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Immigration Policies

Immigration Policies. Controlling Immigration Week2-Lecture1. Immigration Policy consists of two parts:.

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Immigration Policies

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  1. Immigration Policies Controlling Immigration Week2-Lecture1

  2. Immigration Policy consists of two parts: • Immigration control policy: Rules and policies governing the selection and admission of foreign citizens as permanent residents, migrant (temporary) workers, and refugees. Also try to restrict irregular migration flows. • Immigrant policies: Policies, rights and conditions provided to resident immigrants that facilitate (or restrict) their integration into the host society.

  3. Two Central Hypotheses Regarding Immigration Policies (Cornelius et.al.,) • 1) Gap Hypothesis: Significant and persistent gaps exist between official immigration policies and actual policy implementation and outcomes • 2) Convergence Hypothesis: There is growing similarity among labor-importing countries in terms of immigrant and immigration policies.

  4. What determines a country’s immigration (control) policy? 1) Economic Condition:Recession versus stability or growth 2) Country’s history with immigration and diversity: • Settler states that have experience with large levels of immigration. Heterogeneous ethnic composition ie. US, Australia and Canada • Ethnically homogenous states with shared ethnicity and culture. Late migration destinations. These countries/public oppose large scale migration-especially of different ethnic groups-

  5. 3) Political bargaining between interest groups,political parties and the government:Governments can adopt restrictive immigration policies due to pressures from interest groups such as labor unions. Anti-immigration parties gain power at times of economic downturn. Interest (pressure) groups: • Labor unions (perspective shifted over time) • Employers (support migration) • Ethnic organizations or immigration rights groups (support migration and legalization programs) • Anti-immigration groups (against migration)

  6. State and local immigration control measures: What happens at sub-national levels affects conditions of employment, housing, education and life chances of immigrants. Important variations between states exist. • Restricting driver’s licenses based on immigration status • Requiring driver’s tests in English only • Bar non-emergency health care, unemployment benefits and other cash assistance to unauthorized immigrants • Require unauthorized immigrants to pay out-of-state college tuition rates • Require landlords to rent only to legal residents • Require businesses to verify that all employees are legal residents • Authorize police to enforce immigration laws

  7. State and local immigrant protection/integration measures • Replacing social welfare benefits cut off by federal government (e.g., 1996 federal “welfare reform” act) • Political representation: voting in local elections, etc. • English-as-a-second-language classes for adult immigrants • Provide incentives and programs to become citizens • Allowing unauthorized immigrant students to pay in-state college tuition (California: Assembly Bill 540)

  8. Assembly Bill 540 (signed by Gov. Gray Davis in 2001)

  9. Why are states and localities making their own immigration policies? • -- Filling the vacuum created by federal policy failures/inaction • -- Symbolic acts: sending a message to Washington, sanctuary declarations • -- Get votes / Reduce constituent complaints

  10. Explaining state and local immigration policies Pro-immigrant/inclusionarypolicies more likely in: • a) places where immigrants play important role in local economy • b) where immigrants are well-connected to native-born residents • c) where local political culture is liberal/inclusive Anti-immigrant/exclusionary policiesmore likely in: • a) places where immigrants play little role in local economy • b) where immigrants are isolated from native-born residents • c) where political culture isconservative/exclusionary

  11. Controlling Illegal Immigration

  12. Stock of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States(estimate by Pew Hispanic Center, March 2006) Net increase between 2000-2005: 500.000 a year

  13. Strategies Adopted by Governments to Restrict Illegal Immigration • Enforcement of employment sanctions 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) made knowingly hiring of illegal immigrants a punishable act Shortcomings: European and US policies regarding employer sanctions have failed to bring down the number of illegal immigrants becauseof failure to implement these policies.

  14. 2)Legalization or amnesty programs : Bring people out of the shadows / confer legal status Bracero Program (1942-1965) IRCA (1986-87) France, Italy, Spain (1990s) Overall improvement in the socio-economic status of those legalized. Shortcomings: Immigrants afraid to come forward. Increase anti-immigration sentiments Attract additional illegal immigrants (unintended consequences)

  15. 3) Temporary (seasonal) foreign workers programs: European Guestworker Program (60s and 70s) Similar policies adopted in the post-cold War era (1990s) Short term employment with no rights or prospect of permanency attached Aim: Curb illegal migration and human smuggling Shortcomings: Criticized for lack of human concern Effectiveness questioned

  16. 4) Regional Economic/Legal Integration - Strategies to foster economic development abroad (through international assistance programs or regional economic cooperation) to minimize incentives for workers to migrate or enter another country illegally (ie. 1994 NAFTA) - Removal of border control for EU member states and their citizens (doesn’t apply to non-citizen migrants); Synchronization of migration/refugee regimes (ie. EU/ 1995 Schengen Agreement)

  17. New Final Date: June 8th (As announced originally by UCSD) • Will be updated on syllabus on class website (http://polisci2.ucsd.edu/ps150/ )

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