immigration research paper outline

Immigration - Essay Examples And Topic Ideas For Free

Immigration refers to the movement of individuals from one country to another, often in search of better opportunities or to escape adversities. Essays on immigration could delve into the various causes of immigration, its impact on host and origin countries, and the policies governing immigration. Additionally, discussions might extend to the experiences of immigrants, and the global debates surrounding immigration and asylum. We’ve gathered an extensive assortment of free essay samples on the topic of Immigration you can find at PapersOwl Website. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

The Effects of Illegal Immigration

Introduction Immigrants from all over look to the United States' as a possible new home in hopes at a chance at a better life. The United States is seen as a chance for economic prosperity and as an escape from a life of many disappointments and fears, so many immigrants will do whatever it takes to get themselves and their families here, even if it does include breaking the law. The United States' population includes approximately 43.7 million immigrants, which […]

Cons of Illegal Immigration

Millions of immigrants come to the United States. Illegal immigration has been an ongoing issue for many years. They may come here for a better life, job opportunities, better life, and many more reasons. These undocumented immigrants leave everything they have at home to come here. They risk a lot. They come for the better for themselves and their families. These immigrants come here for a purpose whether financial issues or the better. Many come for better education and job […]

Prejudice Towards Illegal Immigrants

Thesis: The Illegal immigrant are sometimes judged as harmful people who come to America and destroy this country. However, most of them are very hardworking people looking for a better life to support their families. Illegal immigrants come to the United States to keep their families safety Immigrants contribute to the United States workforce About 90 percent of undocumented immigrants in the nation work 2. If employers can keep wages down by hiring illegal immigrants, then these savings are presumably […]

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Illegal Immigration and its Effects on Society

Illegal immigration is a growing problem in the United States which causes many issues for citizens, such as job loss and higher taxes. It is undoubtedly an issue that needs to be addressed[1]. Illegal immigration leads to the drug trade in the United States and takes away many jobs from legal citizens[2]. Welfare is also something to consider when discussing illegal immigrants, considering that they can't legally be paid, so they are granted welfare, which also costs taxpayers more money[3]. […]

Illegal Immigration: Search of a Good Life

Illegal immigration to the United States is thriving due to the support of people needing to find a better life for themselves and families. The movement of immigration can be a positive impact on the politics and culture and economy wise. Yes it is more people coming into our country, but not all of its bad as everyone thinks it is. People of immigration bring new perspectives, experiences, and ideas to the communities. Immigrants start businesses, also earn income, and […]

Illegal Immigrants Deserve Civil Rights

Citizenship in the United States comes with a very significant and powerful advantage; civil rights. Under these rights, your freedom is protected from several infringements by the government. Many individuals are entitled to these rights, such as those born in the United States, while many individuals may not be granted all of these rights, such as illegal immigrants. There is a huge controversial debate surrounding illegal immigrants and whether they should have civil rights and liberties, and this debate is […]

What are the Effects of Illegal Immigration?

The United States of America is facing many challenges in regards to illegal immigration. By draining public funds, creating unfair competition for jobs (thereby lowering wages and working conditions), and by imposing unwanted strains on services designed to provide assistance to Americans, illegal immigration causes harm to legal residents. We are one of the only countries in the world where, in your stay, you retain many benefits, and are taken care of while you're here. Countless amount of people believe […]

Immigration Reform

Immigration reforms have been very controversial in United States of America. Way back in 1965, the United States made a law on issues of immigration which was aimed at allowing immigrants into United States. It was, however, stated that immigrants with possible skills to bring United States economy more benefits would be highly considered. With time even so, more immigrants began to come to United States with family chains being the main issue of concern. Once an individual is able […]

Illegal Immigrants: Huge Controversial in the United States

Year after year, numerous news stories emerge about illegal immigrants. The first prominent case involved two illegal immigrants who were arrested for speeding by two sheriff's deputies. The deputies ended up severely beating them, even though the arrested individuals were unarmed. ("Who does not like Immigrants?", n.d.) Many people empathized with them, while others showed no sympathy due to their illegal entry into the U.S. ("Who does not like Immigrants?", n.d.) This marked the beginning of escalating tensions. A significant […]

Managing Illegal Immigration to the United States

Basically, the goal to protect the country and its people has not changed and still lives on within the modern policies. As in the late 1800s, almost any given foreigner has the ability to become a legal resident, or a person (who lawfully lives in a country, state, etc.) of the United States. However, the process by which an individual can become a legal resident is much more complicated than it has been in years prior. In order to become […]

Illegal Immigration: Economy’s Boost

Many of us know that America is known as a great country because of its diversity. The cause of this diversity is the fact that America allowed immigrants to move to this country from their home countries which had an influence on our economy. However, not everyone in America is a legal immigrant. In October 1996, there were about five million illegal immigrants living in the United States, and the population of those immigrants was growing by about two hundred […]

Illegal Immigrant Population of the United States

As of 2018, according to FactCheck.org there are 12.5 million illegal immigrants living in the US. Immigration is not bad for a country if the country can support the people. Diversity lets us experience different cultures and be more open to different views. However, the problem with immigration is illegal immigration. Illegal immigration is a tough problem because finding the right solution for it can be so hard. Dealing with immigration is hard because you want to help the people […]

Illegal Immigration and President Donald Trump’s Zero Tolerance Policy

Illegal immigration, according to the Unites States of America is defined as when people who are foreigners and or immigrants try to enter the United States without the proper documentation needed to enter. During the summer of 2018, illegal immigration reached an all-time high due to President Donald Trump's zero tolerance policy. This crisis and the collapse of the border policy caused the Trump Administration to be very frustrated because this was an issue that was not going to be […]

Analyzing the Definition of Illegal Immigration and how Immigration has Affected American Value

Values The focus of our group for this project is illegal immigration and how it has shaped the mindset of people in America today. Our research question following the topic is, "To what extent has immigration affected American values and how do people define immigration?" For the purpose of this paper, this definition will serve as a guideline: Immigration is the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country. Embedded in this definition is the questionable interpretation of […]

Immigration Policy of Donald Trump

On the 17th January 2017, at a campaign rally in Miami, President Donald Trump stated that A Trump administration will stop illegal immigration, deport all criminal aliens, and save American lives (poltifact.com). The president and his administration will do actions to keep the US clear and safe. Trump tried to deport about 11 million undocumented immigrants (Wessler). This is just so cruel to destroy people live by sending them back to totally strange country, to separate their family, and to […]

American Population and Illegal Immigration

America has always been known as the country who invites those less fortunate in, but at what cost? At what point will there be an end? There have been millions of people coming to the United States every year, fleeing from war torn countries and poverty, and the United States lets them in. They are supposed to be the country of freedom, but at a certain point it will need to stop. That point is now, the U.S. can no […]

Massive Influx of Illegal Immigrants in USA

There have been a large number of illegal immigrants entering the United States for many years. For the last few years in particular, there has been a massive influx of illegal immigrants crossing the Mexican border. Illegal immigration needs to be stopped because it places a huge burden on the economy od the United States. One reason is the illegal immigrants receive many free benefits. Another reason is the illegal immigrants work practices are causing wages in certain areas to […]

Termination of Racism and American Perception of Immigration Today

Robert F. Kennedy is deemed as an unusual rebel of the sorts. Kennedy came from a wealthy, politically oriented family and was strongly influenced by the administrative occupations held by his father Joe and brother Jack. Kennedy worked as the attorney general and senator for New York. He had a vast empathy for minorities. While running for President Kennedy was popular among the public as he perceived all people as human beings and had a family-man aura. Unfortunately, Kennedy's life […]

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Illegal immigration has been occurring for many centuries and continues to take place today. When people cross the border without being authorized, this can lead to grave danger. There have been many incidents with illegal immigrants who were involved in identity theft and identity loans. Most importantly, it violates the IRCA (1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act). Although, illegal immigration might be beneficial to people crossing the border; it should not be tolerated at all. In this essay, I will […]

Is Illegal Immigration Good for our Country?

Illegal immigration is good because some immigrants are trying to give their children a better future than will have in the country that they came from. Some are immigrants might drug traffic. For example, mexico drug dealers bring drugs to the United States and sell them for possibly money, coke, ammo, or marijuana. Some other Immigrants who don't drug traffic to the United States of America are here to give them and their children a opportunity to succeed in their […]

Does Illegal Immigration Impact Texas?

How Illegal Immigration Impacts Texas Vincent M Messana Geography 1303 Lone Star College - Tomball Abstract This paper explores the impact of illegal immigration in the great state of Texas, the main topics will focus on the effects on the economy, why illegal immigrants come here/ why not come legally, are the illegal immigrants bringing crime, how are illegal immigrants affecting Texas culture how are there so many illegal immigrants still living in Texas and what is being done to […]

Are Immigrants Good for the Americans?

Illegal immigration is not beneficial to our country and we should not protect it. Legal immigration is alright but we should focus more on enforcing our laws rather than offer blanket forgiveness to those who have broken them. People coming to our country bring many issues along with them. While they are in search of better opportunities in this country, most of them come here illegally even though we have a system that they can apply for and enter legally. […]

Illegal Immigration and Crime

The United States border is always a topic when the subject is the illegal entry ( entering into a country ) in the United States. Some people defend that building a wall will reduce the criminal activities in the country, while others defend that to stop illegal entry, ( entering into a country) could lapse the United States economy (the process of people making, selling, and buying things). To state that whether criminal activities increases by illegal ( entering into […]

A Look into our Natio’s Criminal Justice System and Immigration Laws

Abstract This paper will take a look at how the criminal justice system, race, and immigration all relate to each other, and the outcomes of each, with examples from the films 13th and Documented. It will analyze mass incarceration within the criminal justice system and discuss why there are so many people locked up, and some locked up for crimes they did not even commit. It will then elaborate on race in the criminal justice system, and talk about the […]

International and U.S Helping IIlegal Immigration

The International and U.S aid are agencies that help out civilian foreign aid especially those countries who are considered 3rd world countries. Which have less than a 1st world country has, such as more job opportunities, money, education and overall less crime. The overall issue for 3rd world countries is that the crime rate is very high as well as the homicide rate. And as of now it is increasing. The U.S aid is part of the government, and helps […]

Illegal Immigration and Human Trafficking

Human trafficking comes in many different forms such as sex trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Sex exploitation is based on the interaction between a trafficker selling an individual, victim being smuggled to customers for sexual services. Labor trafficking includes situations of debt bondage, forced labor, and involuntary child labor. Labor trafficking uses violence, threats, lies, and other forms of coercion to force people to work against their will in which most cases have no knowledge on the activities […]

Biggest Problem in the United States of America is Illegal Immigrants

One of the biggest problems that is being discussed in the United States of America is illegal immigrants. An illegal immigrant is someone who lives or works in another country when they do not have the legal right to do so, this is according to the Cambridge dictionary. Now you made wonder why someone would just want to get up and leave their country to just work and live? Or why is this such a big issue in the United […]

Positive Effects of Immigration

In the past few years, the topic of immigration has been a cause for much conversation and debate. While many people have discussed the morals of immigration, many have also assessed how exactly immigration affects the United States at both smaller and larger levels. Currently, there is much debate among scholars, politicians, economists and citizens regarding immigration and the economic effects that arise from it. Immigration has been discussed at great lengths for the past few years, and based off […]

Benefits of Immigration Essay

Combined picture of five years Syrian boy Omran injured during the airstrike in Aleppo and unbreathing body, faced down of three years old Alan Kurdi founded drowned in Mediterranean sea become a symbol of emigrant crisis1. This artwork of Syrian artist Rehman Siddiq very spectacularly and emotionally illustrated dilemma of every immigrant - stay or run. Immigration crisis become a social phenomenon that keep spreading all over the world. From mass media we can hear basically about two main streams […]

Mexican Immigration

At the wake of 1930, the Great Depression hit the United States hard. There was a serious job crisis as well as food shortages that affected the Mexican immigrants as well as all American dwellers. During this time, most of the Mexican immigrants and the Mexicans Americans were subjected to additional threats and hostility as the American migrants believed the Mexicans were taking their jobs (Gratton & Merchant, 2013). The American government came up strongly with deportation threats and they […]

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How To Write an Essay About Immigration

Understanding the intricacies of immigration.

Writing an essay on how to write an essay about immigration requires a deep understanding of the multifaceted nature of immigration itself. Immigration is a complex topic, encompassing legal, economic, cultural, and humanitarian aspects. It's essential to recognize that essays about immigration should address its diverse implications – from the challenges faced by immigrants to the impacts on host countries. This foundational understanding is crucial for guiding the exploration of how to approach various narratives, policies, and theories related to immigration. Consider including aspects such as the reasons behind immigration, the experiences of immigrants, the policies of different countries, and the societal reactions to immigration.

Structuring the Immigration Essay

The structure of your essay about writing an essay on immigration is key. Start with a compelling introduction that highlights the importance of accurately and empathetically discussing immigration. The thesis statement here should reflect the purpose of your guidance – whether to inform, argue, or analyze different aspects of immigration. The body of your essay should then be divided into coherent sections, each focusing on a key aspect of writing about immigration. Discuss how to construct an argument, the importance of using reliable data and sources, and the need for presenting a balanced view that considers both the challenges and contributions of immigrants. Ensure each part of the essay seamlessly connects to create a cohesive guide.

