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Immigration has been seen as both a need and a nuisance in the United States over the years. Each year the number of legal and illegal immigrants coming into the country is increasing. While the nation needs many of them especially those who have specific skills and education levels, several others are barely literate and do not possess any useful skills. An unprecedented influx of immigrants Immigration has resulted in a lot of social, economic, and other problems and the need to have a strong and rational policy that is beneficial to both the immigrants and the country has become imperative. This paper is an analysis of articles on the topic written by different experts in the field regarding various aspects of immigration and immigrants.
Martin and Midgley write about immigration and its implications on the US economy and society in general, along with a short history and trends that were seen in this area. The implications of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) are the main theme discussed by Audrey Singer in the next paper. The issue of shortfall in Medicaid and insurance coverage to the children of immigrant parents is discussed by Janet Currie and Leighton Ku in the next two papers. Capps et al discuss the comparatively poorer performance of immigrant children in US schools. Ruby Takanishi also ponders over education issues in her work but from a different perspective. She says that language and other issues become barriers for immigrants in utilizing state-sponsored facilities for education. Meissner et al provide the reader with the recommendations of the Migration Policy Institute. The last paper to be reviewed by Passel provides a detailed overview of the illegal immigrant situation in the country along with relevant statistics.
Review
Martin and Midgley lucidly provide an overall view of the immigrant situation in the United States and the reader can instantly understand the gravity of the situation. It is an extremely interesting read that provides full of facts on the topic and also includes a brief history of immigration. For example, the fact that 95,000 foreigners come into the country every day is mind-boggling. (Martin & Midgley, 2006). A big drawback is that they do not suggest any solution to the issue and only conclude by saying that the future is uncertain for both the home population and the immigrants. On the whole, their approach is logical with the flow and easy readability.
Singer’s article mentions about Welfare Act in the US. It is an interesting article with good flow and it uses simple language. Its argument is reasonable and after reading this article the reader gets an idea about the advantages and disadvantages of the reformation of the Welfare Act. Former US President Bill Clinton signed a law, Personal Responsibility, and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). (Singer, 2001). This act affects the migrants. According to PRWORA, some benefits are confined to green cardholders only. This law enables the government to save above $54 billion by six years. (Introduction) Graphs and charts help in better communication of the issues involved.
Currie’s article talks about the usage of Medicaid to immigrant children in the US. It is an interesting article that contains facts supposed by a survey report. So it becomes authenticated and reasonable. By reading this article a reader can understand that Medicaid is essential for immigrant children than native children mainly because they are poorer than the natives. (Currie, 1996, 56).
Ku’s writing is in the form of testimony before the State Finance Committee and is a plea to include benefits of insurance and Medicaid to non-citizen immigrants. It is peer-reviewed (in some parts) and includes charts and graphs to depict the content with clarity. The author argues that it is in the initial stages of stay in a country that a person is in most need of social aid. “Immigrants are particularly vulnerable in the first several years after arrival in the United States, while they are still trying to get established and to master the skills needed to live and prosper here.” (Ku, 2001, 2). Even though this appears to be true, the author has not backed his claim through other studies on this topic. To make claims valid, other sources have to be referred to. If no other studies exist, this fact should have been mentioned. One actual instance of a needy family not being eligible for insurance and the resultant health and financial problems facing them have been cited. This makes the case more poignant and adds to the strength of the argument. Overall, the testimony is of the right length. If it were longer, busy public officials may not have the time to go through it properly.
Capps et al provide useful and comprehensive data regarding the performance of immigrant children in US public schools covered by NCLB. The author argues that the current system is ineffective in improving school grades, but the NCLB system has the potential to correct this. (Capps, et al, 3). This paper also provides graphs and charts to illustrate the difference in standards. Even country-wise classification is provided in detail. Ample focus is given on LEP children which is a correct thing since this fact exists among immigrants. Despite the claim that NCLP can improve the condition of children, the authors have not suggested any concrete solution on how this can be achieved.
