American Citizenship and Immigration Essay

The United States of America is the best place for immigration. The history proved that the United States was the dream land, the place of chances. That started when Europeans escaped form their countries because there were no jobs and no safe places to live. America became the best choice for people who were looking for political asylum, jobs, or freedom, but after a few generations something changed the Americans look to immigrants as strangers and they forgot where they are from because America is multicultural place and immigration movement should be understandable, but this is not the case. Governments should develop good laws for immigrants by giving rights to immigrants to stay in America, to protect them, and to allow people who

America is traditionally a country of immigrants. Very few people today have relatives who were Native Americans, many of them because of religious persecution, and others because of they were just looking to start a new life on the exciting untouched frontier. For instance, in Florida, the first arrivals were European, beginning with the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon who explored the land in 1513, following French and Spanish settlement during the 16th century. From the past, America was seen as a country of opportunities. People from all over the world have moved here looking for better opportunities. There are a lot of reasons why immigrants should live in this country, but I would like to mention three of them.

I believe that the ability to understand the world around you can tremendously influence a person. I have had the honors to experience many situations that broadened my perspectives in life. When I immigrated to America in 2006, I had no clue how greatly my education will be affected. Because my parents did not know any English, I had to accomplish all the work by myself. I understood their struggles of trying to put dinner on the table so I tried not to complain. They had given up their old life in Vietnam to give me a better education and opportunities, I did not want their effort to go in vain. Through my whole academic career, I pushed myself to do everything to my fullest potential because I have been given the opportunity that many other

The United States has long served as a refuge for people who seek to escape hunger, poverty, torture, and the oppression of the human spirit in their own countries. However, the issue of immigration in the United States has become a political flashpoint since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The sacralization of the tragedy has served to paint all immigrants with the same fear-ladened brush, and has marginalized and stereotyped an already vulnerable population. Today, more than ever, immigrants in the United States face increasing stressors as they try to assimilate in a politically charged post 9/11 world. To be an effective social worker, immigration issues and multicultural awareness is critical. Mary and Mario, a couple who

Constitutional amendments shape American lives, strengthen legislation and specifically grant citizens’ rights. The 14th Amendment was a direct result of the Supreme Court case, Dred Scott v. Sanford. Dred Scott was a slave who had sued his owner for freedom after being taken to a free state. The Supreme Court ruled that no African-American could ever gain citizenship. The 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of

In 1868, the United States of America's Congress adopted the 14th Amendment to the Constitution stating that, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State

A big issue that surrounds the United States today is whether or not babies born on United States soil are to be considered full-fledged citizens or not, regardless of the family’s recent migration into the United States. The children born in the United States to illegal alien mothers are often referred to as "anchor babies”. Under current practice, these children are United States citizens at birth, simply because they were born on United States soil. They are called anchor babies because, as United States citizens, they become eligible to sponsor their relatives when they turn 21 years of age, thus becoming the legal United States "anchor" for an extended immigrant family (Shopper). Thus, the United States born children of illegal aliens not only represent additional U.S. population growth, but also act as anchors to eventually pull a large number of extended family members into the country legally; moreover, a whole industry has built up around the United States system of birthright citizenship, thousands of pregnant women who are about to deliver come to the United States each year from countries as far away as South Korea and as near as Mexico so that they can give birth on U.S. soil (Anchor Babies, NumbersUSA).The original intent of the 14th Amendment was clearly not considering illegal aliens going around the United States laws. Estimates indicate there may be over 300,000 anchor babies born each year in the United States; overall, causing illegal alien mothers to add

This final paper will examine Homeland Security and Foreign Policy, and the legislative action that May, Can, and Should have stabilized immigration and naturalization conditions in both, the social economy, and the economic system in the United States of America. This final paper conceptualizes the worldview between Immigration and Naturalization. The research will examine the National Origins Act of 1924 (NOA), the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 (EQA), the Hart Cellar Act (HCA), also known as, (aka) the Immigration Bill of 1965 (IB) and the problems. Political alternatives will be compared, and contrasted on What the government May, Can, and Should do, also what are the effects in the long run? Certain key words will transition the