Addressing Challenges and Offering Strategies

In this part of the essay, focus on the challenges writers may face when crafting an essay on immigration and propose strategies to overcome these. One major challenge is the politicization of immigration, requiring a careful and unbiased approach. Another is the sensitivity of the topic, as it often involves vulnerable populations. Offer advice on maintaining objectivity while being empathetic, and stress the importance of cultural sensitivity. Suggest methods for thorough research and analysis, emphasizing the need to understand immigration laws and policies, as well as the socio-economic factors involved. Discuss the importance of acknowledging diverse perspectives and experiences in the essay to provide a comprehensive view of immigration.

Concluding with Purpose

The conclusion of your essay should do more than summarize the main points about writing an essay on immigration. It's an opportunity to reflect on the importance of understanding and discussing immigration in a responsible and informed manner. Emphasize the role of such essays in shaping public opinion and policy. Encourage writers to approach the topic of immigration with a commitment to fairness, accuracy, and empathy. A strong conclusion will not only wrap up your essay effectively but also inspire and guide future writers to approach the topic of immigration with the depth and respect it deserves.

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Immigration to the United States: Recent Trends and Future Prospects +

Charles hirschman.

University of Washington

Almost 13 per cent of the American population is foreign born, and if the children of the foreign born are included, about 1 in 4 Americans can be counted as part of the recent immigrant community. Although there is lingering prejudice and popular fears of immigrants, there is growing evidence that, on balance, immigrants make a positive contribution to the American economy and society. There is little evidence that immigrants have an adverse impact on the wages and employment of native born Americans. Moreover, immigrants and their children are disproportionately represented in a broad variety of scientific and cultural fields.

1. Introduction

The United States is, once again, in the midst of an age of immigration. In 2010, there were 40 million foreign-born persons living in the United States ( Grieco et al. 2012 ). Of the 220 million international migrants in the world in 2010—defined as persons living outside their country of birth—almost one in five were residents in the United States ( UN Population Division 2013 ). An even larger number, upwards of 75 million persons in the United States—almost one quarter of the current resident American population— is part of the immigrant community, defined as foreign born and the children of the foreign born ( U.S. Bureau of the Census 2010 ). 1

In spite of lingering prejudice and discrimination against immigrants, most Americans are beginning to acknowledge the positive contributions of immigrants. These beliefs are partially rooted in the historical image of the United States as a ‘nation of immigrants.’ The story that America was populated by peoples seeking economic opportunity, fleeing injustice or oppression in their homeland, and hoping for a better life for their children has a strong grip on the American immigration. Moreover, there is a growing body of research that shows that most immigrants do assimilate to American society and that immigration has net positive impacts on the American economy, society, and culture.

In this paper, I survey the trends in immigration to the United States with a focus on the most recent period—the Post 1965 Wave of Immigration, named for the reforms in immigration law that were enacted in the late 1960s as part of the Civil Rights revolution. I also review recent research on the demographic, economic, social, and cultural impact of immigration on American society.

2. Trends in Immigration to the United States

Figure 1 shows the history of the absolute and relative levels of the foreign born population in the United States. The histogram—the solid bars—shows the numbers (in millions) of foreign born persons in the country from 1850 to 2012. The foreign born includes everyone who is born outside the United States, including students and workers residing here temporarily. This category also includes many undocumented immigrants—those residing in the country illegally. The curved line shows the ratio of foreign born persons to the total US population in each decennial census from 1850 to 2000 and the comparable figures for recent years from the American Community Survey.

Source: US Bureau of Census, Census of Population, 1850–2000 (in Gibson and Jung, 2006 ), and American Community Survey, 2010.

The absolute number of the foreign born population rose rapidly from the mid-19th century through the early decades of the 20th century—popularly known as the ‘Age of Mass Migration.’ With the cessation of large-scale immigration after 1924, the absolute numbers of foreign born declined to below 10 million by 1970. With the renewal of immigration in recent decades, the number of foreign born persons has risen dramatically and is currently around 40 million.

The visibility of the foreign born—at work, in schools, and in neighbourhoods—is measured by the proportion of foreign born to the total population, that is, the curved line in Figure 1 . It is to be noted that the contemporary presence of immigrants is actually less than it was in the early 20 th century. For most of the 19 th and early 20 th centuries, the foreign born constituted around 14 to 15 per cent of the American population. Then, during the middle decades of the 20 th century, the figure dropped precipitously to below 5 per cent in 1970. With the renewal of mass immigration after 1965, the percent foreign born is currently 13 per cent of the total population. While this figure is high relative to the period from 1950 to 1970, it is slightly below the proportion of foreign born for much of American history.

The ‘Post-1965 Immigration Wave,’ was named for the 1965 immigration law that repealed the ‘national origins quotas’ enacted in the 1920s. These quotas were considered discriminatory by the children and grandchildren of Southern and Eastern European immigrants, and the 1965 immigration legislation was part of the reforms of the Civil Rights era. The advocates of reform in the 1960s were not pushing for a major new wave of immigration; they expected a small increase in the number of arrivals from Italy, Greece, and a few other European countries, as families that were divided by the immigration restrictions of the 1920s were allowed to be reunited ( Reimrs 1985 : Chap. 3).

Family reunification and scarce occupational skills were the primary criteria for admission under the 1965 Act ( Keely 1979 ). The new preference system allowed highly skilled professionals, primarily doctors, nurses, and engineers from Asian countries, to immigrate and eventually to sponsor their families. About the same time, and largely independently of the 1965 Act, immigration from Latin America began to rise. Legal and undocumented migration from Mexico surged after a temporary farm worker programme, known as the Bracero Programme, ended in 1964 ( Massey, Durand and Malone 2002 ). There have also been major waves of immigration to the United States with the fall of regimes supported by American political and military interventions abroad, including Cuba, Vietnam, and Central America. Each of these streams of immigrant and refugee inflows has spawned secondary waves of immigration as family members have followed.

3. Characteristics of the Post-1965 Wave of Immigrants

Most of the immigrants who arrived from 1880 to 1920 during the Age of Mass Migration were from Southern and Eastern Europe, including Italy, Germany, Poland, and Russia. Many of these ‘new’ immigrants in the early 20 th century were considered to be distinctly different from the older stock of white Americans in terms of language, religion, and in their potential for assimilation into American society. Popular opposition to immigration in the early 20 th century led to the laws of the 1920s that sharply restricted immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe. There were much smaller waves of immigration from China and Japan, but even stronger opposition ended Asian immigration in the late 19 th and early 20 th century.

When the doors to immigration were opened again in the years after 1965, only small numbers of Europeans arrived. The major regions of origin in the Post-1965 Wave of Immigration are Latin America and Asia. More than 11 million—about 30 per cent of all immigrants (foreign born)—are from Mexico, one of the nearest neighbours of the United States. Another 20 per cent of immigrants are from other countries in Latin America, with the largest numbers from Central America and the Caribbean. Migrants from Puerto Rico are domestic migrants, not immigrants, since Puerto Rico is an American territory and all Puerto Ricans are American citizens at birth.

About one quarter of the foreign-born are from Asia, and the relative share of Asian immigrants has risen in recent years. One of the hallmarks of contemporary Asian immigration is its diversity—almost every country in Asia is represented in the American immigrant population. The largest Asian immigrant communities in the U. S. are from China, India, and the Philippines, but there are also considerable numbers from Vietnam, Korea, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.

In the 1970s and 1980s, most ‘new immigrants’ settled in the West and East coast states, and a few other selected states, including Texas, Florida, and Illinois. About 40 per cent of all immigrants lived in California and New York. In the 1990s and 2000s, immigrants increasingly began settling in new destinations including smaller towns in the Midwest and Southeast. The majority of immigrants still live in California, New York, and other traditional destinations, but industries are attracting immigrant labour to many other regions. In addition to the high tech sectors and universities that attract highly skilled immigrants, less skilled immigrants are drawn to agriculture, food processing, and manufacturing industries that are often shunned by native born workers.

The distribution of education among recent immigrants to the United States is bimodal. The largest group of immigrants, particularly those from Mexico and Central America, has less education, on average, than the native-born American population. Less education, however, is not equivalent to unskilled labour. Many immigrants without a high school degree are able to work in the skilled construction industry, nursing homes caring for the elderly, and in the service sectors in restaurants, hotels, and gardening.

At the other end of the educational continuum are the highly educated immigrant streams from Taiwan, India, Iran, and many African countries. Almost half of Asian immigrants have a university degree compared to only a third of native born Americans. Many of these highly skilled immigrants fill key niches in the high tech sector, higher education, and many professional fields.

4. Popular Fears of Too Much Immigration

Existing alongside the pride of having immigrant grandparents (or great-grandparents) in the ‘nation of immigrants,’ many Americans fear that the United States has more immigrants than the country can absorb and assimilate. There are widespread popular beliefs that immigrants take jobs that would otherwise go to native born Americans and that the wages of native born workers are depressed by the presence of immigrant workers. Beyond the economic argument, many Americans also think that the presence of immigrants, especially large numbers of immigrants from ‘third world’ countries, are a threat to American values, culture, and institutions ( Bouvier 1992 ; Brimelow 1995 ; Huntington 2004 ). These sentiments have given rise to an anti-immigrant lobby that includes political leaders, TV and radio talk-show pundits, social movement organisations, including public interest organisations that publish reports and policy briefs, as well as unauthorised militia groups that patrol the U.S. Mexican border, such as the ‘Minutemen’.

Neither the presence of large numbers of immigrants nor the exaggerated claims about the negative impact of immigration are new phenomena. In 1751, Benjamin Franklin complained about the Germans in Pennsylvania and their reluctance to learn English ( Archdeacon 1983 : 20; Jones 1992 : 39–40). Based on a campaign of fear about the political dangers of unchecked immigration, primarily Irish Catholics, the ‘Know-Nothing’Party elected six governors, dominated several state legislatures, and sent a bloc of representatives to Congress in 1855. During World War I, Americans who wanted to retain their German-American identity were forced to be ‘100 percent Americans’ and to give up their language and culture ( Higham 1988 : Chap. 8).

In the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries, Chinese and Japanese migrants who worked as railroad and agricultural labourers were targeted by nativist groups who feared that Asian immigrants would harm the economic status of native workers and contaminate the ‘racial purity’ of the nation ( Hing 1993 : 22). The passage of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act was the first major step toward a closed society. After the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed, Japanese migrants became a new source of cheap labour on the West coast and Hawaii. Japanese immigration was targeted by the same groups that opposed Chinese immigrants.

Southern and Eastern European groups also faced an increasingly hostile context of reception as their numbers swelled at the turn of the twentieth century. A number of formal organisations sprang up among old line New England elites to campaign against the continued immigration of ‘undesirables’ from Europe ( Higham 1988 ; Jones 1992 : Chap. 9). After a long political struggle, Congress passed restrictive laws in the early 1920s that stopped almost all immigration except from Northwestern Europe.

5. Do Immigrants Assimilate into American Society?

In spite of the fears that immigrants are resistant to learning English and refuse to join the American mainstream, there is a large body of social science and historical research which concludes that immigrants have, by and large, assimilated to American society ( Alba 1990 , Alba and Nee 2003 ; Duncan and Duncan 1968 ; Lieberson 1980 ). This does not mean that assimilation was painless, automatic, or immediate. For the first generation of immigrants who arrived as adults, the processes of linguistic, cultural, and social change were painful and usually incomplete. Immigrants tend to settle in ethnic enclaves, prefer to speak their mother tongue, and gravitate to places of worship and social events that provide cultural continuity with their origins ( Handlin 1973 ; Portes and Rumbaut 2006 ). Many immigrants do learn English and find employment in the general economy, but few feel completely part of their new society. In the early decades of the 20 th century, evidence pointed to the slow and incomplete assimilation of the then ‘new’ immigrants ( Pagnini and Morgan 1990 ).

With the passage of time, and especially following the emergence of the second generation, there was unmistakable evidence of assimilation among the descendants of early 20 th century European immigrants. Acculturated through their attendance at American schools, the children of immigrants did not share the ambivalence of their immigrant parents. The second generation spoke fluent English and was eager to join the American mainstream. By all measures, including socio-economic status, residential mobility, and intermarriage, they left behind the ethnic world of their immigrant parents ( Alba and Nee 2003 ; Lieberson 1980 ). By the 1950s, patterns of suburbanisation broke down ethnic neighborhoods and intermarriage became more common ( Alba and Nee 2003 ; Lieberson and Waters 1988 ).

