Immigration is a recurring issue for the modern United States. Immigrants themselves are welcome, but is seems that this open invitation is only to a certain extent. Legal immigration has always been the preferred method for people to enter the United States, but it is certainly not the only way that people find themselves living within America’s borders. Borjas goes into depth about the United States’ legal immigration process, the lottery system, and history of American immigration. He goes onto mention the family preference system, where close relatives of adult U.S. citizen can enter the country legally. Unfortunately, this is not the only method in which people enter the United States and many choose an illegal route. For instance, with the termination of the Bracero program, many Mexican laborers were marooned in the United States without any sort of legal paperwork to give them access to their jobs. Since American growers wanted to maintain a source of cheap labor, it was obvious that they would continue to pay the workers if they were available. This sparked what would become a longstanding trend of illegal Mexican immigrants coming across the border to work for U.S. jobs. This is not to put the blame of the entire some 12 million immigrants on Mexican laborers, but it is just the example that Borjas uses due to its relevance in today’s political sphere. The United States is open to immigrants, but should they really be allowing people to live illegally within their borders? Granted, this question gets a little more complicated when illegals have built their entire lives and families in the United States. When they have worked there all their lives and become a part of the backbone of American society, it almost feels wrong just to deport them, even though they first entered the country through illegal means. The last issue Borjas discusses is the sheer quantity of immigrants today in the United States. It is estimated that 13.3% of the population today is made up of immigrants. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with this number, as nearly all citizens of the modern United States were immigrants at one point, but is this massive intake of immigrants problematic for America? How will the economy and citizens adapt to this new presence? Will the United States hold strong in its stereotypical values, or will the melting pot theory prove true once again and result in a shift of the American identity?
2 replies on “We Wanted Workers Ch. 3 ERA”
You do a good job in this ERA explaining the chapter and the importance of immigration, particularly the controversial issue of illegal immigrants. To answer your questions, I do not believe it is an issue that a large portion of the population is made up of immigrants. However, it will be important and interesting to see how citizens react to this, as some may benefit from it while others may disapprove and be hurt from it. I do not think this will shift the overall identity of the United States, as it is already a diverse nation and adding to it will likely not damage the nation. However, it is still essential that those who live within the nation follow the values and rules, even if they bring along some of their old habits as well.
This is a very well written ERA that addresses many key issues discussed by Borjas. The way that the United States performs and handles legal immigration is very unique, but also a difficult and draining process for many.