has passed a series of liberal laws, including the Immigration and Reform Act of 1986, under which 2.7 million illegal immigrants mostly from Mexico were given legal immigrant status.

Extraits

[...] As of now, the two largest waves had been first between 1899 and 1914, which reached 13.6 million, and then between 1980 and 1998, which reached 8.6 million; during this period, an average of 460,000 immigrants became citizens every year. How many are they? Where do they settle? Large scale of immigration from Mexico is a very recent phenomenon. In 1970, the Mexican immigrant population was less than 800,000 when compared to nearly 8 million in 2000. According to statistics, if this phenomenon goes on, the Spanish speaking people will have outnumbered the English by 2030. [...]

[...] Others think that immigration offends something in the American Soul. Some Americans feel that undocumented workers are taking jobs from natives who would otherwise be employed. - Good for the United States: Some believe as stated earlier that immigration is beneficial because an increase in population rises the number of creative minds and hence the pace of innovation. But generally speaking, the most important fact is that the US relies heavily on immigrant workers as the core of their domestic labor force. [...]

[...] The exploitation of Mexican immigrants is a harsh reality that few people are aware of. Is it good for the United States? - Effects: The first point is that the US population will grow enormously, absent in a drastic reduction in immigration. A big drop in immigration does not seem imminent because of the pressures from many ethnic groups which generally support a racial heterogeneous society. US employers also depend on the low-wage labor which Mexican immigrants provide. The US Census Bureau's latest projection, which assumes a continuation of recent immigration and emigration levels over the next half a century, places the US population at 394 million in 2050. [...]

[...] In the future, the United States should also consider policies designed to reduce unskilled legal immigration in general including from Mexico. Greater resources should also be developed to stop illegal immigration including enforcement of the ban on hiring illegal immigrants. President Bush proposed several new reforms to legitimize almost 3 million immigrants residing in the US. Perhaps the largest and almost controversial of all the reforms is a comprehensive regularization program that aimed in allowing undocumented workers who meet certain criteria, eligibility to receive a ‘legal' status and potentially become US citizens. [...]

[...] Other immigrants' destinations include Texas, Florida and New Mexico. Advantages and disadvantages for Mexican immigrants Advantages: As a labor-intensive country, Mexico relies on its emigrants as one of the best resources of foreign revenue. The Mexican government understands the money generated abroad will most likely be sent to family members still residing in Mexico and thus be invested in the Mexican economy. The ‘legalization' of more Mexican immigrants signifies larger incomes for natives of Mexico and in turn, boosts the Mexican economy. [...]