Although it is widely assumed that immigrants in the Post-1965 Immigration Wave are less likely to assimilate than those who arrived in the early 20 th century, there is growing evidence that the new immigrants, especially their children, are doing remarkably well ( Alba and Nee 2003 ; Kasinitz et al. 2008 ). On average, second generation immigrants are less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to attend college than the average native born American ( Hirschman 2001 ; White and Glick 2009 ). Intermarriage is also common: recent research estimates that one-third to one-half of second generation Hispanics and Asians marry outside of their community ( Duncan and Trejo 2007 ; Min and Kim 2009 ). The children of contemporary immigrants are on track for assimilation and upward mobility at about the same pace as the descendants of earlier waves of immigration from Europe.

6. The Impact of Immigration on America

There are widespread popular beliefs, including many influential voices within public policy circles, which argue that immigration is harmful to the economic welfare of the country, especially to native born Americans ( Borjas 1994 ; Bouvier 1992 ; Briggs 1984 ; Brimelow 1995 ). The central claim is that immigrants, because they are willing to work for lower wages, take jobs from native born American workers. Competition from immigrant workers is expected to depress wages, especially in the low-skilled labour market ( Borjas 1989 ). Finally, immigrants are thought to be an economic burden because they disproportionately receive public benefits, such as health care, schooling, and welfare without paying their fair share of taxes. These claims, however, are not supported by empirical evidence.

The definitive statement on the economic consequences of immigration was the 1997 report of the National Research Council (NRC) panel on the demographic and economic impacts of immigration, which drew on the theoretical and empirical research conducted by leading specialists in labour economics and public finance ( Smith and Edmonston 1997 ; 1998 , also see Card 1990 ; 2005 ). The major conclusion of the NRC report was that the net effects of immigration on the American economy were very modest. Immigration does expand labour supply and may increase competition for jobs and lower wages for native workers who are substitutes for immigrants, but immigration also expands total production (national income) and increases the incomes that accrue to native born workers who are complements to immigrants ( Smith and Edmondson 1997 : Chap. 4). Although some native born workers may compete for the same jobs as immigrants, many more may be complements to immigrants. This means that the arrival of unskilled immigrant labour may ‘push up’, rather than ‘push out’, many native born workers ( Haines 2000 : 202; Lieberson 1980 : Chap. 10). Moreover, many native born workers have direct or indirect income from capital through their savings, ownership of property, and as recipients of pension programmes.

The most likely reason for a lack of empirical support for the presumed negative impact of immigration is the questionable assumption that the only impact of additional workers (immigrants) on the labour market is through wage competition. The presence of immigrants has broader effects on economic growth, both locally and nationally, that leads to rising wage levels for native born workers. Among the potential mechanisms are increased national savings, entrepreneurship and small business development, a faster rate of inventive activity and technological innovation, and increasing economies of scale, both in the production and consumer markets ( Carter and Sutch 1999 ). There is a long-standing hypothesis in economic history that high levels of immigration stimulates economic growth by increasing demand for housing, urban development, and other amenities ( Easterlin 1968 ). A recent study found that immigration provided the necessary labour supply for the rapid growth of manufacturing during the American Industrial Revolution from 1880 to 1920 ( Hirschman and Mogford 2009 ).

Another major economic issue addressed by the 1997 NRC report was the impact of immigration on the governmental fiscal system—the balance between taxes paid and the value of government services received ( Clune 1998 ; Garvey and Espendshade 1998 ; Lee and Miller 1998 ; Smith and Edmonston 1997 : Chaps. 6 & 7). The NRC researchers report that the average native born household in New Jersey and California pays more in state and local taxes as a result of the presence of immigrants ( Smith and Edmonston 1997 : Chap. 6). These results are largely determined by the lower wages of immigrants and the demographic composition of immigrant households, which tend to be younger and have more children than the native born population. The largest component of local and state government budgets is schooling, and immigrant households, with more children per household than native born households, are disproportionately beneficiaries of state support for schooling.

Despite potential imbalances in the net transfer of revenues at the local and state level, an accounting of the federal fiscal system shows that immigrants (and their descendants) contribute more in taxes than they receive in benefits ( Smith and Edmonston 1997 : Chap. 7). Just as the age structure of immigrant households makes them disproportionately the beneficiaries of public education, the relative youth of immigrants also means they are less likely be beneficiaries of Social Security and Medicare (and Medicaid for many of the institutionalised elderly). Immigrants also help to relieve the per-capita fiscal burden of native born for the national debt, national security, and public goods, which are major federal expenditures that are only loosely tied to population size. An intergenerational accounting that counts the future taxes paid by the children of immigrants concludes that immigration helps, rather than hurts, the nation’s fiscal balance ( Lee and Miller 1998 ; Smith and Edmonston 1997 ; Chap. 7).

6.1 The Role of Immigration on the Advancement of Science, Technology and Higher Education

Scientific progress is a major source of modern economic growth, increasing longevity and other features of modern development that enhance the quality of life in the United States. It is frequently claimed that American economic development has been fostered by government investments in scientific and technological innovation in the industrial sector, as well as in universities and research institutes. How might immigration also affect scientific progress? Perhaps the most direct link is the migration of scientists from other countries and the high educational attainment of immigrants and their children.

Albert Einstein, perhaps the most eminent American scientist of the 20 th century, was a refugee from Nazi Germany. There are many other examples of distinguished scientists, researchers, academics, and entrepreneurs who arrived in the United States as students who pursued their talents in American universities and/or industry, including Enrico Fermi, Edward Teller, and Hans Bethe, the fathers of the atomic age, Elias Zerhouni, former director of the National Institutes of Health, and Andrew Grove, Jerry Yang, and Sergey Brin, the engineering entrepreneurs who led the American transition to the digital age. From 1990 to 2004, over one-third of US scientists who had received Nobel Prizes were foreign born ( Wulf 2006 ; also see Smith and Edmonston 1977 : 384–385).

The impact of immigration on the development of science in the United States is more than the story of a relatively open door for immigrants who are exceptionally talented scientists and engineers. Over the last four decades, American universities have played an important role in training immigrants and the children of immigrants to become scientists. Foreign students have become increasingly central to American higher education, particularly in graduate education in engineering and the sciences. After graduating with advanced degrees from American universities, many foreign students return to their home countries, but a significant share is attracted to employment opportunities in American universities, laboratories, and industries. Many of the foreign students who have become permanent residents or US citizens go on to make important contributions to the development of American science and engineering.

Several recent studies have found that foreign-born scientists and engineers are playing a critical role in in American universities, laboratories, and scientific industries ( Stephan and Levin 2007 ; Sana 2010 ). Foreign-born scientists and engineers are also over-represented among members of elected honorific societies such as the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Sciences, and among the authors of highly cited academic papers ( Stephan and Levin 2007 ). During the last decades of the twentieth century, immigrant entrepreneurs formed a significant contingent of all founders of US high-technology start-ups, particularly in Silicon Valley ( Saxenian 2001 ). One recent study estimates that one in four technology firms started in the United States between 1995 and 2005 was founded by at least one foreign-born entrepreneur ( Wadwha et al. 2007 ).

6.2 The Impact of Immigrants on the Evolution of American Institutions

All other things being equal, most societies, communities, organisations and cultures tend to resist change, especially from outside sources. The truism that ‘people prefer that which is familiar’ is reinforced by persons with authority, power, and status, who generally shape cultural expectations to revere conformity more than innovation. This pattern, an ‘ideal type’ to be sure, is especially common in traditional rural areas, among multi-generational families, and in religious and cultural organisations.

There are, of course, many exceptions to this pattern, especially during eras of rapid technological and social change, wartime, and other times of catastrophe. The simple proposition of cultural continuity helps to explain the generally conservative nature of intergenerational socialisation and the ubiquity of ethnocentrism—beliefs that value insiders and traditional culture more than outsiders. In traditional (and in many modern) societies, immigrants are feared because they might potentially challenge the existing social arrangements as well as familiar cultural patterns.

All things have not been equal during much of American history. The United States has received about 75 million immigrants since record-keeping began in 1820. This relatively open door was due to a confluence of interests, both external and internal. As modernisation spread throughout the Old World during the 18 th and 19 th centuries, the (relatively) open frontier beckoned the landless and others seeking economic betterment. These patterns culminated in the early 20 th century, when more than one million immigrants arrived annually—a level that is only being rivaled by contemporary levels of immigration. American economic and political institutions also gained from immigration. Immigrant settlement helped to secure the frontier as well as to provide labour for nation-building projects, including transportation networks of roads, canals, and railroads. During the era of industrialisation, immigrant labour provided a disproportionate share of workers for the dirty and dangerous jobs in mining and manufacturing ( Hirschman and Mogford 2009 ).

In spite of the national tradition of mass immigration, new arrivals have rarely received a welcome reception. The conservative backlash against immigrants has been a perennial theme of American history. During the Age of Mass Migration, the negative reaction against immigrants was not simply a response from the parochial masses, but also a project led by conservative intellectuals. Long before immigration restrictions were implemented in the 1920s, there was a particularly virulent campaign against the ‘new’ immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. Most of these immigrants were Catholics and Jews—religious and cultural traditions that were thought to be in conflict with the traditional ascendancy of white Protestants of English ancestry.

As most Northeastern and Midwestern cities became dominated by immigrants (both first and second generations) in the late 19 th century, many elite old-stock American families and communities created barriers to protect their ‘aristocratic’ status and privileges against newcomers ( Higham 1988 ). Residential areas became ‘restricted,’ college fraternities and sororities limited their membership, and many social clubs and societies only allowed those with the right pedigrees and connections to be admitted ( Baltzell 1964 ). Barriers to employment for minorities, especially Jews, were part of the culture of corporate law firms and elite professions ( Auerbach 1975 : Chap. 2). In the early 20 th century, many elite private universities were notorious for their quotas for Jewish students and their refusal to hire Jews and other minorities ( Baltzell 1964 : 336; Karabel 2006 ). In some cases, these quotas persisted until the 1960s.

Given this history, how were immigrants and their children able to make such impressive achievements to American science, arts, and culture? Part of the solution to this puzzle is that immigrants, and especially their children, were pulled into self-employment and new sectors of the economy where there was less discrimination. As noted above, prestigious organisations that celebrated tradition tended to be closed to outsiders. The early 20 th century was an era of rapid demographic, economic, and technological change. Rapid social change creates more flexibility and openness for outsiders to be absorbed into mainstream institutions.

The market for cultural and artistic performances was greatly expanded with the growth of cities in the early 20 th century. A significant share of the urban population, the potential consumers of art and culture, were of immigrant stock. The most important development of this era was the motion picture industry—a new form of the performing arts. In the 1920s, immigrant risk-takers, primarily Eastern European Jewish immigrants, transformed the fledgling motion picture industry with the development of large Hollywood studios. Although the new Hollywood moguls sought to create movies that appealed to mass audiences and ignored any hint of ethnicity or religion, their presence may have minimised traditional prejudices and discrimination among those who worked in Hollywood. Irving Howe characterised the openness of the performing arts (and sports) to talented outsiders:

… “the (entertainment industry) brushed aside claims of rank and looked only for the immediate promise of talent. Just as blacks would later turn to baseball and basketball knowing that here at least their skin color counted for less than their skills, so in the early 1900s, young Jews broke into vaudeville because here too, people asked not, who are you? but, what can you do?”

This openness is reinforced in fields and professions where talent and accomplishment are clearly recognised and visible, including professional sports and universities. Prior to World War II, competition was restricted in many institutions with barriers to admission and hiring. Professional baseball was closed to African Americans and elite universities restricted the admission of Jews and other minorities. In spite of these tendencies, many American institutions have become more open and meritocratic over the 20 th century. Baseball and other professional sports were integrated before most other institutions, including public school education. In recent decades, American professional sports have become more global, with a growing participation of talented international players. This trend is driven, in large part, by competition. Sports fans want winning teams, and large audiences increase revenues. The owners and management of sports teams respond to market pressures by recruitment of talented players from other countries. Similar processes are at work in universities and scientific organisations. More talented researchers generate more grants, more patents, and more commercial applications of scientific discoveries. The global search for talented graduate students and researchers by elite American universities and research organisations is driven by competitive pressures that have accelerated in recent decades. Other fields where merit is relatively easy to measure, such as in classical musical performance, have also become part of a global employment market.

There are similar competitive pressures in many American corporations and business for talented employees, but there are certainly wide variations depending on the pace of technological change, international market competition, and the ability to measure merit. Traditional manufacturing sectors of the economy, automobiles for example, may focus more on continuity, advertising, and efficiency than technological innovation. Other sectors, such as the electronic and computing industry are more at the forefront of technological innovation and international competition. It seems likely that these more competitive sectors, perhaps exemplified by Silicon Valley, would be the most meritocratic and willing to hire outsiders—immigrants and foreign students who have the necessary skills.

The same processes of competition certainly affected the development of Hollywood, Broadway, and many other American performing and cultural arts. Audience preferences may have tended toward familiar cultural content, but there was undoubtedly strong market pressure for ‘quality’, however defined. There was also considerable room for innovation in artistic and cultural performance in a pluralistic society with relatively few cultural touchstones. Immigrants and their children played important roles in the development of culture and art in 20 th century America, just as they have in science and academic institutions.

