1.+Immigration-Yovanka+&+Yomari

  Chapter 1

By Yovanka D. and Yomari E.
= =  INTRODUCTION

Immigration has always been a controversial topic in the United States. Issues concerning immigrants in labor markets, immigrants causing a financial burden on taxpayers do to language insufficiency have been examined and reported. This data portrays that these issues may not be what the immigrant population should be known for. A series of articles collected from the internet dealing with statistics of the growing immigrant population, immigrants being a help to the economy and how education here in the United States can negatively affect children born to immigrant families are reviewed. Immigrants have helped mold the social and historical landscape of the United States. The fusion of the different cultures has contributed in the formation of the political, social, and linguistic aspects of the country. These articles will help readers understand and value immigrants and make the reader aware of needed services for immigrant families that are crucial for the developing a sound future. The information provided here may also be an eye opener to the issues that are currently being analyzed concerning immigration.

Main Points

1. The 2001 census shows the fastest growing US minority group is Hispanics. At the beginning of the decade the fastest minority groups were the Asian population. Estimates show that by the year 2050 minorities will have the highest population in the nation. (YD)

2. Between 2020 and 2025, it is estimated that immigrants will account for 82% of the population, dominated by Hispanic and Asian groups. Therefore, different programs must emerge in order to satisfy the need for education and policies that will facilitate immigrant families. (YE)

3. Politicians on either side of the political spectrum have yet to take a firm stance on the issue of immigration. Both Democrats and Republicans have stated that they support immigrants to some extent. Yet President Bush passed a bill to allocate billions of dollars to the construction of a wall that is intended to seal off the border between the US and Mexico. Let’s see what policies and changes our new president makes (YD)

4. The House of Representatives and Senate have different views of what policies to instill for the growth of immigration. The House wants to enforce stricter boarder control laws; however the Senate considers amnesty. (YE)

5. Many US citizens are afraid that immigrants are going to take away jobs from them. However reports show that states with a high immigration rate after 1990 had above average employment opportunities for American born workers. (YE)

6. Reports show that many new immigrants become entrepreneurs with the fastest growing businesses being owned by Hispanics and Asians. This shows that immigrants are vital assets in today’s economy. The highest concentration of immigrants resides in big cities, such as New York. (YD)

7. The strengthening of anti-immigration policies has also begun to hurt big businesses with the cap on work visas. The H-1B is a work visa given to educated people who are being pursued for employment by US companies. Only 65,000 visas will be granted annually from over 150,000 applications being submitted. Many NYC companies, often small businesses, because of the limited number of professionals, have either had to relocate or reduce positions. Even so, these companies would like to tap into foreign markets’ trained individuals. (YD)

8. Many immigrant children (or those born to immigrant parents) enter public school systems with little or no English proficiency. Their opportunity for learning has been limited by the government because of lack of funding for bilingual education and ESL programs. A large number of immigrant students drop out because they are not given the needed resources in order to progress in the educational system. To deter this waste of human potential, adequate funding must be provided for ELL instruction and services. This funding must be used appropriately to help students, provide assistance to their parents, and to train and hire qualified bilingual and ESL instructors. (YE)

9. Some immigrants are asked to assimilate and adopt a new culture and customs. Studies show that US immigrants tend to embrace a new identity, retain the one that is native to them, or combine both aspects of each country. Children of immigrants tend often tend to assimilate by the second or third generation, causing language loss. (YE)

Annotations & Links

1. Avitia, D. (2008). Immigrants to Bloomberg: Where’s the Love. New York: The New York Immigration Coalition. Retrieved on September 23, 2008 from: http://www.thenyic.org/templates/documentFinder.asp?did=816 This article is about budget cuts that have been approved by Mayor Bloomberg that directly affect the state of education in New York City. The cuts primarily affect bilingual education and adult language learning centers. The cuts threaten over 15 million dollars towards creating position for teachers of ELL students. Mae Lee, executive director of the Chinese Progressive Association, feels that these cuts will affect children who are not proficient in the English language to lose hope of the American dream. (YD)

