Dr Andrew Glencross ~ andrew.glencross@eui.eu

Immigration

Government and Politics of the USAHillary Term, Lecture 29

Hillary Term Essay

• Submit essay online via www.turnitin.com and hard copy to Jane Suiter - Deadline: 5pm, Monday 10th of March (Hillary term wk 10)

• Choose 1 of 3 titles; strict 2,000 word limit (excluding bibliography)

– “In practice, Congress functions not as a unified institution, but as a collection of semi-autonomous committees that seldom act in unison“. Discuss this view, and explain your response.

– What are the consequences of pluralism and federalism for the policy-making process in the US? Evaluate these consequences with reference to at least two policy areas.

– Discuss the role played by money in US Presidential elections. Elaborate your response in the context of attempts at campaign finance reform since the 1970s and the 2008 Presidential election.

• Details on course website - http://uspoliticstcd.pbwiki.com/Course-assessment

Required reading…– MHW chap. 9Additional resources…

• Samuel Huntington, Who Are We? The Challenges to America’s National Identity, 2004 (HL-283-229)

• Wayne Cornelius and Marc Rosenblum, ‘Immigration and Politics’, Annual Review of Political Science, 2005, vol. 8, pp. 99-119.

Readings for today

• Why is Immigration Such a Big Issue?

• Perceptions of Immigration

• US Immigration Policy: A Survey

• Controversies in Immigration Policy

• Immigration and the 2008 Election

Agenda

Why is Immigration Such a Big Issue?

Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Why is Immigration Such a Big Issue?

Immigration at an all time high in absolute terms and close in relative terms

Why is Immigration Such a Big Issue?

• Race – post-2000 immigration is 53% Hispanic, 23% Asian

• Illegality – 11 million (nearly a third) of immigrants are illegally in the US

• Welfare – 33% of immigrant households are on some form of welfare, 34% lack health insurance, have a poverty rate of 17%, children of immigrants represent 20% of school age cohort

Race, Illegality and Welfare

Perceptions of Immigration

Perceptions of Immigration

• But perceptions are growing more positive

US Immigration Policy: A Survey

• Pre 20th Century – Chinese and Japanese immigration suppressed, restrictions on naturalisation of these immigrants

• 1924 Immigration Act – imposed annual quotas of 2% of number of people already from that country in 1890, designed to restrict eastern and southern European immigration, prohibited Asian immigration

• 1965 Reform – discontinued quotas based on national origin, ended restrictions on Asians, unrestricted family re-unification

• 1986 Amnesty – Congress amnestied 2.7million pre-1982 illegal immigrants

US Immigration Policy: A Survey

• 1996 marked beginning of crackdown on illegal immigration: immediate deportation for minor offences, including for spouses of American citizens and those with citizen children

• Emphasis is now on border control: to secure 2000 mile border with Mexico and also 5000mile Canadian border

• Cost – 11,000 Border Guards at Mexican frontier, proposal for “virtual fence”, Congress has earmarked funds for building 700 mile fence

Controversies in Immigration Policy

• Illegal Immigrants and public services – a problem acutely felt at the state level, giving rise to clashes between federal and state jurisdictions

• Supreme Court ruled in Plyler v. Doe, 1982, that states could not deny public education to children of illegal immigrants under equal protection clause

• Biggest issues are driving licenses, healthcare costs and college tuition

• California passed Proposition 187 by state referendum to prevent immigrants receiving public benefits until they had proven their legal status, was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court

• Some states allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public universities

• Federal v. State and Local level – some cities, LA, NYC, D.C. have adopted policy of forbidding law enforcement and other public officials from inquiring into residency status and communicating it to federal agencies, known as “sanctuary cities”

• Clash between federal government and states over driving licenses

• Some states allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driving licenses, prefer this than having drivers without licenses and hence insurance but in 2005 Congress passed legislation prohibiting the issue of licenses to those who cannot prove legal residency

Controversies in Immigration Policy

The clash between states and federal government

Immigration and the 2008 Election

• McCain – calls for roundup and deporation of 2million illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, priority is to secure border before devising guest worker programme, supports fence, rated 18% by pro border control lobby

• Clinton – opposes driving licenses for illegals but supports sanctuary cities, has voted in favour of border fence with Mexico, rated 8% by border control lobby

• Obama – against illegals working but wants to provide path to citizenship, involving fine, to 12 million already in US, supports driving licenses for illegals, voted yes on fence, rated 8%

Next Week

• Watch the primaries: Ohio and Texas 4 March

• Lectures– Environment and Energy– Abortion