My contention is that the presence of immigrants and their offspring has helped to ‘push’ American institutions in the direction of increasing openness and meritocracy. This has not always been a smooth or conflict-free process. When Jewish students appeared in large numbers in leading American universities in the early 20 th century, they were deemed rate-busters who upset the traditional college student culture, which de-emphasised too much study or serious scholarly interests.

The growing number of talented Jewish students, mostly second generation immigrants, certainly raised the standards at universities that did not discriminate. As universities began to compete for faculty and graduate students during the post-World War II era, the quota restrictions eventually disappeared ( Karabel 2006 ). Elite colleges and universities still retain legacies of non-merit based admission systems, including programmes to privilege children of alumni. There is also evidence that Asian American students have not been admitted in numbers proportional to their test scores ( Espenshade and Chung 2005 ), but these current practices are only a shadow of those of earlier times. The point is not that universities are completely meritocratic, but that they have become more meritocratic with increasing competition and acceptance of talented ‘outsiders.’

Greater openness to hiring and promotion on the basis of merit has become an integral part of many American institutions in recent years. The reputation of the United States as a land of opportunity for those with ambition and ability—a theme in many Hollywood movies—made the country a beacon for prospective immigrants. In addition to raising the international stature of the United States, the participation of talented immigrants and their children has likely made American scientific and cultural institutions more successful.

7. Conclusions

Contemporary immigration to the United States, upwards of one million new arrivals per year, is not exceptional. In fact, the relative share of immigrants—about 13 per cent—is a bit lower than the 14 to 15 per cent that characterised much of American history prior to the 1920s. Absorbing large numbers of newcomers has costs as well as benefits. The costs are immediately apparent, but some of the benefits take longer to appear. Schools, hospitals, and social service agencies may have to arrange for translation services and other special programmes for immigrants. But most of the costs of these adjustments are paid by immigrants and their families. Immigrants have given up the familiarity of home in their quest for more rewarding careers and greater opportunities for their children. Immigrants must also contend with a receiving society that is ambivalent, and sometimes hostile, to their presence.

Contemporary immigrants do adapt and assimilate to American society—probably as fast as earlier waves of immigrants. Assimilation is not instantaneous, and, for adult immigrants, the process is never complete. But for their native born children, and for those who arrive in the United States as young children, assimilation is a natural process that reflects immersion in American schools and culture.

Immigrants and their children, however, are not the same as native born Americans. In addition to the many obvious characteristics, such as language, religion, and cuisine, they generally differ on social and educational characteristics. For the contemporary period, immigrants are over-represented both among college graduates and those with less than 12 years of schooling relative to native born Americans ( Portes and Rumbaut 2006 : Chap. 4). Immigrants are also not representative of the society from which they come ( Feliciano 2005a ; 2005b ; Model 2008 ). In contrast to popular images, immigrants are not drawn from the least successful ranks of their home societies, but are generally well above average in terms of their education and other skills.

Perhaps the most important contribution of immigrants is their children. Many immigrants have made enormous sacrifices for their children’s welfare, including the decision to settle in the United States. Immigrant parents often have to work in menial jobs, multiple jobs, and in occupations well below the status they would have earned if they had remained at home. These sacrifices have meaning because immigrant parents believe that their children will have better educational and occupational opportunities in the United States than in their homelands. Immigrant parents push their children to excel by reminding them of their own sacrifices.

These high expectations for the children of immigrants generally lead to high motivations for academic and worldly success ( Hao and Bonstead-Burns 1998 ). A large body of research shows that the children of immigrants do remarkably well in American schools. Holding constant their socio-economic status, the second generation obtains higher grades in school and above average results on standardised tests, is less likely to drop out of high school, and is more likely to go to college than the children of native born Americans ( Fuligni and Witknow 2004 ; Perreira, Harris and Lee 2006 ).

In addition to measures of socio-economic assimilation, immigrants and their children are over-represented in a broad range of rare achievements, including Nobel Prize winners, top scientists, American performing artists, and other contributors to the American creative arts. They have broadened our cultural outlook and sometimes, have even defined American culture through literature, music and art.

Compared with other societies, the United States is generally regarded as unusually competitive and places a high premium on progress and innovation. This dynamic characteristic may well arise from the presence of immigrants and on the evolution of American institutions and identity. The size and selectivity of the immigrant community means that immigrants (and/or their children) are competing for entry into colleges, jobs, and access to prestigious positions and institutions. Not all institutions have been open to outsiders on an equal footing with insiders. In particular, high status organisations often give preference to persons with the right connections and social pedigree. But institutions that opened their doors to talented outsiders—immigrants and their children—probably gained a competitive advantage. Over time, greater openness and meritocratic processes may have become a force that shaped the evolution of American institutions in the arts, sports, science, and some sectors of business. In turn, the participation of outsiders may have reinforced a distinctive American character and culture that values not ‘who are you?’ but, ‘what can you do?’

Because immigrants have to constantly work at learning the system, they are intensely curious about American culture. For the most talented, this leads to a level of creativity beyond the normal boundaries that has left its imprint on American music, theater, dance, film, and many other realms of artistic endeavour. Finally, American institutions – schools, universities, businesses, sports teams, and even symphony orchestras, are meritocratic and seek talent wherever they can find it. The United States is a competitive society that values progress and success. This dynamic characteristic has partly been created through the presence of immigrants, which has pushed the country to value skills and ability over social pedigree.

The fear of cultural conservatives is that immigrants will change American character and identity. Yet, the definition of American identity is elusive. Unlike many other societies, the United States does not have an identity tied to an ancient lineage. Given the two wars against the British in early American history (in 1776 and 1812), the founders of the new American republic did not make English origins the defining trait of American identity; rather it was acceptance of the Enlightenment ideas expressed in the founding documents of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights ( Gleason 1980 ; Vecoli 1966). Even though these ideals were belied by the continuing stain of slavery, a civic identity rather than ancestry has been the distinctive feature of American ‘ peoplehood ’ from the very start. This trait combined with jus soli (birthright citizenship) 2 has slowed, if not stopped, efforts to define Americans solely on the basis of ancestral origins. Another reason for the broad definition of American identity is that the overwhelming majority of the American population, including white Americans, is descended from 19 th and 20 th century immigrants. Demographic estimates suggest that less than one-third of the American population in the late 20 th century were descended from the 18 th century American population ( Edmonston and Passel 1994 : 61, Gibson 1992 ).

Yet, there have been recurrent struggles to redefine American identity in terms of ancestry. The first naturalisation law passed by Congress in 1790 limited citizenship to whites. The broadening of American citizenship to include African Americans, American Indians, and Asian immigrants were epic battles. The short-lived, but remarkably successful ‘Know-Nothing’ political movement called itself the American Party to highlight the ancestral origins of its adherents. In the late 19 th century, as new immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe were pouring in, some old stock Americans founded organisations such as the Sons of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution, and similar groups to celebrate their ancestral pedigrees and to distance themselves from recent immigrants. The national origin quotas of the 1920s were a clear victory for those who feared dilution of the white English Protestant composition of the American population. The current anti-immigrant sentiment also expresses a fear that American identity will be lost, yet it is unclear that a universal contemporary American identity exists. Although the English language is considered to be central, English Protestant ancestry is not emphasised. There is too much diversity, even within the white population, to focus on specific ancestral origins.

In an often quoted remark, Oscar Handlin, the famous historian, observed that after searching for the place of immigrants in American history, that immigrants are American history. The American experiment in nation building is, in large part, the story of how immigrants have been absorbed into American society and how immigrants have enlarged and transformed America. Immigrants settled the frontier; they participated in constructing canals, roads and railroads, and contributed significant manpower in many American wars. Immigrants provided much of the manufacturing labour for the American industrial revolution as well as a disproportionate share of the contemporary highly skilled scientists and engineers that are central to the modern electronic and biomedical economy. Most interestingly, immigrants and the children of immigrants have been among the most important creative artists who have shaped the development of the cultural arts, including movies, theatre, dance, and music.

Immigration is, perhaps, the most distinctive feature of American identity. Immigration has had a disproportionate effect on the demographic size, ethnic diversity, culture, and character of American society. Immigrants and their children have assimilated to America, but they have also shaped American institutions in ways that have allowed strangers to participate on a relatively open playing field.

Acknowledgments

The author thanks the Malaysian Population and Family Development Board for the invitation to participate in the conference, the Malaysian American Commission for Educational Exchange for a Fulbright Fellowship to Malaysia, the Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya for hosting me as a Visiting Fulbright Professor, and Associate Professor Tey Nai Peng for his advice on my conference paper.

+ An earlier version of this paper was presented at the International Conference on Migration, Urbanisation and Development at the University of Malaya, 8 July 2013.

1 The foreign-born refers to all persons who are born outside the United States or a United States territory. The Census Bureau defines the native born (the complement of the foreign born) as persons who are American citizens at birth. The terms foreign born and immigrants are used interchangeably here, but this is not technically true because many of the foreign born are in the United States as temporary workers or students.

2 The fourteenth amendment to the Constitution (adopted in 1868) defines citizenship as consisting of: “All persons born or naturalised in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Subsequent Supreme Court rulings have interpreted the citizenship clause to include the native born children of foreign nationals.

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Immigration Research Project: Gordon: Creating an Outline

• Project Steps
• Thesis Statements
• NoodleTools

Creating an Outline

• Quoting, Summarizing and Paraphrasing
• A Note on Plagiarism
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Creating an Outline with Main Idea and Subpoints

Creating an Outline for an Essay

Most analytical, interpretive, or persuasive essays tend to follow the same basic pattern. This information should help you formulate effective outlines for most of the essays that you will write.

I. Introduction

     1. Sentence to get the attention of your readers: 

     2. One-sentence thesis statement: 

     1. First main idea:

          a. Supporting evidence for the first idea:

          b. Supporting evidence for the first idea:

          c. Supporting evidence for the first idea:

     2. Second main idea:

          a. Supporting evidence for second main idea:

          b. Supporting evidence for second main idea:

          c. Supporting evidence for second main idea:

     3. Third main idea:

          a. Supporting evidence for third main idea:

          b. Supporting evidence for third main idea:

          c. Supporting evidence for third main idea:

III. Conclusion

     1. Restatement of your thesis:

     2. Insightful sentence to end your essay:

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Immigration: Outline

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The purpose of creating an outline is to organize your information (research) into a logical and coherent manner. It allows you to see how your paper wil take shape. More detail on your outline means the actual writing component of the paper should be easier: you have already laid out the flow and structure of what you are going to say!

Outline Form

Your outline is comprised of main ideas and supporting ideas that make up those main points.  Main ideas are labeled with a Roman Numeral. Supporting ideas use capital letters and are indented. Sub-points under capital letters take italic numbers and also get indented. It looks like this:

I.  MAIN IDEA                A. Subsidiary idea or supporting idea to I                B. Subsidiary idea or supporting idea to I                    1. Subsidiary idea to B                    2. Subsidiary idea to B                        a) Subsidiary idea to 2                        b) Subsidiary idea to 2

        II.  MAIN IDEA                A. Subsidiary or supporting idea to II                B. Subsidiary idea to II                C. Subsidiary idea to II

        III.  MAIN IDEA

Each letter portion of your outline will most likely end up being it's own paragraph or paragraphs. Within those paragraphs you have to have your evidence that supports your thesis. Whether you have direct quotes or statistics these paragraphs form the "meat" of your paper. You can use Noodletools to create your outline and drag individual notecards to the sections where they belong.

So let's say you have to write a paper on the Great Depression and it's lasting effect on America

INTRO (with Thesis)

      A. Unregulated Stock Market

      B. Panic

         1. Black Tuesday

         2.Debt Deflation

II. Responses

      A. Creation of the FDIC

      B. FDR and the New Deal

      C. Cultural implications: Song, art, literature

III. Long term Impact/Fears

     A. Stock Market Crash of 1989

    B. Global Recession 2008

CONCLUSION (repetition of Thesis)

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Expert Focus on US Immigration: Challenges and Possible Solutions

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Katia adimora, share this publication.

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Katia Adimora, "Expert Focus on US Immigration: Challenges and Possible Solutions" (Houston: Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, March 14, 2023),  https://doi.org/10.25613/KHPE-DE58 .

Introduction

Immigration flows from and through Mexico to the United States are a multidimensional phenomenon. Only when approached holistically from socio-political, legal, economic, psychological, and diplomatic perspectives, is it possible to capture the complexity of the issue and the multiple drivers of irregular immigration. This brief sheds light on the current situation of irregular migration at the U.S.-Mexico border and summarizes key findings based on six interviews conducted with immigration experts in the autumn of 2022. Based on the information gathered during the interviews, this brief employs a multidisciplinary approach to sort out a number of issues the U.S. immigration system has failed to address over time, key obstacles to reforming the system, and potential paths to resolution.

Methodology

This brief follows the premise of a multifaceted approach toward immigration. For that, I conducted several interviews with experts on immigration: researchers, political scientists, attorneys, diplomats, and psychologists. These interviews were conducted in person and online between November 28 and December 1, 2022, at the Baker Institute Center for the United States and Mexico. The conversations were recorded and later transcribed. [1] They serve as the core data for a description of the challenges faced by the Biden administration and migrants today, and the crafting of potential solutions to it. All interviewees identified problems relating to the immigration system and suggested ways to address them.