3. Davidson, E, Perrone, B. (2008), U.S Immigration Policy Threatens New York Business. New York: Partnership for New York City, Retrieved on 9/23/2008 from: http://www.pfnyc.org/pressReleases/2008/pr_032408_immigration.html This article is about the limitations and caps that have been placed on companies requesting H-1B Visas for immigrants. These visas are designated for educated individuals who are coming to the US to work and are requested by various companies. The government has decided to put a cap on these kinds of visas to try to encourage companies to hire US citizens. Some NY companies have relocated and dismissed immigrant employees because of this problem. Studies show however that workers with such visas comprise only .07% of the workforce, showing that is barely affects the hiring rate of US citizens. (YD)

4. DiCerbo,P.A. (n.d.). Resources about Immigration & America’s Schools. A resource Guide, National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA). Retrieved September 20, 2008 from: www.ncela.gwu.edu/resabout/immigration/intro/ This article focuses on four different topics: immigration history and education policy, immigrant education and immigrant culture and identity. Persons who have a close family relationship with a US citizen, with needed job skills, or those who qualify as refugees are given preference for immigration. Usually, immigrants settle in large cities, but throughout the years they have been expanding to the rural areas. Many have little to no education, lacking any English proficiency. As immigration populations grow, more policies have been made to accommodate to their and the country’s need. Under the education issue, educators have emphasized that it is important to provide the appropriate resources for all immigrants, regardless of gender, age or country of origin. Immigrant identity usually merges with the country they decide to reside in. (YE)

5. Eng, N. (2007). Immigrants Create Almost a Quarter of NYS Economic Output. New York: The New York Immigrant Coalition. Retrieved on September 23, 2008 from: http://thenyic.org/templates/documentFinder.asp?did=787 The immigrant population has contributed over $229 billion to the New York State economy. This fact shows that immigrants do not hold back or hinder the economy but help it to prosper. Over 21% New York State residents are immigrants with the highest concentration residing in New York City. (YD)

6. Hightower, J (2008). Immigrants Come Here Because Globalization Took their Jobs Back There. Alternet.org. Retrieved on September 23, 2008 from: http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/76076/ This article discusses the political view on immigration dating back to the time of Benjamin Franklin. Many political leaders from both parties have deep issues with immigration and policies that are in place. The Democrats vacillate on the debate stressing how immigrants help the economy then, they say that immigration laws need to be strengthened. Many hard working US citizens also fear immigrants who are low wage earners may directly affect their economic standing. The article also reviews different strategies that have been proposed by President Bush including the construction of a huge wall, at a proposed cost of 1.2 billion dollars, that will seal of the border and stop illegal Mexican immigration. (YD)

7. Kirkorian, M. (2002). Alingual Education: “Young Victims of Mass Immigration”. Washington D.C, Center for Immigration Studies. Retrieved on October 9, 2008 from http://www.cis.org/articles/2002/markoped061302.html This article focuses on the school problem among children of immigrant families. Their problem is that children not only must learn English but do not have a well developed first language at all. Many parents are low wage employees and have to work two to three jobs a piece just to make ends meet. These children are often left in the care of babysitters that allow the kids to watch a lot of TV. These children then go to school without knowing basic words as one teacher stated for colors or articles of clothing. Children of immigrant families still are more likely to drop out of high school. The article suggests that these children pay the high price for the country’s need for cheap labor. (YD)

8. Roberts, S (2008). Proportion of Immigrants in U.S. Rises. New York: The New York Times. Retrieved on September 23, 2008 from: NYC funding for immigrants http://www.thenyic.org/templates/documentFinder.asp?did=816 This article is about the steady growth of the immigrant population that will ultimately surpass that the rate of immigrants that came to the US over a century ago. The Pew Research Center a, research group estimates that between 2020 and 2025 immigrants will account for over 15 percent of the population. The Hispanic and Asian population will see the most growth with the Hispanic population predicted to grow to 67 percent in 2050. (YD & YE)

