Immigration Policy Reforms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Immigration Policy Reforms - Essay Example (Bush, et al, ix) Statement of your position Immigration is a deep â€Å"human issue† as it is concerned with the lives of large number of families and individuals. Immigration deals with the question of American citizenship and helps in shaping up the image of the American nation in the eyes of the world. (Bush, et al, ix) Policy reforms should act as support base for immigrants who come to America to see better opportunities that were lacking in their home countries. My approach to the paper In this paper immigration policy reforms are critically analyzed after seeing through the lens of the American Enlightenment. The point that I have stressed in this paper is that only through legalization of the status of the immigrants can they prove to be beneficial to the country policy reforms should look out for solution by combining the perspective of both federalists and anti-federalists. Immigration in US during the era of Enlightenment The problem of immigration was also a matte r of concern for the Enlightenment leaders like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. The land of America was increasing becoming a â€Å"dumping ground for the European undesirables†. They were concerned with growing number of German immigrants in the eighteenth century. The Germans came from a completely different social background than those of the Americans, and the increasing number of German population within the borders of America were proving to be incompatible with the republican democracy (Zolberg). Comparative and Analysis Social contract (representative governance) In the global arena, America is recognised as the â€Å"nation of immigrants†. This makes it easier for people from all over the world to enter the borders of America. It is a challenge for the policymakers to distinguish â€Å"illusory immigration problems from real problems.† There has been a tendency to neglect the issue of immigration. This â€Å"policy of benign neglect† is n o longer viable in current times. During the last decade, there have been a number of efforts to reform the immigration policies. There has been improvement in the security of the borders. The statuses of people who seek employment are being verified by the employers. The focus of every immigration policy should be on both border security and migrant workers. Ignoring any one of them cannot make any policy successful (â€Å"The Real Problem with Immigration...and the Real Solution†). During the civil war in the nineteenth century, immigration was specifically encouraged in America. From 1882 onwards, the immigration policies started to focus on restricting the flow of immigrants. This was done to protect the nation from undesirable people from foreign countries. People with contagious diseases like tuberculosis were not allowed to enter the nation to protect the health policies. People with immoral characters and polygamists were also restricted (Williamson 184). Classical Li beralism (natural rights) Classical liberalism defines specific activities for the government. The role of the government should be to protect the rights of individuals with relation to property, religion, freedom of speech and press. There should also be the system of â€Å"free markets† to ensure a smooth economic life (Hudelson 37). The continuous flow of immigrants into America can threaten the practice of classical liberalism. The major concern is that the various cultural and economic backgrounds of the