The experts interviewed were Tony Payan , Luz María Garcini , Daniel Tichenor , José Iván Rodríguez-Sánchez , Elizabeth Mendoza and Alicia Kerber Palma .

Current Situation at the United States-Mexico Border

The migration crisis [2] at the U.S.-Mexico border is evident from statistical data alone. The number of encounters [3] at the southern border in fiscal year 2022 surpassed 2.5 million (Table 1 [4] ), which is significantly higher than the number of arrivals during the Trump years (2017-2021). A possible explanation for the substantive rise is that the Joseph R. Biden administration may have sent a misguided message to potential migrants when it announced that its policies would depart considerably from those of the previous government. Faced with Biden’s initial policy announcement, many would-be migrants assumed that the border was going to be relatively open and would be easier to cross. Predictably, the caravans of migrants heading toward the U.S. soon appeared. Over time, the Biden administration implemented measures to stem the flow of migrants across the border. Consequently, the reality was very different to what most migrants expected — there were overcrowded migrant camps, continual deportations, and expulsions — in addition to difficult conditions on the Mexican side of the border, where many were subjected to violence and other inhumane conditions.

Table 1 — The Number of Apprehensions at the Southern Border in FY 2017-2023

Partisan Divisions and Political Gridlock on Immigration

Initially, in seeking to depart from his predecessor’s policies, the Biden administration tried to set a comprehensive policy for a more humane immigration system. It did so by reversing former President Trump’s largely anti-migrant policies [5] and by strengthening the relationship with Mexico and Canada to slow the flow of migrants and to foster regular migration in the region. [6] However, when the migrant surge occurred, Biden faced criticism on his management of the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border — much of it from governors in border states Texas and Arizona. They argued that the border control system was overwhelmed and did not have the resources to cope. Accordingly, soon the Biden administration, which had previously rescinded the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols, [7] reverted to some of the former president’s policies, including the use of Title 42 [8] to expel immigrants at the southern border. In effect, even though his administration had previously sought to end the use of Title 42, Biden would soon find himself defending it.

Meanwhile, as many new migrants from countries other than Mexico — primarily Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans — arrived at the border, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established new procedures for them, aiming to provide safe, orderly, and lawful pathways to enter the U.S., including temporary authorization to work. More recently, however, faced with additional migrant surges, such as that of El Paso, Texas, in January 2023, Biden reversed course and decided to apply Title 42 to people of these four nationalities. This was done to discourage their treks through Mexico toward the U.S. border. The administration also developed a new message, warning that any immigrant who showed up at the border would not be allowed into the United States and telling everyone to use a newly created online app to apply for asylum. The idea was that those who wanted to make a case before an immigration court in the U.S. would need to make an appointment from their home country before being processed at the ports of entries. DHS also applied Title 8 for expedited removal of those deemed to be “inadmissible arriving aliens.” [9]

Past administrations have tried applying a variety of possible solutions to what many believe is a broken U.S. immigration system, in part to avoid crises such as those faced by both the Trump and the Biden administrations. However, Democrats and Republicans have failed to find common ground, leaving the executive branch with few tools to deal with the flow of migrants. [10] One example of the executive branch using its limited power to solve the immigration policy gridlock is the implementation of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), through which the Obama administration tried to legalize individuals who came to the U.S. illegally with their parents. But this program was controversial from the beginning, and President Trump tried to scrap it. [11] His attempts to do so failed in court, largely because he had not followed the proper channels to end it. The Obama administration also sought to implement a similar program titled DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans), which gave legal status to undocumented migrants whose children were born in the United States. This program was unsuccessful from the start because it was stopped in federal court and was never implemented.

Another factor in the current gridlock on immigration policy is that both Democrats and Republicans seem to use immigration to gain political attention. Of course, their disagreement on the issue is genuine, even if bridgeable. For instance, according to a Pew Research Center Survey, [12] Democrats prioritize paths to legal status for undocumented immigrants (especially children), while Republicans’ main concern is border security and the deportation of undocumented immigrants. Regardless, the result has been political paralysis, with few alternatives for dealing with the crisis.

Challenges Facing the Immigration System Today

U.S. Immigration System is Slow and Stymied by Politics. According to Mendoza and Payan, the U.S. immigration system is too slow to respond to specific migrant surges, largely due to lack of capacity to process the rising number of arrivals. It is also unresponsive to shifting conditions at the border, mainly because of limits in the number of resources allocated by the U.S. government to the region, and more importantly because of the increasing gap between the visa system limits and the sheer number of arrivals.

A deeper issue discussed in the interviews is the fact that the system is not capable of responding to America’s labor market needs; an obvious mismatch that would normally prompt legislative action. However, the border crisis is the subject of constant frequent unfruitful political debates on the inadequacy of immigration policies and little to no action on Capitol Hill.

The profound divisions between Democrats and Republicans are reflected in the indecision surrounding immigration reform, as Tichenor noted:

"The base of the Republican party is very focused on security, immigration restriction, and a general scapegoating of undocumented immigrants for all sorts of problems. On the Democratic side, in its base, there is a broad support for expansive immigrant rights and for creating legal opportunities for undocumented immigrants and, generally, for expansive and diverse visas."

Mental Health Needs of Migrants. Beyond processing capability, political paralysis, and the mismatch regarding labor markets and immigration, there are other issues discussed during the interviews. Garcini explained how the current system fails to address the mental health needs of the many migrants who make the journey to the United States. [13] She stressed the perspective of the migrants themselves, emphasizing that many have experienced severe trauma and continue to face difficulties at all stages of the migration process. [14] These include threats by organized crime, poverty, climate change in their home country, domestic violence, labor exploitation, extortion, and trafficking in both the transit and host countries. She noted that, even though undocumented immigrants are generally very resilient, [15] they also experience high risk of suicide. [16]

Labor Shortages in the U.S. Returning to the issue of labor markets and their nexus with immigration, the border crisis represents an opportunity to address gaps in the U.S. labor market, particularly in light of current demographic changes in the country. As the U.S. population ages and fertility rates decrease, labor shortages are deepening. Although evidence shows that immigrants represent up to 70% of its labor force in some economic sectors, the U.S. government has failed to connect the dots, as emphasized by Rodríguez-Sánchez.

Protection for Dreamers. [17] Also, not all immigrant groups are the same or should be treated with the same policy instruments. One special case is the DACA recipients or “Dreamers.” Mendoza, one of the interviewees, noted that “Dreamers” — or the young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children — are some of the most qualified workers in the U.S. labor market and fit the perfect profile of a young, productive U.S. resident. Despite this, “Congress has failed to pass legislation that would provide permanent protection for the ‘Dreamers,’” which is “a political issue,” stated Mendoza. While there have been discussions that Republicans might join Democrats in enacting a permanent legalisation process for young undocumented immigrants, this now seems less likely because of the lack of bipartisan will for an agreement on the status of Dreamers. In the meantime, DACA recipients continue to live in great uncertainty about their futures.

What Could Happen if Trump Takes Office Again? During the discussions behind this brief, the future also looked uncertain on the issue of immigration. Tichenor, for example, considered the potential consequences toward immigration policy if former President Trump were to win a second bid for president in 2024: He would be expected to seek highly restrictive immigration policies, whether it be toward DACA beneficiaries or at the southern border, detaining or removing undocumented immigrants. He would also likely resume building the 2000-mile wall along the border and deploy more U.S. troops there. “Very stingy” policies, according to some interviewees, would also attempt to reduce legal immigration through executive action and to limit the entry of migrants from countries considered undesirable.

Possible Solutions

Even so, students of immigration have proposed numerous solutions to the immigration policy problem. Some of these potential resolutions came up in the conversations as well.

Modernize the Immigration System. Mendoza, a lawyer and expert on the U.S. immigration court system, called for Congress to pass immigration reform to improve and modernize the immigration system so that it would be more responsive to the needs of U.S. communities. She argued that this is particularly needed for immigrants who have been living in the U.S. for decades, have children born in the U.S., have been working, paying taxes, and serving in military, and needs to be rectified.

Expand Worker Visas to Meet Demographic Challenges. Payan made a similar argument for a more open immigration system because the U.S. is experiencing a demographic crisis. Given current shifts in U.S. demographics, an additional 7-10 million new workers are needed. Payan also argued that the current visa paths are insufficient to fill this gap. He argued that the TN visa [18] should be expanded in number and scope to cover professors, economist, nurses, doctors, and numerous other professions, including in the construction and hospitality industries: “There is a solution. A guest-worker program would hand out 1-3 million TN visas renewable every three years.”

Rodríguez-Sánchez [19] suggested that gaps in the labor force could be supplemented by legal workers from other countries via short-term H-2A and H2-B visas, designed respectively for the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, or by creating new visa paths for temporary workers.

Develop Policies that Focus on the Needs of Female Migrants and Other Vulnerable Groups. As part of Mexico’s commitment to human rights, the Mexican Consulate General in Houston is addressing Mexican immigrant issues by applying innovative perspectives. Ambassador Alicia Kerber Palma described how — after first acknowledging the difficult situation of undocumented migrants — the consulate offers ways to normalize their lives, including comprehensive attention to female migrants, who are often more vulnerable than others. Studies on migrant women and their contribution to the economies of the home and host countries are scarce, so the Mexican consulate’s role in fostering a gender approach — as part of a feminist foreign policy giving voice and visibility to women — is an important one. More approaches like this — that consider the impacts of migration on particularly vulnerable populations — are needed going forward.

Destigmatize Undocumented Immigrants. Garcini called for everybody to use their voice to destigmatize undocumented immigration, for example by volunteering in community-based organizations that help immigrants, stopping the use of antimigrant rhetoric, and creating a new generation of scientists, doctors and attorneys who will stand for and support undocumented immigrants.

Political Obstacles

There are, however, important political obstacles to changing the general tone of policy discussions around immigration and to immigration reform, as highlighted below.

Path to Citizenship, or Not? Republicans are wary of legalizing undocumented immigrants, presumably because they could then become U.S. citizens, and immigrants tend to vote Democratic. To avoid this, Tony Payan suggests that the 10.7 million undocumented workers be made U.S. permanent residents with the right to work, study and retire — i.e., a special green card category — with no path to citizenship. Democrats oppose this, however, as many argue that this would create a working class with economic participation but no political rights.

Lengthy Application Process for Legal Permanent Resident Status. Another key point is that the process to apply for Legal Permanent Resident status (LPR) and enter the U.S. lawfully is too long. For Tichenor, it is crucial to address the enormous backlogs and inefficiencies in the legal immigration system — currently people are waiting for years to get visas — and to find solutions for the root causes of immigration, the reasons why people leave their homes. Interestingly, even if the 10.7 million undocumented residents were allowed to stay as green card holders (LPRs), they would not fill the labor market shortages, as most of them are already employed anyway.

Conclusion: Political Gridlock Likely to Continue

Over the course of these conversations, multiple perspectives came into focus, as did the many different visions of experts who are well acquainted with the situation at the border and the U.S. immigration system. Despite their research and activism, however, the political landscape for solving immigration issues is unfavorable, and it is difficult to ensure that solutions to the issue are included in the political debate and make it onto the public policy agenda.

While there are some positive signs on the Democratic side (such as Biden’s immigration reform proposal), Republicans seem to go to the opposite extreme, taking more restrictive stances toward immigrants (even documented ones, as seen during the Trump administration) and even pushing for anti-immigrant measures, such as Title 42. With Democrats losing their majority in the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections, the chances of Congress passing any significant pro-immigrant legislation have diminished. Furthermore, the Republican majority on the Supreme Court makes legal challenges on immigration policies taken by the executive branch without congressional action more likely.

However, according to public opinion polls, many Americans support a more robust immigration system. Although this has yet to translate into legislative action, policymakers may want to prioritize this issue as the situation at the border continues to deteriorate. A trade-off between additional visa paths for migrants in exchange for stronger border security, for example, might be a good place to start political negotiations on the issue. Thus, in general, the solutions highlighted in this brief — particularly efforts to modernize the immigration system and expand worker visas — are essential ways to start repairing our broken system.

[1] Unless otherwise noted, quotations in this brief are taken from those transcribed interviews.

[2] The word crisis deserves some clarification. The current situation stems from a combination of factors that include the drivers that expel migrants from their homelands, the inability of the U.S. immigration system to vet and absorb the majority of them, and the fact that many migrants remain stranded along the border in poor conditions. This could be considered a crisis of migration, although some may well argue that it is a crisis partly of the U.S.’s own making, as it has failed to invest in enforcing its ownlaws on migrants arriving at its borders.

[3] The word encounters is, in itself, a controversial term. An “encounter,” as defined by Tony Payan (see Most Border Patrol Apprehensions are for Repeat Crossers, But Agency Data Doesn’t Yet Provide Full Picture at https://trac.syr.edu/reports/694/ ), is a single face-to-face encounter between a U.S. agent and a potential asylum seeker or irregular migrant. However, a single individual may come into contact with a U.S. agent several times, each time increasing the number of encounters. The “encounter” figures are thus higher than the actual individual migrant count.

