The USA is the country that was built up of immigrants at the period of British colonization about three centuries ago; people who could not find their happiness and welfare in the Old Land came to conquer the new lands in the newly-discovered continent. The conditions were severe and new settlers had to fight for their land with the Indians, but they survived and managed to achieve independence from the British crown.
Then the USA became an autonomous, strong and prospering state that it represents nowadays. It has always pursued friendly and soft policies towards immigrants who enriched the ethnic composition thereof, brought in their talent, strength and resourcefulness. As a result, the USA obtained the name of a âmelting potâ, signaling the unprecedented mix of nations, races and ethnicities that accumulated within its borders.
However, the former positive attitude towards immigration has changed, and nowadays the claims for ethnic unity and authenticity are heard more and more often. It goes without saying that the policy of immigrant inclusion that was initiated in the middle of the 20th century brought about the incomparable change in the demographic composition of the nation, which raised multiple disagreements and disapproval from native-born Americans.
The nation that was initially formed out of immigrants refused to welcome any more of them, complaining of the worsening economy, lack of resources and material constraints that the huge influx of immigrants caused. Brimelow admits that the countryâs major problems like multiculturalism, dissolution of shared values and increased stratification are the direct result of uncontrolled immigration (Brimelow 268). He even predicts the potential collapse of the USA due to continued immigration, comparing it to the Roman Empire that could not assimilate all incomers and finally broke apart (Brimelow 268).
Brimelow even offers a set of radical measures that could save the country from the disastrous invasion of aliens. He states that the country has to close its borders and deport the illegal residents who have already settled on the territory of the USA, introduce a moratorium on immigration and then conduct a nationwide poll to understand what the true opinions of US citizens about immigration are (Brimelow 269). He agrees that in some time immigration will have to be resumed, but on a much more moderate level than it used to be allowed (Brimelow 269).
The question is whether the decision offered by the author is too tough or not, and whether it is achievable in general. What is the true position of immigrants in the USA, and what role did they historically play in the progress of the country? Is the situation with immigration truly desperate, or are the consequences of immigrant inflow widely exaggerated due to stereotypes? It is extremely hard to answer this question because there are proponents of both positions, but the proper literary overview may provide a fairly grounded viewpoint for critical consideration of the issue.
The basis for consideration of the immigration problem in the USA nay be found in the eternal verse of Emma Lazarus (256) voicing the global welcome strategy of the USA. The Russian-born poet embodied her opinion of the USA symbolized by the Statue of Liberty, the welcoming mother who would give refuge to all people needing it, suffering in their motherland and wishing to start a new life.
The verse was so popular in the USA that it was later carved in the statueâs pedestal to symbolize the US policy concerning immigration. Indeed, it was long believed that the nation was open for newcomers from all over the world; it did not help them achieve success, and the American dream was the issue of perseverance and hard labor. However, all people who qualified for entrance were free to live in the USA, finding their own way to the American dream.
Nowadays immigrants are increasingly unwelcome in the USA, and the main reasons named for this are the overpopulation and economic strain they create (Kinsley 258). Secondly, the growing concern about the nationâs ethnicity is felt â the sad example of Germany with riots and upheavals of neo-Nazis is too eloquent about the social disapproval of multicultural invasion to project any positive outcomes for the USA (Kingsley 258).
Hence, resistance to continued immigration has both social and economic causes. But Raspberry (266) indicates the ambiguity of claims because of the American unwillingness to be called bigots. He recognizes the true root of the problem in the illegal immigration that has become a truly disturbing issue recently, with more and more Mexicans invading the USA from the southern border. Illegal migration should be stopped, which is the fact, but its negative consequences on the legal immigrants should be paid more attention to.
These steps seem even more important in the context of analyzing the historical role of immigrants in the USA and their contribution to the American welfare. Hence, arguments for the immigration policy should also be taken into account. Negative consequences that await the USA that will become unfriendly to newcomers should also be considered, since the major part of the US economy is tied to its close ties to other countries. Stereotypes clearly govern the perception of the problem, so their nature is also the topic intensely discussed in the circles of immigrant defenders.
A good example of a stereotype-breaking material in the discussion of the US immigration is the article of Weld and Weld who state that the immigrants have clearly left their footprint in the history, culture, religion, education, science and economics of the USA. The authors destroy the common stereotypes about low education of immigrants, about their illegal status, about their strain on resources and job stealing from native citizens (Weld and Weld 262). Their conclusion is grounded on facts and statistics: immigrants are equal participants in the US economy; they pay taxes and support the US economy equally with the native-born Americans (Weld and Weld 263).
This positive opinion is supported by Gilder who assumes that without immigrants the US would have never become a prosperous country (Gilder 270). He also makes a conclusion that the USA may suffer from the introduction of a moratorium on immigration because 58% of its revenue depends on its overseas operations (Gilder 273). Thus, in case the USA closes its borders, its foreign partners may do the same and hinder its economic prosperity. âAmerica prevails only because it offers freedom of enterprise and innovation to people worldwideâ (Gilder 273), which is the secret of its success in the global market. Consequently, in case immigration is stopped, the countryâs economy may suffer serious, even decisive losses.
Summing everything that has been said up, it is possible to agree with the idea of Kinsley about the individual decision that every US citizen should make about immigration (Kinsley 260). There is no unanimous solution to the issue, and any decision made at the federal level will inevitably have advantages and drawbacks. However, there are three major observations that should have the impact on the decision, no matter how it will look.
Firstly, the humankind is living in the period of globalization and overall integration, which makes closing borders fairly impossible and complex. Secondly, the social as well as economic tension in the USA is growing, being specially aggravated by the current economic crisis, so the country needs an urgent solution to the problem. Thirdly, the problem of immigration should not be mixed with the issue of illegal immigration, because the latter is a really grave problem and the former is a normal consequence of the globally friendly policy of the USA.
Works Cited
Brimelow, Peter. âUnchecked Immigrationâ. Critical Thinking: A Shepherd’s Guide to Tending Sheep. Jason McFaul. 2nd ed. Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2010. 268-269.
Gilder, George. âGeniuses from Abroadâ. Critical Thinking: A Shepherd’s Guide to Tending Sheep. Jason McFaul. 2nd ed. Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2010. 270-273.
Kinsley, Michael. âGatecrashersâ. Critical Thinking: A Shepherd’s Guide to Tending Sheep. Jason McFaul. 2nd ed. Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2010. 257-260.
Lazarus, Emma. âThe New Colossusâ. Critical Thinking: A Shepherd’s Guide to Tending Sheep. Jason McFaul. 2nd ed. Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2010. 256.
Raspburry, William. âImmigration Straight-Talkâ. Critical Thinking: A Shepherd’s Guide to Tending Sheep. Jason McFaul. 2nd ed. Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2010. 265-267.
Weld, Susan Roosevelt, and William F. Weld. âWe Should Always Lift Our Lamp to the Worldâ. Critical Thinking: A Shepherd’s Guide to Tending Sheep. Jason McFaul. 2nd ed. Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2010. 261-263.