9. Roberts, S. (2008). Rise in Minorities Is Led by Children. New York: The New York Times. Retrieved on October 9, 2008 from: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/washington/01census.html?_r=1&oref=slogin# This article is about the rise in the US minority population, with Hispanics and Asians among the fastest growing minority groups. Young minority children under the age of 15 are the fastest growing in Florida and Nevada according to the 2001 census. Members of racial minority group now represent 1 in 3 Americans. (YD)

10. Global Immigration News (2006). Immigration and Learning a new language. Retrieved September 20, 2008 from: www.workpermit.com/news/2006_05_23/global/immigration_and _learning_a_new_ This article discusses immigrants’ great difficulty when learning a new language and how immigration affects a country’s national language. Some countries may have strict policies to preserve their national language, such s France. However, some embrace having a multilingual exposure; like that of Canada, which everything is printed in both English and in French. The article further discusses that if the United States establishes a national language: it may restrict some services provided in other languages, reduce government services, and decrease the value of people coming into the country. (YE) 11. The Annie E. Casey Foundation, American Community Survey (2000-2007) NY Kids Count ELLs & Immigrant Stats http://www.kidscount.org/sld/profile_results.jsp?r=34&d=1&c=12&p=5&x=173&y=12 Statistical data compare immigrant and non-immigrant children living here in the US from 2000-2007 by income variables and language issues. One stat shows how many immigrant families live below the poverty line and how many know the English language.

12. US Immigration News (2006). US Concludes Immigration does not threaten English Language. Retrieved September 20, 2008 from: www.workpermit.com/news/2006_09_14/us/english_safe_from_immigrants.htm A study was conducted by sociologist Frank Bean and Ruben Rumbant of the University of California, Irvine, and Douglas Massey from Princeton that was composed of two surveys that were to examine how immigrants adapt. The survey was given to immigrant communities in California and in Florida. The conclusion was that immigrants tend to lose their native tongue after three generations. Therefore, immigrants do not threaten the English language. (YE)

13. US Immigration News (2006). US Immigration debate expands to both coasts. Retrieved September 20, 2008 from: www.workpermit.com/news/2006_07_06/us/immigration_debate_expands.htm This article discusses the different views between the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House wants tougher laws for immigrants to enter the country; for example, greater boarder enforcement. They disagree with the Senates proposal of an amnesty for immigrants. George Bush, states he wants a "rational way forward", for immigrants. He wants to respect those immigrants that have been here for a lengthy amount of time to be honored. (YE)

14. US Immigration News (2006). US study- Immigrants probably don’t take jobs from Americans. Retrieved September 20, 2008 from: www.workpermit.com/news/2006_08_14/us/immigrants_do_not_steal_jobs.htm The Pew Hispanic Center gathered statistical information that says there is no evidence that immigration affects the workforce for the country as a whole. The study found that 14 states with high immigration rates after 1990 had above average employment rates for American born workers. Also, only 15% of American workers live in high-immigration states with below-average employment. Furthermore, those states with slow-immigration rates did not enjoy higher employment opportunities. In conclusion the study found no link between surging growth in immigration and declines in employment for Americans. (YE)

15. Glazov, J. (2008). The New Case Against Immigration. Center for Immigration Studies. Retrieved September 20, 2008 from: www.cis.org/node/689 (YE)

16. Schuck, P.H. (2002). The Great Immigration Debate. The American Prospect. Retrieved September 20, 2008 from: www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_great_immigration_debate (YE)

17. Pereira, J, Rae, R, Weiler, S. (2005). New York Immigrants: The 1990’s Wave: New York, Federal Bank Reserve of New York. Retrieved on September 23, 2008 from: http://www.ny.frb.org/research/current_issues/ci11-6/ci11-6.html (YD)

18. Diller, F, Paul, E, Marin, W, Wesson, S. (2003). Immigration: Washington, D.C: The Library of Congress, Research, Online Resources. Retrieved on September 23, 2008 from: http://www.free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=121 (YD)

19. Robert, S (2008). Rise in Minorities is Led by Children: Census Finds: Washington, D.C: The New York Times. Retrieved on September 23, 2008 from: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/washington/01census.html?_r=1&oref=slogin (YD)