Ruby’s article is a well-researched one that argues about the social/cultural integration of immigrant children into mainstream society. It is very logically structured and uses sources from other studies to lend credibility to claims. Over seventy references have been used in the paper. The author makes a strong closing point in her conclusion regarding cultural and social integration. “In less than three decades—by about 2030—the United States will be a nation with a large, mainly white elderly population, supported by a smaller, more ethnically diverse workforce, about half of which will be comprised of Asians, blacks, and Latinos. ” (Takanishi, 74). Unless an integrated society exists, the situation will be difficult to manage and marginalization may increase under such stressful times. The case made by Takanishi is extremely logical with the author providing clear-cut solutions in achieving this end. But the practicality of implementing these suggestions is not discussed by the author. It is easier to provide suggestions when compared with the practical difficulties of implementation.
The Independent task force on immigration and America’s future is not a research paper, but a report of the recommendations of the Migration Policy Institute and its partner organizations that have formed the Independent Task Force constituted for formulating a comprehensive new immigration policy. This paper is very relevant and hence interesting to anyone related to immigration to the United States. This is because if implemented it can directly affect the fate of future immigrants to the country depending on the provisions of the statute or law enacted. Among all the papers reviewed, a serious immigrant will value this one the most because of this. But what is disappointing is that the recommendations only give broad guidelines. For example, the article contends that employers should be provided a verification mechanism that allows them to comply with requirements for hiring only authorized workers, and develop a new, secure Social Security card that enables individuals to readily establish their work eligibility. ” (Immigration and America’s future: A new chapter, 2003). There is nothing new here as everyone concerned knows this fact. But directions to simplify the system and classifying immigrants as temporary, provisional, and permanent are quite useful.
The research paper by Passel is one of the most comprehensive and detailed among all the papers reviewed. It is also structured logically, and clearly states how the data arrives at this is a strong point in a research paper. Apart from the total number estimated, figures classifying family and labor force composition have also been given. A lot of charts and graphs are also provided for a better understanding of the situation. The paper has a moderate number of references to other studies. The author also clearly defines what illegal residence in the country means which includes references to legal literature. (Passel, 2006, 15). But, like the first paper reviewed, the author does not provide any suggestions/recommendations for solving the issue.
Conclusion
Eight papers have been reviewed here on various areas in the immigration scenario in the United States. The first and the last ones are the most interesting as far as content goes. This is because while one provides a broad overview of the immigrant scenario, the other provides a glimpse into the possible scenario in the future. All others are interesting to specific audiences. On the whole, too much focus is given to insurance and welfare measures. Only one paper about this area would have been sufficient. Three or four of the papers do not offer any solutions or recommendations. In other words, they provide detailed information on issues without pondering over how to circumvent these. Even where suggestions are provided, the authors do not chalk out practical steps to carry them out. But the whole set provides valuable information and data on immigration issues in the country.
References
Capps, Randy. , et al. The new demography of America’s school. The Urban Institute. Web.
Currie, Janet. (1996). Medicaid use of children of immigrants. University of Wisconsin Madison, 56. Web.
Immigration and America’s future: A new chapter. (2003). Independent Task Force on Immigration and America’s Future. Web.
Ku, Leighton. (2001). Insurance coverage and health care access for immigrant families testimony before the senate finance committee. Center on Budget and Policy Priority, 2. Web.
Martin, P. , & Midgley, E. (2006). Immigration: Shaping and reshaping America: Introduction. Population Bulletin, 61(4), 3-28. (Provided by the student).
Passel, Jeffrey S. (2006). Research report: The size and characteristics of the unauthorized migrant population in the U. S. estimates based on the March 2005 current population survey: Who is legal? Pew Hispanic Center, 15. Web.
Singer, Audrey. (2001). Research Perspectives on Migration: Immigrants, their families and their communities in the aftermath of welfare reform: Introduction. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Web.
Takanishi, Ruby. Leveling the playing field: Supporting immigrant children from birth to eight. Children of Immigrant Families, 74. Web.
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