[4] U.S. Customs and Border Protection (2023) CBP Enforcement Statistics Fiscal Year 2023 https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/cbp-enforcement-statistics .

[5] Mónica Verea, “The Legacy of Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Agenda: Actions and Challenges for Biden,” in Trump’s Legacy in Migration Policy and Postpandemic Challenges for Biden , edited by Mónica Verea and Camelia Tigau (Mexico City: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Centro de Investigaciones sobre América del Norte, 2022).

[6] The White House (2023) Declaration of North America (DNA) , January 10, 2023, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/10/declaration-of-north-america-dna/ .

[7] Guardian staff and agencies, “Biden administration ends Trump-era ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy,” The Guardian , August 9, 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/09/biden-ends-remain-in-mexico-trump-policy .

[8] Title 42 is an immigration program first used by the Trump administration to expel migrants on the basis of safeguarding public health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[9] U.S. Department of Homeland Security, DHS Continues to Prepare for End of Title 42; Announces New Border Enforcement Measures and Additional Safe and Orderly Processes , January 5, 2023, https://www.dhs.gov/news/2023/01/05/dhs-continues-prepare-end-title-42-announces-new-border-enforcement-measures-and .

[10] Adam B. Cox and Cristina M. Rodríguez, The President and Immigration Law (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020).

[11] National Immigration Law Center, “Supreme Court Overturns Trump Administration’s Termination of DACA,” June 22, 2020, https://www.nilc.org/issues/daca/alert-supreme-court-overturns-trump-administrations-termination-of-daca/ .

[12] J. Baxter Oliphant and Andy Cerda, “Republicans and Democrats have Different Top priorities for U.S. Immigration Policy,” Pew Research Center, September 8, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/09/08/republicans-and-democrats-have-different-top-priorities-for-u-s-immigration-policy/ .

[13] Luz M. Garcini, Juan M. Peña, Angela P. Gutierrez, Christopher P. Fagundes, Hector Lemus, Suzanne Lindsay, and Elizabeth A. Klonoff, “‘One Scar Too Many:’ The Associations Between Traumatic Events and Psychological Distress Among Undocumented Mexican Immigrants,” Journal of Traumatic Stress , 2017, 30(5), 453–462, https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22216 .

[14] See also Katia Adimora, “San Antonio Migrant Tragedy: 53 Deaths Down to Criminals and a Failed US Migration System,” The Conversation , July 7, 2022, https://theconversation.com/san-antonio-migrant-tragedy-53-deaths-down-to-criminals-and-a-failed-us-migration-system-186355 .

[15] Luz M. Garcini, Germán A. Cadenas, Melanie M. Domenech Rodríguez, Alfonso Mercado, Liliana Campos, Christina Abraham, Michelle Silva, and Manuel Paris, “Lessons Learned From Undocumented Latinx Immigrants: How to Build Resilience and Overcome Distress in the Face of Adversity,” Psychological Services , 2022, 19, 62–71, https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000603 .

[16] Amanda Venta, Tessa Long, Alfonso Mercado, Luz M. Garcini, and Germán A. Cadenas, “When the United States Says You Do Not Belong: Suicide-related Thoughts and Behaviors Among Immigrant Young Adults Varying in Immigration Legal Status,” Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior , 2022, 52(5), 876–886, https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12871 .

[17] Those protected by DACA are known as “Dreamers.”

[18] Per the U.S. Department of State, “The nonimmigrant NAFTA Professional (TN) visa allows citizens of Canada and Mexico, as NAFTA professionals, to work in the United States in prearranged business activities for U.S. or foreign employers:” https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/employment/visas-canadian-mexican-nafta-professional-workers.html#:~:text=The%20nonimmigrant%20NAFTA%20Professional%20(TN,to%20work%20as%20NAFTA%20professionals . The TN visa was created by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), now modernized as the Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA).

[19] See also Rodriguez-Sanchez, J.I., “How Remittances Impact the Economies of Mexican States and Municipalities,” Houston: Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Center for the U.S. and Mexico, November 28, 2022, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/research/how-remittances-impact-economies-mexican-states-and-municipalities .

This material may be quoted or reproduced without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given to the author and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The views expressed herein are those of the individual author(s), and do not necessarily represent the views of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

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Comprehensive guide to writing a winning research paper on immigration.

July 16, 2020

One of the hot button issues in the globe today is immigration. On July 5th, 2019, people all over the globe were angered by images of an infant being separated from her mother by Border Patrol police in the US-Mexico border. However, it is not just the US-Mexico border that has the problem of immigration. From Africans trying to cross to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea in makeshift boats to refugees freeing war-torn Middle East countries, the problem of immigration appears to have no end.

To assess students’ understanding of current affairs and global problems, most lecturers in colleges, at some point, ask their students to write a research paper on immigration. Notably, most students find writing this type of paper an uphill task, but we are here to help. This post is a comprehensive guide on how to write a research paper on immigration.

Select a Good Title for Your Research Paper on Immigration

When your professor asks you to write an essay on immigration, he/she may give you the topic to work on. However, you need to pick one on your own if the titles are not provided. Make sure to identify a topic that is interesting, and that has ample resources to help you complete the work effectively. Here are some great research paper topics on immigration in America, Europe, and around the globe.

Do illegal immigrants in the US deserve civil rights? Comparing illegal immigration to the US and Europe. Illegal immigration: What are the impacts in the society? Compare the immigration policy of the United States and Canada. Are illegal immigrants good or bad for the US Economy?

Study Your Topic and Craft a Thesis for Your Research Paper on Immigration

Depending on the topic you select, it is important to study it widely, ensuring to identify the key points that will form the basis of your paper. When analyzing the selected topic, make sure also to develop a powerful thesis about your paper. The thesis you adopt will be your stand and evident in the entire paper. Here are some examples of good thesis statements when writing research papers on immigration.

• “ Migrant workers have played an important role in the history of the United States, so they should not be treated as undeserving persons.”
• “ In light of the escalating immigration problem in Europe, the primary focus should be on universal human rights and respect for human dignity.”

Develop and Use a Good Outline for Your Essay on Immigration Research Paper

Whether you are working on a research paper on illegal immigration, policy on immigration, human rights for immigrants, or other topics, it is important to start by developing a good format or outline. The outline tells you what to discuss at different stages of the essay. Here is a sample outline that you can use to craft a winning research paper on immigration:

• Introduction: This is the first section after the paper title, and you should use it to set the stage for the entire paper. So, open the essay with a strong hook statement, and capture the background of the study. You should also highlight the thesis statement, and tell the reader what to expect in the research paper.
• Body: In the body of the paper, you should discuss the main points about the topic of interest. Make sure that every point is discussed in its own paragraph and use evidence, such as quotes and statistics, to support your argument. To make your essay sound more professional, you should also bring out counterarguments.
• Conclusion: The conclusion is the last part of your research paper on immigration and should be used to wrap up your key points. Start by restating the thesis statement (of course, using different words to avoid sounding repetitive) and summarizing the main points in one or two paragraphs. Note that you should not introduce new points when writing the conclusion of your paper. However, you can call for further studies if you found gaps in the current literature on immigration.

Special Tips for Writing a Great Research Paper on Illegal Immigration

To make your research paper on immigration reforms or other topics earn you more marks, the most important tip is following your professor’s instructions. For example, you should stick to the teacher’s guideline on the right research paper length and formatting. Here are other tips to consider.

• Make sure to identify and work on a topic that is interesting to avoid getting bored midway.
• Use excellent secondary resources to support your arguments when writing the paper. The best resources are those published within the last five years.
• Start by writing a draft before refining it to create the final copy.
• If you find writing the paper challenging, consider seeking help from a writing professional .

When you are faced with the task of writing a research paper on immigration, this guide is all that you need to rake high marks. Make sure to select a topic that is interesting, follow the outline we have discussed above, and ensure your points are flowing well from the beginning to the end.

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Writing an Immigration Essay: 75 Essay Topic Ideas

The whole world watches the immigration drama that occurs in the USA. Separated families, tears, anger, escalation of antimigration attitudes in society—this all are consequences of immigration regulations.

Writing an essay on immigration may seem difficult enough. However, the IvyPanda team is here to help you. Just keep reading and you’ll find out simple tips to ace your assignment.

Immigration Essay: Research the Problem

Before you start drafting your essay outline, you should understand what is immigration, its causes, forms, and develop your opinion.

What is immigration? This is the process of acquiring permanent residence in a foreign country. And, accordingly, an immigrant is a person who undergoes this process.

Why do people decide to immigrate?

Actually, every person has their own reason. But we gathered most common immigration causes below:

• Economics. Most people decide to move to other country when they are not satisfied with conditions in their homeland: lack of jobs, low salaries, high taxes, corruption. All of these make a person seek a better life.
• Politics . In some countries, government bans certain parts of population from occupying certain positions, gaining education they want, etc. For example, lists professions and occupations that are prohibited for woman.

• Wars. Even though we’re living in the 21st century, wars still occur. And the desire to save immigrants’ families, and escape from death leads to increasing number of refugees.
• Human right and freedom. We all want to live in a better place with our loved ones, being able to choose a career, and religion, regardless of our social or marital status. However, some countries ban same-sex marriage, some religions and religious trends other than the dominant ones. There are also a lot of countries where there is no freedom of speech. Imagine that even a short post in your social media account may lead to a prison.
• Personal causes. It may be a desire to take the career to the next level, a realisation of childhood dream to live in a certain place, to acquire education in a certain institution or country, etc.

Immigration can be legal and illegal. Legal immigration means that the person is acquiring the residential status in accordance to government regulations. On the other side are immigrants who decide to try and flee to foreign countries illegally .

Is it bad? You have conduct a thorough research and form your opinion.

If you’re doing your research for illegal immigration essay, you should also investigate effects of it. Mostly, it negative impacts on economics. Illegal immigrants take any job that provides an income to support their families. Employers use this labor force without paying any taxes, providing insurance and often pay less than minimum wage. This leads to legal job cuts and lower budget revenues. And, as a result, cuts in social, education, public health, and other important programs occur.

Among other effects, we can name the rise of terrorist and criminal activities. You can explore this topic when writing the immigration essay or paper on terrorism.

Relatively easy way of illegal immigration leads to reduced motivation for legal immigration. It’s cheaper and easier.

If you’re writing the overpopulation essay, you can mention that overpopulation can be both cause and effect. The lack of access to fresh water, poverty, and pollution makes people seek for the better life somewhere else. And, as a consequence, immigration explosions provoke overpopulation, cut of legal jobs, increased pollution in the destination country.

Immigration Essay: Stick to the Structure

Now, let’s get back to the writing. First of all, brainstorm some ideas of your immigration or overpopulation essay. Write them down and then pick the topic that appeals to you the most. Don’t forget to check if there are enough sources for your paper. There are plenty of free essays and examples to help you with all of that.

The next step is to create an essay outline. A typical essay structure consists of introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Even if you need to write a five-paragraph essay, you must include these elements.

First things first, let’s start with the essay introduction. In the intro of any type of essays, you must give a hook to your readers and provide an essay thesis. Engage your readers with a couple of suggestions about the problems of immigrants that you’ve researched.

As for the essay body, its contents may vary depending on the type of assignment. In the argumentative or persuasive essay, you must put several arguments supporting your point of view. In the for and against essay, provide a counterargument after each argument. If you’re writing an opinion essay, express your thoughts and don’t forget to keep a logical flow. Otherwise, your readers will be bored and quickly lose their attention.

As well as the introduction, a conclusion is also a mandatory element. In this part, you must restate thesis and ideas, presented in a body without repeating it. Write it in other words.

Top 15 Immigration Essay Topics You Should Try

• Changing Attitudes Towards Migrants in the US.
• India–Pakistan Border Conflicts Today.
• Much-needed Reforms to Improve the US Immigration Process.
• How News Influence Our Opinion on Immigrants.
• Cultural Relationships between Migrants and Locals.
• New Methods of Immigrant Integration into Society.
• How Immigration Influences Global Economy.
• Language, immigration, and the clash of cultures.
• The Ways Illegal Immigration Affects Canadian Society.
• Immigration Laws in the UK: What Can Be Improved.

Immigration Essay: 65 Topic Ideas

Now you know how to write your essay on immigration. But you may need some ideas. That’s why IvyPanda’s experts prepared some excellent topic ideas and essay samples you may use in your assignment.

All you have to do is just check the list below, pick up ones that you find the most interesting and use them as an inspiration.

