Today's immigrants: some people say that the U.S. can no longer afford to be a nation of immigrants. What do you think?Four years ago, Andres Andres may refer to:
Preceded by "Heart of Glass" by Blondie Billboard Hot 100 number one single May 5 1979 Succeeded by "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer with his parents. Andres hadn't seen his mother and father in more than two years--not since they'd left Ecuador to start a new life in the U.S. "When the door of the plane opened, I wanted to run out," says Andres, who lived with his aunt in Ecuador before joining his parents in Chicago, Illinois Illinois, river, United States Illinois, river, 273 mi (439 km) long, formed by the confluence of the Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers, NE Ill., and flowing SW to the Mississippi at Grafton, Ill. It is an important commercial and recreational waterway. . "I was very emotional. We were crying. It was just hugs and kisses For the XML format, see . Hugs and Kisses is a term for a sequence of the letters X and O, e.g. XOXO, typically used to express affection or good friendship at the end of a written letter or email. all around." America is often called a nation of immigrants. Before 1882, anyone in search of a better life could move to the U.S. But as the immigrant population grew, the federal government began to place restrictions on who could immigrate im·mi·grate v. im·mi·grat·ed, im·mi·grat·ing, im·mi·grates v.intr. To enter and settle in a country or region to which one is not native. See Usage Note at migrate. v.tr. . Today, concerns over limited government resources and national security continue to make immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. a divisive di·vi·sive adj. Creating dissension or discord. di·vi  sive·ly adv.di·vi issue. Bringing Families Together Most immigrants come to the U.S. to join family members who are already living here. Others come for economic opportunities. Andres came for both. So did Sugey M. Ruiz (SOO-hay roo-WEEZ), 14. Four years ago, she left her small town of Jalisco, Mexico, to join her family in Ontario, California Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 170,373. It is the home of LA/Ontario International Airport and the huge Ontario Mills shopping mall (the largest in Southern California and one . Sugey's father now works in construction, making $550 a week--a hefty heft·y adj. heft·i·er, heft·i·est 1. Of considerable weight; heavy. 2. Rugged and powerful. See Synonyms at heavy. 3. increase from the $10 a week he earned raising crops in Mexico. "Money was really, really tight in Mexico," says Sugey. "Since my dad was a farmer, we always had food. But we got clothes from my uncles who were already in America. Now, we have better beds, better TVs, better everything. We couldn't afford those things in Mexico." With this better life have come added responsibilities for Sugey. Like many immigrant children, she often has to play the role of interpreter A high-level programming language translator that translates and runs the program at the same time. It translates one program statement into machine language, executes it, and then proceeds to the next statement. for her parents. "Since my parents speak very little English, I always have to translate for them," says Sugey, an eighth-grader at De Anza Middle School in Ontario. "When they have conferences with my teachers or go to the doctor or shop at a department store, I have to be there to translate. It's a lot of responsibility for me." Neither Sugey nor Andres knew English before arriving in the U.S. Andres still finds schoolwork a challenge. "The hardest thing is learning the meaning of so many words," says Andres, an eighth-grader at the Charles R. Darwin School The mission of Darwin School is to work together with respect, fairness and spirit; to promote curiosity and lifelong learning in each child; and to provide the knowledge, skills and abilities so that each child will reach his or her potential in a variety of academic, physical, social in Chicago. "In Ecuador, I considered myself a good student. Now, I'm struggling to maintain my grades in classes like writing and science. My biggest frustration is doing homework. My parents speak limited English, so they can't help me." Taking Jobs From Americans? Immigrants to the U.S. have always had their share of struggles--from language barriers and cultural isolation to outright discrimination. But their sacrifices often pay off--for them and for the U.S. "Every immigrant group has made its contribution to the social, economic, and political fabric of this nation," says Dan Kane of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS USCIS US Citizenship and Immigration Services ). Greg Schell, managing attorney of the Migrant mi·grant n. 1. One that moves from one region to another by chance, instinct, or plan. 2. An itinerant worker who travels from one area to another in search of work. adj. Migratory. Farmworkers Justice Project, says that immigrants are often willing to do whatever job is available. "A lot of the dirty jobs Dirty Jobs is a program on the Discovery Channel in which host Mike Rowe is shown performing difficult, strange, and/or