Immigration Essay, Research Paper
The simple dispute for immigration issues in Wausau became a complex dilemma after the major migration of the Hmong Asians. People of Wausau did not clearly understand the meaning of Immigration and all of its complexities.
People first believed that the immigrants were decent and was under control. Later people were poisoned with the fact of Asian gangs affluent around their small town. This gave people assumptions.
People of Wausau speak for their community. Some believe that before 1978, the small town was filled with no racial conflicts. The town to some people was truly socially diverse in almost every way possible.
Then in late 1970s, Wausau congregations allowed a few Hmong, Lao and Vietnamese families to live in their little town. This allowed new discussion about the refugees and their families. The government reacts to the people by alternatively thinking about returning the Hmongs back to Lao.
Now with the attractive welfare rate and small town size, immigrants migrate to Wausau domestically from other states. With the bigger immigration rate, immigrants are bound to bring domestic relatives to Wausau.
Incoming immigration is not the only problem in Wausau, another big issue is Fertility. Some Hmong women would have around five children by the age of eighteen. One reason for this may be because of the high death rate of Hmong people in their native land. More issues arise about Hmong culture and that of Americans.
Community problems arise with the low amount of schools. Public Officials complain that they were not ready for such large increase in population, which were mostly children. Monetary support was also an important issue, since most of the immigrants were on welfare.
Racial hate like the Ku Klux Klan rise in popularity in Wausau. But the KKKs power never became uncontrollable. They were never a huge threat.
Here is my perspective about immigration in Wausau and Immigration in general. Immigration is used as a tool for most nations for economic and social reasons. ?Cheap labor? is what it is called by many people in the U.S.. But now it has gone beyond just labor. Social conflicts with other ethnic backgrounds have isolated immigrants and have refused their right to be ?American?.
In the 1980s, concern about the surge of illegal aliens into the U.S. has led Congress to pass legislation aimed at curtailing illegal immigration. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 allows most illegal aliens who have resided in the U.S. continuously since January 1, 1982, to apply for legal status. In addition, the law prohibits employers from hiring illegal aliens and mandates penalties for violations.
Despite our long history of immigration and constant population flux, many Americans believe that it is time to curtail immigration to the U.S.. The increase in foreign-born citizens is too large to ignore. Immigration generates 39 percent of the total population growth. Due to this increase, many Americans are becoming uneasy about new immigrants to the U.S.. In a Roper poll conducted by the organization Negative Population Growth, 83 percent of those interviewed favored a lower level of immigration; 70 percent of the people supported a level of 300,000 per year. The largest cause for concern for most Americans appears to be the problem of illegal immigration.
Illegal immigration has become the scapegoat for increased unemployment. Almost two-thirds of Americans believe that “new immigrants joining the labor force drive down the wages.” (Mandel, 119) However, entry of new immigrants has been shown to increase native wages, sustain the pace of economic growth, and revive some declining sectors. Those most likely to benefit from this situation are also those most supportive of more restrictive measures. Higher than average support for a “zero immigration” policy was expressed by those without a high school diploma and incomes below $15,000 per year. Also, curiously enough, the highest level of support for tougher measures against illegal aliens came from Midwesterners (85%). Another popular misconception is that immigrants consume a disproportionate amount of social services. The difference in percentages consumed by natives and immigrants was less than 1% and immigrants actually generated a surplus of $25 to $30 billion.
I believe all people including myself can be influenced by immigration. Especially socially, jobs will be lowered so that the immigrant will not stay unemployed. Economy will change at different rates on immigration because of the immigration rate; large rates will cause deeper change. To most big companies, immigrants are a great way to get more employees for a buck. Cheap six dollar an hour labor is a good thing for the rich and well minded. Which will make them richer and even more powerful.
Despite evidence to the contrary, many Americans still believe immigration to be harmful. This is simply not the case. As stated, legal immigrants provide a benefit not only to themselves, but also to native people. Though the problem of illegal immigration must be addressed, it should be done in such a way as not to discourage legal immigration. America was founded and populated by people from other countries. We must continue this if we expect to survive in the 21st century.