So, grab a cup of tasty coffee or tea and choose the immigration, poverty, or overpopulation essay topic:

• The Impact of Immigration on the Economy of the USA
• Migration, Immigration, and Emigration, and their Effects on Religion, Women, and Minorities in Egypt
• Illegal Immigration
• Argument for Measures to Control Illegal Immigration
• Free-rider problem and illegal immigration
• The History of Canada, Its Position on Immigration
• Economic Contribution of Slaves and Present Day Legal and Illegal Immigration
• Legal Immigration versus Illegal Immigration in America
• Crossing Borders: Immigration Issue
• Immigration and Crime Rate
• Pros and Cons of Immigration for the Immigrants
• Immigration Admissions and Control Policies
• Immigration and Ethnic Relations
• Illegal immigration in the US
• World Publics Welcome Global Trade – but not Immigration
• Maria Full of Grace and De Nadie: Immigration in Terms of Shots and Angles
• World Hunger
• History of Indigenous Australians before the arrival of the First Fleet
• Legislating homeland security
• White Australian Policy
• Globalization in Politics and on the World peace
• Illegal Migration
• Poverty among Women and Aboriginals
• The Singer Solution to World Poverty
• Poverty in America Rural and Urban Difference
• Immigrants on poverty
• Effects of Poverty on Immigrant Children
• Global Poverty
• Ending global poverty
• Women Immigrants from Asia
• Immigration
• Mexican American Discrimination
• Citizenship
• High Population Growth
• Causes and Consequences of Native American Migration
• Illegal Immigrants and Amnesty: A Pro Argument
• Labor migration and remittances in the middle east
• Challenges of the Arab Gulf States
• Overpopulation
• 19th Century Industrialization, Technologies, and Business Strategies
• Diverse Backgrounds
• A response to the article “Inequality and the American Dream”
• Undocumented workers in the United States
• Difficulties of a Child in a Foreign Linguistic Environment
• Global Population Issues and Population in Our Country
• Impact of illegal immigrants on America
• The unemployed and illegal immigrants in the United States are more likely to be involved in crime than the employed and legal immigrants
• Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants
• Dealing with Illegal Immigrants in the US
• Should Illegal Immigrants be Deported?
• Immigration as political issue in the USA
• Immigration policy
• The concept of citizenship in the United States
• Nation of Immigrants
• Anglo-American Western Expansion
• Politics of Globalization
• Immigration Debate
• Recent population trends and their impact on cities and suburbs
• Impacts of Overpopulation on the Environment
• Bioregionalism
• What causes poverty in the world
• The Cause and Effect of the Growing Population
• Poverty in urban areas
• The Worrying Population Statistics
• Population Pressure
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Featured Publication

Immigration Research Library

Informing People Concerned About Immigration and Immigrants

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Immigration research and information.

The Immigration Research Library  is a free, online collection of contemporary, U.S. immigration reports, briefs, fact sheets, infographics, news and events. The Library hosts (with links to original sources) more than 1,500 U.S. immigration research reports with simple, straightforward abstracts drawn from respected universities and research institutes from across the country. This free Library is for anyone interested in U.S. immigration issues including students, researchers, journalists, educators, advocates, policymakers, direct-service providers, etc. 

The Immigration Research Library  is hosted by The Immigrant Learning Center’s Public Education Institute in Malden, MA, a not-for-profit organization that educates Americans on the contributions of immigrants. See “About Us” to learn more. 

The Immigration Research Library  was created with the assistance of three research institutes at the University of Massachusetts Boston: the  Institute for Asian American Studies , the  Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy  and the  William Monroe Trotter Institute.  

Please bookmark this page as new reports are uploaded every week. 

Contact: [email protected]

How to Use the Library 

The Immigration Research Library  is divided into five sections: Research, Infographics, Resources, News and Events. In the  Research  section, you can easily filter reports by state, issues (e.g. rights and justice, demographics, economics), communities (e.g. refugees, children, Latinx immigrants, workers) and/or source organization for the report(s).  Infographics   are similarly tagged and may come up with your search results.  

The  Resources  section contains links to large databases of immigration data and research from respected organizations such as Migration Policy Institute’s Immigration Data Hub. 

The  News  section draws up-to-date immigration news articles from organizations such as the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association. 

The  Events  section includes local and national webinars, conferences, festivals and other events related to immigration. Feel free to send us your event! 

Suggestion for improvement? Know of a report that should be here? Something broken? Email Denzil Mohammed at  [email protected] .  

Immigration

The global movement of people from one country to another introduces complex questions for governments, citizens, and immigrants. Read the overview below to gain a balanced understanding of the issue and explore the previews of opinion articles that highlight many perspectives on immigration.

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Immigration topic overview.

"Immigration." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection , Gale, 2023.

Immigration is the act of moving from one's home country to another nation with the intention of settling there permanently. Immigrants may or may not become citizens of their new countries of residence. In the United States, immigrants may become naturalized citizens or obtain permission to remain as legal "permanent" or "conditional permanent" residents. People in the country without permission are considered unauthorized immigrants . Tourists, foreign students, and others who visit or reside in a country temporarily are not considered immigrants.

According to a 2020 Pew Research Center analysis, forty million immigrants reside in the United States, making up 13.7 percent of the population. An estimated one million new immigrants enter the United States annually. More than three-quarters of immigrants in the United States have authorization, with the remainder considered unauthorized immigrants. Compared to other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United States accepts the largest numbers of immigrants, but the number of immigrants admitted each year make up a smaller percentage of the country's overall population than most other OECD countries.

American attitudes toward immigration shifted significantly in the first decades of the twenty-first century. Pew surveys revealed that 63 percent of US adults considered immigration an economic and social burden to the country in 1994. By 2019, however, 66 percent considered immigration a source of social and economic strength for the country. Despite the shift, the United States continues to experience deep political divides on attitudes toward immigration.

Advocates point out that immigrants often provide labor and services in important economic areas, helping to meet workforce demands and expanding the economy at the local, state, and national levels. Others assert humanitarian and human rights arguments, such as helping people fleeing poverty and violence and allowing those in search of economic opportunities to improve their quality of life. Critics view immigration primarily as a security concern and threat to the employment and wages of citizens. In the first decades of the twenty-first century, extreme political partisanship and rhetoric have inflamed anti-immigrant bias based on xenophobia, nativism, racism, and Islamophobia.

Congressional lawmakers have tried and failed for several decades to pass bipartisan deals on comprehensive immigration reform to fix what many Americans consider a broken and antiquated system. Meanwhile, presidential administrations have advanced differing priorities. Immigration policies during the presidency of Donald Trump sharply curtailed both authorized and unauthorized immigration. The succeeding Joe Biden administration released a blueprint for immigration policy reform in July 2021, stressing "a fair, orderly, and humane immigration system." Data from the US Census Bureau found that immigration declined sharply in fiscal year (FY) 2021, a decrease of nearly half compared to FY 2020, which experts largely attributed to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. As emergency restrictions lifted, US enforcement agencies reported record highs in the number of unauthorized migrant encounters along the southern US border during FY 2022.

• Immigration is the act of moving to a foreign country with the intention of settling there permanently. Immigrants can be beneficial to their new local economies, yet political and cultural biases contribute to fears that immigrants will take jobs or commit crime.
• The United States had few immigration restrictions until the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned Chinese workers from immigrating, though who could become a citizen was limited to free white men and their children by the Naturalization Act of 1790 until 1868. Later laws used quotas that limited immigrants from primarily nonwhite countries. The quota system ended in 1965.
• Refugees are people who immigrate to escape natural disasters, war, or political persecution. Economic migrants are people who immigrate to find better jobs or improve their standards of living.
• Undocumented immigrants enter and stay in a country outside of official legal channels. This can include crossing a border outside of authorized points of entry or overstaying a legal temporary visa. Preventing illegal entry and enforcement of laws against undocumented immigrants is a highly charged political issue in the United States.
• The Trump administration strongly opposed both legal and illegal immigration and changed several enforcement processes and priorities in controversial ways. Since taking office, the Biden administration has sought to modify or reset many of these policies.

IMMIGRATION PROCESS AND MOTIVATIONS

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) facilitates the official immigration process, which is often complex and varies by individual. Would-be immigrants residing outside of the United States must apply for a visa at a US consulate or embassy to obtain documentation for entry. The application process includes an interview, a criminal background check, a review of financial information, and a medical examination. Immigrants already residing in the United States with temporary status may apply to adjust their status, depending on their situation. Applicants for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status often require fiscal sponsorship from a US citizen or LPR, typically a relative or employer. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that 740,000 people became LPRs in FY 2021.

People may choose to emigrate , or leave their countries of origin to reside elsewhere, because they face untenable challenges in their home country. Some migrants come to the United States fleeing religious or political persecution, or escaping war or criminal violence. In such situations, prospective migrants may apply to enter the country with refugee status or apply for political asylum once they are in the United States or reach the international border. Obtaining authorization to immigrate as a refugee requires extensive vetting, and the process can take several years. The waiting period must be spent outside of the United States, with few exceptions. International and US law requires the United States to accept asylum seekers who meet the burden of proof that they would be endangered if repatriated to their home countries.

Decisions on granting refugee and asylum-seeking status are often based on the political relationship between the United States and the country of the immigrant's origin. The US admitted 11,445 refugees and evacuated some seventy-six thousand Afghan nationals to the country for resettlement during the 2021 calendar year. President Biden increased the FY 2022 refugee cap to 125,000 people, though analysts predicted this figure would be difficult to achieve. The number of individuals admitted as refugees dropped sharply from more than 20,000 in FY 2019 to less than 9,000 in FY 2021. Similarly, the number of individuals granted asylum dropped from more than 46,500 in 2019 to about 17,700 in 2021. Asylum seekers from Venezuela, Cuba, and several other Central American countries saw significant increases in asylum grant rates.

Many immigrants come to the United States for economic reasons. They may be attracted by the country's entrepreneurial culture or to pursue jobs or higher wages. Some employment-based immigration visas provide permanent residency for individuals and their immediate family in specialty professions, for those who possess exceptional and desired abilities, or skilled workers in high demand. Other types of immigrants work low-paying jobs in the hope that their children can access educational and career opportunities unavailable in their home countries. The economies of many origin countries often benefit from remittances , money sent by immigrants to their family members after securing employment in the destination country.

Immigrants also come to the United States to reunite with family members who immigrated previously, or as the spouse of a US citizen. Under family reunification rules, LPRs and US citizens can sponsor close relatives to immigrate and join their family members residing in the United States. For US citizens, eligible relatives are limited to the sponsor's spouse, children, parents, and siblings. For LPRs, eligible relatives are limited to the sponsor's spouse and unmarried children. DHS reported that 65 percent of new LPRs in 2021 were family-sponsored. Aspiring immigrants lacking employment or family connections may apply through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, which provides as many as fifty thousand visas each year through a lottery system to residents of countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is one of the key agencies charged with enforcing federal immigration laws. Immigrants who enter the country without satisfying established legal requirements, commit fraud during the immigration process, or overstay a legitimate visa are considered unauthorized immigrants. Some individuals come into the country by crossing US borders from Mexico or Canada without authorization. Others enter on a valid temporary visa and overstay the term limit. However, the number of individuals who overstay their temporary visas represents a very small minority of authorized entries. DHS calculated that people on temporary visas did not depart as required less than 1.5 percent of the time, or a total of almost 685,500 events out of more than 46 million admissions in FY 2021.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of immigrants take the oath to become US citizens. Among authorized immigrants in 2019, nearly 65 percent were naturalized citizens , foreign-born LPRs who completed the legal requirements outlined by Congress to obtain US citizenship. Pew estimated that the total number of naturalized citizens in the United States reached 22.1 million that year. According to USCIS, some 834,000 immigrants became naturalized US citizens in FY 2019. In FY 2020 the number of new naturalized citizens dropped to 625,400. Population experts cite the COVID-19 pandemic as a major contributing factor to the decline. USCIS reported that the number of naturalizations rebounded in FY 2022, reaching 967,400, the country's second highest annual recorded amount. USCIS cited significant progress in processing the backlog of applications as contributing to the historical number.

Applicants pay fees to adjust their immigration status and must meet other requirements. In 2022 the naturalization application cost $725 per person, including fees for biometric measurements. Applicants for naturalization must pass a test measuring a basic understanding of US history, government, and English language competency. USCIS reported a failure rate of only 3.9 percent of exam takers, including those that repeat the exam, from 2009 to 2021. The average period between obtaining LPR status and naturalized citizenship measured 7.3 years.

HISTORICAL IMMIGRATION IN THE UNITED STATES

The territory that today makes up the United States was originally populated by Indigenous Peoples. White European settlers were the first immigrants, and they forcibly brought enslaved Africans to the country. As the nation evolved to include the descendants of all of these groups, migration to North America became central to its character. However, shortly after securing independence from Great Britain, the United States passed the Naturalization Act of 1790, the country's first immigration law, which applied only to white people and required individuals to live in the country for two years before qualifying for naturalization. The residency requirement changed to longer periods through subsequent legislation.

The first significant change to US immigration law occurred in 1868. The Fourteenth Amendment extended citizenship to anyone born in the United States, including those who were formerly enslaved. The Naturalization Act of 1870 extended naturalization rights to all white people and people of African descent. However, the act also had the effect of establishing legal justification to deny the option of citizenship to nonwhite immigrants who were not from Africa. In 1882 the federal government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned all Chinese workers from entering the United States until its repeal in 1943. This law was the first and only time the federal government effectively banned the population of an entire country from entry outside of wartime, until the Trump administration enacted travel bans on several Muslim-majority nations in 2017. During the late nineteenth century, Congress also passed legislation banning convicted criminals, sex workers, the mentally ill, and migrants deemed incapable of caring for themselves.