messy occupational duties alongside professional workers. The show premiered with three pilot episodes in November 2003. that nobody wants they'll do for low wages," he says, "like working in the fields, janitorial work, thankless factory jobs, dish washing. That keeps prices down for us." Still, many people claim that uncontrolled immigration--especially illegal immigration--is hurting the U.S. They say that immigrants take jobs away from Americans. "The claim that [illegal workers] are taking only jobs Americans don't want is False," says U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo  This article or section contains information about one or more candidates in an upcoming or ongoing election.Content may change as the election approaches. (R-Colorado), who heads the Congressional Immigration Reform Immigration reform is the common term used in political discussions regarding changes to immigration policy. In a certain sense, reform can be general enough to include promoted, expanded, or open immigration, but in reality discussions of reform often deal with the aspect of Caucus caucus: see convention. . "The wages for millions of jobs are being kept artificially low because there is a continuing supply of cheap labor, if you stop this flow, wages for most of those jobs will rise, and citizens and legal residents will seek those jobs." Opponents also argue that undocumented immigrants don't pay taxes. Indeed, many immigrants who arc paid in cash do not pay state and federal taxes. But, Schell points out, many "illegal immigrants illegal immigrant n. an alien (non-citizen) who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa. (See: alien) do pay taxes. They have federal taxes withheld from their paychecks. They pay income taxes. They pay sales taxes sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. . They pay hundreds of billions of dollars into Social Security that they will never be able to claim when they retire if they don't have legal status. Immigrants are a big bargain for the U.S. in terms of dollars and cents." After September II Congress creates the laws that determine the number of people who are allowed to immigrate to the U.S. each year. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, which were carried out by non-Americans, national security became a top priority in the U.S. Tancredo and other lawmakers focused more of their attention on immigration policy An immigration policy is any policy of a state that affects the transit of persons across its borders, but especially those that intend to work and to remain in the country. . The USCIS must now perform extensive security checks on all immigration applicants, to confirm that they do not have ties to terrorists. This has slowed the entry process considerably. As a result, the number of legal immigrants to the U.S. has dropped by 34 percent since 2001. Many lawmakers argue that tighter controls on immigration are necessary for our security. At the center of the debate are the 8 to 10 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. Officials fear that if so many people seeking work are able to enter the country illegally, it may be just as easy for terrorists to get in. As a partial solution to the problem of illegal immigrants, President George W. Bush has proposed creating a guest-worker program that would grant them temporary work permits for a period of three years. Kane supports that proposal. "It's an attempt to legalize le·gal·ize tr.v. le·gal·ized, le·gal·iz·ing, le·gal·iz·es To make legal or lawful; authorize or sanction by law. le a large workforce that is living in the shadows of our nation's cities and rural communities," he says. "By legalizing them, we know who they are and where they are. Not knowing who they are creates a greater security threat." Not everyone agrees with the President, however, including members of his own party. Tancredo and others argue that Bush's proposal rewards illegal behavior, and is unfair to the millions of people who enter the country legally. "We shouldn't tell [legal immigrants] that they re all suckers, Tancredo says. "The only bill that's going to pass this House is a bill that strengthens the borders." While U.S. officials wrestle over immigration policy, Andres is busy preparing for his future. "I have plans to go to university," he says. "I will be the first person in my family to go to college. My parents' dream is for me to go to university and be somebody and make something of my life." *** Taking Jobs From Americans? Immigrants to the U.S. have always had their share of struggles--from language barriers and cultural isolation to outright discrimination. But their sacrifices often pay off--for them and for the U.S. "Every immigrant group has made its contribution to the social, economic, and political fabric of this nation," says Dan Kane of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Greg Schell, managing attorney of the Migrant Farmworkers Justice Project, says that immigrants are often willing to do whatever job is available. "A lot of the dirty jobs that nobody wants they'll do for low wages," he says, "like working in the fields, janitorial work, thankless factory