‘All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside’(Feliz). Also known as birthright citizenship, the 14th amendment was originally ratified to free slaves and to allow automatic citizenship to a child born in the US, but now it is to keep slaves of another country out. Central Americans are not making enough money to feed their family, so they attempt to cross the border into the US for a chance to work. In most cases, pregnant women from Central America or Mexico cross the border in order for their child to become an “anchor baby,” which many believe will increase their chances of becoming a citizen. In the Sonia Nazario’s biography, Enrique’s Journey, The US should not repeal the 14th Amendment, instead, be altered so illegal immigrants caught will be given punishment equivalent to their “unwelcomed” stay in the US; however be given a chance to pay for specific rights of the Constitution such as the right to live, work, and access to food stamps. Using this method, it will reduce the strain on taxes, sustain family relationships, eliminate doubts or rumors about anchor babies, not cause complications that come with removing birthright

Most Americans place their pride in being apart of a country where a man can start at the bottom and work his way to the top. We also stress the fact that we are “all created equal” with “certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” (Jefferson 45) During the early 1900s white Americans picked and chose who they saw fit to live in America and become an American. “Those that separate the desirable from the undesirable citizen or neighbor are individual rather than race.”

A further huge inaccurate detail Rivera addresses in his book is the assumption that immigrants use ‘anchor babies’ presumably to further the parents’ quest for citizenship. Anchor babies are children born of illegal immigrants to help their parents acquire citizenship status in the U.S. That cannot be further from the truth because under current law,

What is an anchor baby? Would you like someone to call your children an anchor baby? When many illegal women come to the United States to have babies, so they can obtain citizenship for the children, and then they would return to their country, so that when their children are old enough, they may return to the U.S with no problems is called an anchor baby. As a young immigrant I would dislike it if someone called my children such a disgusting name. Personally, I have lived all the terrors, immigrants go through dangerous obstacles just to reach the American dream. The desert is not a safe way to reach the American dream, been lost for three to more days, starvation, and thirst are not a way to die. Therefore, the Supreme Court should not repeal or change the Fourteenth Amendment. “In both ways large or small immigrants have helped shape the United States for the better”. Also, immigrants have contributed to the state’s economic growth, and the American culture. The physical growth and political power that we have now would had ceased to exist. [Debate pg. 591]

Immigration to the United States has been happening since the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock in 1492. America is one of the most diverse nations in the world, attracting people from every corner of the globe in hopes of a better way of life. America in the past has relied on migrant workers to balance the economies growth when internal resources have been exhausted; moreover, the agriculture business has depended on the seasonal employment of migrant workers from Mexico to meet the labor demand. Programs have been created in the past granting work contracts for the flood of Mexican labor into the United States, and new work programs are being analyzed to suffice the needs of

Children are often caught in the middle when the state decides whether a child’s right to live in an intact family conflicts with its interest in maintaining immigration control. Along with this issue, there is an argument regarding allowing children born in a country to have automatic birthright citizenship, even when their parents may be undocumented.

For the language within the clause of the 14th amendment has become tremendously distorted of its original intent allowing illegal immigrants to take advantage of American citizen rights. In this debate, I will be discussing the true intent behind the 14th amendment and clarifying the meaning behind the words, that rule the law of the land. The original intent of the clause then changes what is indicative of what this dispute is truly about. The notion of the original intent of the constitution should be what governs who applies to the rights of an American citizen. While noteing the presence of a U.S. born child should not be used as an excuse not to enforce the law. There needs to be a revision in the notion that you can self immigrate or claim jurisdiction because you happen to walk into the United States. Being born on a piece of land shouldn’t magically make you an American. It’s a culture, the