jobs, dish washing. That keeps prices down for us." Still, many people claim that uncontrolled immigration--especially illegal immigration--is hurting the U.S. They say that immigrants take jobs away from Americans. "The claim that [illegal workers] are taking only jobs Americans don't want is False," says U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado), who heads the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus. "The wages for millions of jobs are being kept artificially low because there is a continuing supply of cheap labor, if you stop this flow, wages for most of those jobs will rise, and citizens and legal residents will seek those jobs." Opponents also argue that undocumented immigrants don't pay taxes. Indeed, many immigrants who arc paid in cash do not pay state and federal taxes. But, Schell points out, many "illegal immigrants do pay taxes. They have federal taxes withheld from their paychecks. They pay income taxes. They pay sales taxes. They pay hundreds of billions of dollars into Social Security that they will never be able to claim when they retire if they don't have legal status. Immigrants are a big bargain for the U.S. in terms of dollars and cents." After September II Congress creates the laws that determine the number of people who are allowed to immigrate to the U.S. each year. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, which were carried out by non-Americans, national security became a top priority in the U.S. Tancredo and other lawmakers focused more of their attention on immigration policy. The USCIS must now perform extensive security checks on all immigration applicants, to confirm that they do not have ties to terrorists. This has slowed the entry process considerably. As a result, the number of legal immigrants to the U.S. has dropped by 34 percent since 2001. Many lawmakers argue that tighter controls on immigration are necessary for our security. At the center of the debate are the 8 to 10 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. Officials fear that if so many people seeking work are able to enter the country illegally, it may be just as easy for terrorists to get in. As a partial solution to the problem of illegal immigrants, President George W. Bush has proposed creating a guest-worker program that would grant them temporary work permits for a period of three years. Kane supports that proposal. "It's an attempt to legalize a large workforce that is living in the shadows of our nation's cities and rural communities," he says. "By legalizing them, we know who they are and where they are. Not knowing who they are creates a greater security threat." Not everyone agrees with the President, however, including members of his own party. Tancredo and others argue that Bush's proposal rewards illegal behavior, and is unfair to the millions of people who enter the country legally. "We shouldn't tell [legal immigrants] that they re all suckers, Tancredo says. "The only bill that's going to pass this House is a bill that strengthens the borders." While U.S. officials wrestle over immigration policy, Andres is busy preparing for his future. "I have plans to go to university," he says. "I will be the first person in my family to go to college. My parents' dream is for me to go to university and be somebody and make something of my life." Until about 40 years ago, immigrants from Europe outnumbered Outnumbered is a British sitcom that aired on BBC One in 2007.[1] It stars Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner as a mother and father who are outnumbered by their three children. all other immigrants. But in the 1960s, settlers from Canada, the Caribbean, Central America Central America, narrow, southernmost region (c.202,200 sq mi/523,698 sq km) of North America, linked to South America at Colombia. It separates the Caribbean from the Pacific. , and Mexico began to arrive in greater numbers. By the 1970s, Latin Americans This is a list of notable Latin American people. In alphabetical order within categories. Actors
QUESTIONS 1. Which continent on the chart represents the largest percentage of immigrants? -- 2. What percentage of immigrants came from South America South America, fourth largest continent (1991 est. pop. 299,150,000), c.6,880,000 sq mi (17,819,000 sq km), the southern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. ? -- 3. How many immigrants came from Asia? -- 4. What was the total number of legal immigrants to the U.S. in 2003? -- 5. Why do you think such a large number of people immigrated to the U.S. from other North American countries Noun 1. North American country - any country on the North American continent North American nation country, land, state - the territory occupied by a nation; "he returned to the land of his birth"; "he visited several European countries" ? -- Where They Come From Legal U.S. Immigrants in 2003 North America 250,726 35.6% Asia 244,759 34.7% Europe 4.3% South America 7.8% Africa 6.9% Oceania 6.9% Unknown 1,211 0.08% Total 705,827 Source: 2003 Yearbook of immigration Statistics, Office of Immigration, Department of Homeland Security, September 2004 Note: Table made from pie chart. Words to Know * immigrant: someone who comes to a country in order to settle there, * interpreter: an individual who translates from one language to another. Your Turn Think About It What struggles have Andres and Sugey faced as immigrants to the U.S.? How have their lives improved? * OBJECTIVE Students should understand * The high number of people wanting to immigrate to the U.S. raises tough questions about how many people the nation can accept and who should or should not be admitted. * TEACHING STRATEGY Ask how many students in the class are first-generation immigrants. How many are second-generation (born here, of at least one parent who moved here from another country)? How many must reach further back to find an ancestor ANCESTOR, descents. One who has preceded another in a direct line of descent; an ascendant. In the common law, the word is understood as well of the immediate parents, as, of these that are higher; as may appear by the statute 25 Ed. III. De natis ultra mare, and so in the statute of 6 R. not born here? Does how long your family has lived here make you feel any more or less American? Explain. * BACKGROUND Since the first settlers' arrival, people have been debating who should and who should not be allowed to come to the U.S., and who is and who is not American. Given the high number of people wanting to come here, the debate over immigration quotas is as charged as ever. * CRITICAL THINKING NOTING DETAILS: Who determines how many people are allowed to enter the U.S. each year? (The U.S. Congress creates the laws that determine the number of people allowed to enter.) MAKING INFERENCES: What are some of the ways being an immigrant might affect a teen's education? (Immigrants often have to learn a new language, and their parents can't help them with homework. As a result, their grades may suffer.) * ACTIVITY WHERE IN THE WORLD? Ask students to imagine that they live in an impoverished im·pov·er·ished adj. 1. Reduced to poverty; poverty-stricken. See Synonyms at poor. 2. Deprived of natural richness or strength; limited or depleted: or war-torn country. If they could not immigrate to the U.S., where would they try to go instead and why? Then have them write a letter "home," in which they describe their arrival in their new country. STANDARDS SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8 * Individuals, groups, and institutions: How the desire for a better life draws many people to the U.S., and how and why Congress and other institutions seek ways to control who enters the country and who is allowed to stay. Resources * Benson, Sonia, U.S. Immigration and Migration Almanac almanac, originally, a calendar with notations of astronomical and other data. Almanacs have been known in simple form almost since the invention of writing, for they served to record religious feasts, seasonal changes, and the like. (Thomson Gale (Thomson Gale, a Thomson Learning business, Farmington Hills, MI, www.gale.com). A leading information publishing company for libraries, schools and businesses. Thomson Gale was formed in 1998 as a merger of Gale Research, Information Access Company and Primary Source Media, three Thomson , 2004). Grades 6-8. * Levine, Herbert M., Immigration (Raintree/Steck-Vaughn, 1997). Grades 6-8. WEB SITES * Becoming a U.S. Citizen bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8 /citizenship/index.html * Immigrant Statistics/U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services uscis.gov/graphics/shared /aboutus/statistics/IMMO3yrbk /IMM2003list.htm QUICK QUIZ A quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which the players (as individuals or in teams) attempt to answer questions correctly. Quizzes are also brief assessments used in education and similar fields to measure growth in knowledge, abilities, and/or skills. * Write the letter of the correct answer on the line before each question. --1. Who determines how many people are allowed to immigrate to the U.S. each year? A. the U.S. Congress B. the U.S. President C. the U.S. delegate A person who is appointed, authorized, delegated, or commissioned to act in the place of another. Transfer of authority from one to another. A person to whom affairs are committed by another. A person elected or appointed to be a member of a representative assembly. to the United Nations --2. Most immigrants come to the U.S. to do what? A. to escape from a civil war B. join family members already here C. to find a job --3. Children of recent immigrants often have which responsibility? A. taking literacy tests Literacy Test refers to the government practice of testing the literacy of potential citizens at the federal level, and potential voters at the state level. The federal government first employed literacy tests as part of the immigration process in 1917. B. convincing their parents to vote C. interpreting for their parents --4. Until which year could anyone move to the U.S. without facing government restrictions? A. 1882 B. 1945 C. 2001 --5. About 8 to 10 million immigrants living in the U.S. have which status? A. U.S. citizen B. legal, documented worker C. illegal, undocumented worker ANSWERS 1. A 2. B 3. C 4. A 5. C |
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