As immigrants arrived from an increasingly diverse set of origin countries, some Americans voiced their anxieties that the demographics of the country would change. These concerns led to further restrictions on immigration, including the imposition of literacy requirements through the Immigration Act of 1917 and the imposition of national quotas as part of the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the Immigration Act of 1924, commonly referred to as the Johnson-Reed Act. Together with the Great Depression (1929–1939) and the Second World War (1939–1945), these laws sharply limited immigration to the United States in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Reduced immigration contributed to labor shortages, particularly on farms in western states. A 1942 agreement between allied Mexico and the United States during World War II led to Congress creating the Bracero Program the following year. As part of the agreement, Mexican workers filled vacancies created when the US native-born labor force left to fight in the war. After the war, US president Harry Truman commissioned a report concluding that the Bracero Program hurt the hiring prospects and earning power of native-born workers. Truman's successor, Dwight Eisenhower, proposed sanctions on employers who hired undocumented immigrants and launched an initiative to deport millions of Mexicans with the offensive yet official designation, Operation Wetback. Many of these deportees had originally legally entered the United States through the Bracero Program.

Following calls for reform to immigration law, the nationality quota system was abolished as part of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. The law replaced the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which had upheld the quota system in place since the 1920s. The new act instituted a preference system that favored immigration by skilled workers and relatives of US citizens and resident aliens. Immigration from Asia, Africa, and Latin America increased in subsequent decades as a result.

As a result of the US withdrawal of armed forces in Vietnam in 1973, Congress amended existing immigration legislation with the Refugee Act of 1980, which revised the government's definition of a refugee to align with the United Nations' (UN) definition and enabled a larger number of refugees from Vietnam and other war-torn countries to resettle in the United States than had previously been allowed.

The presidential administration of Ronald Reagan addressed concerns about undocumented immigration through the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which imposed penalties on employers who hired undocumented immigrants and created a path to amnesty for undocumented immigrants without criminal records who had entered the country before 1982. Comprehensive reforms passed during the 1990s expanded the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 to allow more sanctioned immigration while also addressing concerns about undocumented immigration and criminal behavior among legal immigrants.

Several immigration laws were proposed and enacted in the early twenty-first century in response to security concerns following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and concerns about undocumented immigration. In 2002 the federal government approved state and local police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts through 287(g) agreements, which were originally proposed as part of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.

Despite more welcoming attitudes toward immigration among the American public during the first decades of the twenty-first century, political polarization surrounding immigration became sharply divided. Under successive presidential administrations, Congress failed to pass major legislation on immigration. Instead, it acted on select bills on narrow issues such as specific immigration programs or border security measures. States passed laws that either expanded or restricted police cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

IMPACT OF IMMIGRATION IN THE UNITED STATES

Immigration continues to stir debate among those who feel that immigrants enhance the population and those who view immigration as having an overall negative effect on US society. A Pew analysis published in 2020 found that 88 percent of Democrats considered immigration a strength while 44 percent of Republicans considered immigration a burden. Democrats and Republicans also express wide ideological differences regarding federal immigration policy priorities.

Democrats generally consider immigration as a benefit, noting that most immigrants pay taxes, work jobs that native-born Americans are often unwilling to perform, and enrich their local communities. A 2022 Pew analysis found that the majority of Democrats felt that federal immigration policy should prioritize taking in refugees (85 percent), making family sponsorship easier (80 percent), allowing children brought to the US to remain (88 percent), and providing a pathway to amnesty (80 percent). Democrats often assert that US immigration laws are too restrictive.

Republicans typically express more opposition, believing that immigrants take jobs away from US citizens and depress wages, draw more benefit from tax dollars than they contribute, worsen social problems , and resist cultural assimilation into US society. The same 2022 Pew analysis found that most Republicans felt that federal immigration policy should prioritize deportations of unauthorized immigrants (79 percent) and enhanced border security (91 percent). Republicans often assert that US immigration laws are too permissive and lack sufficient enforcement.

Immigrants come to the United States from all over the globe, but trends change over time and are heavily influenced by geography as well as US immigration and foreign policies. USCIS reported that for FY 2021, Mexico continued to be the top country of birth for US naturalized citizens (13.9 percent), followed by India (7 percent), the Philippines (6 percent), and Cuba (5.9 percent). DHS reports that, collectively, Asian countries of birth made up the largest proportion at 36.3 percent, followed by North America (including Central America and the Caribbean) at 35.4 percent, European countries at 9.5 percent, African countries at 9.3 percent, and South American countries at 8.9 percent.

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS

• Why you think the United States has often been characterized a "nation of immigrants"? Do you agree with this description? Why or why not?
• Do you believe that US immigration policy should treat potential immigrants from high-income Western countries differently from those from low-income countries? Explain your reasoning.
• In your opinion, should the federal government make it easier or more difficult for more immigrants to enter the country? Explain your answer.

IMMIGRATION POLICIES

Though the Trump administration placed its highest emphasis on preventing unauthorized immigration, official administration positions on sanctioned immigration departed sharply from norms encouraging immigration in place since the 1960s. Administration officials took steps to limit immigration, including drastically reducing the numbers of refugees and asylum recipients and cutting visa and permanent residency approvals. Legal immigration numbers declined by 49 percent during the Trump presidency.

Upon taking office in January 2021, President Joe Biden took several steps to expand legal immigration opportunities. He repealed several Trump administration executive orders, including restoring protected status for some temporary residents, increasing refugee and asylum openings, halting family detentions, and ending attempts at discriminatory bans on entry, such as the Trump administration's attempt to prevent all entry into the United States by citizens of some Muslim countries.

The Biden administration's July 2021 blueprint for immigration policy reform sought to address root causes that spur unauthorized immigration, including corruption, violence, security, and economic crises in Central American nations, in an effort to stem the flow of asylum seekers. The Biden administration prioritized deportations for unauthorized immigrants found guilty of violent crimes and targeted transnational criminal organizations. Though the Biden administration continued to conduct large-scale deportations, immigration arrests within the United States dropped from one hundred thousand in FY 2020 to seventy-four thousand in FY 2021.

The Biden administration continued public health measures implemented by his predecessor during the COVID-19 pandemic aimed at stemming the tide of unauthorized immigration and asylum seekers along the southern border. Restrictions on nonessential travel into the United States over the land borders with Canada and Mexico were lifted in October 2021. Court orders required the Biden administration to retain a Trump-era policy known as Title 42 , which allowed rapid expulsions of migrants who crossed the US border and required asylum seekers at the southern border to wait in Mexico for the duration of their proceedings. A November 2022 court order struck down Title 42 but placed a five-week hold on lifting the policy. In December 2022 the Supreme Court halted the lower court's ruling pending additional hearings in 2023.

Republican governors and state officials in border states engaged in political disputes targeting the immigration policies of the Biden administration. Texas governor Greg Abbott deployed the National Guard and state troopers to increase arrests along the border and pledged to use $4 billion in state funding on physical barriers and border security efforts. Florida governor Ron DeSantis advanced legislation granting select local police officers the authority to enforce immigration laws. Their supporters argue that these states are filling in a gap in security enforcement neglected by the federal government under the Biden administration. Organizations such as the Immigrant Legal Resource Center warned that such policies would increase racial profiling of Latinx population and violations of civil rights, and lead to isolation of immigrant communities.

Rights advocates also accused Abbott and DeSantis of using immigrants as political pawns and engaging in human trafficking in 2022. Both governors recruited migrants to fill buses and flights sent to northern states and Washington, DC. The buses and flights targeted political opponents and sanctuary cities where city officials were unprepared to receive them. Supporters argued these tactics were intended to pressure the Biden administration to relieve the heavy burden of unauthorized immigration on border states. The strategy resulted in legal scrutiny, including federal inquiries, a criminal investigation, and several lawsuits.

Immigrant rights advocates express concern about discrimination in the application of federal policy. They point to disparities in the treatment of unauthorized immigrants and asylum seekers from two conflict-torn countries: the poor and primarily Black Caribbean nation of Haiti and the high-income European nation of Ukraine. The Washington Office on Latin America reported in February 2022 that the Biden administration deported or expelled more twenty thousand Haitians back to a country racked by political instability, widespread gang violence, displacement, and an increasing humanitarian crisis. In contrast, the Migration Policy Institute reported that following the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration expanded Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to nearly sixty thousand eligible Ukrainians residing in the United States and permitted entry to about twenty thousand unauthorized Ukrainian immigrants at the US-Mexico border seeking asylum from February until late April 2022.

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"Our justice system doesn't refuse to arrest, prosecute, and jail citizens when they break the law because they happen to have children."

Hans von Spakovsky is a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies.

In the following viewpoint, Spakovsky argues that the mainstream news media has incorrectly blamed President Donald Trump for the hundreds of families separated by federal agencies at the US–Mexico border in 2018. Though systematized family separations did not begin until the Department of Justice announced its zero-tolerance policy in April 2018, Spakovsky assigns blame to the policies of previous presidential administrations for mandating that immigrant children not be detained for extended periods of time. The author also attributes some of the blame to the parents who brought their children to the United States without securing legal immigrant status. In separating children from their families, Spakovsky maintains, the Trump administration fulfilled its duty to enforce the country's law. The alternative, the author contends, creates an incentive for undocumented migrants to travel with their children.

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Immigration essay as a kind of educational assignment

Academic writing

Essay paper writing

Nowadays, immigration is getting more wide-spread in the world than it was a couple of decades ago. The reason for this is the progress in economic and technological spheres. Besides, the gap between poor and rich increases, favoring the further growth of migration. That’s why the theme of immigration becomes more acute these days, and educators choose essays about immigration as assignments for their students.

There are multiple aspects of the migration process that can be enlightened in the paper. However, before that, do not forget that in your work, you should follow certain guidelines, which remain the same for each kind of assignment. In this article, we will see in more detail how to approach a research paper regarding immigration.

Like any other kind of essay, immigration essay should be adequately planned, contain relevant data and facts, and be well-cited. Research topics about immigration are variable: you can touch upon the history of the process, its advantages and disadvantages, its influence on the society, the illegal aspect of the process, as well as legislation and costs.

Reasons and causes for immigration

Nowadays, migration is a global issue from the point of economy and business. The population of many states is expanding due to the immigrants who come to new places looking for a better life. Some people even immigrate in search of adventures or desire a different place for living and retirement.

Still, leaving a native land in favor of another country is often considered as an act of courage. Moving to a new place means getting accustomed to another culture and a different lifestyle; besides, the cost of living in a hosting country is often higher. In addition to leaving the family, the foreigners face such problems as unemployment, abuse, lack of governmental support, and non-acceptance by society. There are lots of reasons why people decide to change the place to live in. In the case of migration, factors can be social, economic, political, and environmental. In your causes and effects of migration essay, you may pay attention to some of these aspects:

• Safety reasons prompt individuals to immigrate due to the danger posed to them or their families. These concerns may be variable: persecution and discrimination based on religion, race, nationality, political views, or social status. Other reasons could be war or one’s criminal activity.
• Economic factors are common for immigration, and they may be either seasonal or permanent. People often move from poor developing countries to wealthy areas to find a job and earning opportunities. In your immigration college essays, you can deal with this aspect.
• Lack of fundamental human needs and desire to attain a better quality of life are social factors that lead to the growth of migration. The individuals thus try to acquire better prospects for their families and themselves. Sending children to a better educational institution or getting a job which guarantees additional paybacks and career growth are among the social reason that force people to migrate. People may also look for certain services, like medical treatment or a life-saving surgery, which may be unavailable in their native country.

Immigration to the United States and European Union

The United States and the EU have both accepted working immigrants from poor regions and have already established good labor relations with employees. Nevertheless, the immigration pressure on European countries and the US is quite different. While Europe experiences the influx of incomers from Africa and the Middle East, the USA undergoes gradual population growth due to the entrants from the adjacent territories. You may study the information more carefully and reveal it in a separate why do immigrants come to America essay.

After 9/11, American immigration laws became tougher; as to the European Union, the same was caused by the Eurozone crisis. Identifying the major tendencies of immigration to the USA in the coming years will be helpful for anybody working on the papers on immigration in America. Even though the schemes of natural disasters, civil conflicts, or potential macroeconomic disturbances are difficult to predict with any accuracy, the changes in labor supply are one of the significant determinants of immigration pressure, which is quite easy to foresee. There are 2 main reasons for it: those who are going to join the working force in 20 years have already been born. Besides, the further population growth is likely to be smooth, and it allows experts to forecast with certain accuracy the amounts of those going to enter the market of workforce 3 to 4 decades from the present moment.

If you have an assignment of creating a research paper on immigration in Europe, you should mention that Europe will contract demographically, and people from high population growth regions, like Central Asia, Iraq, Iran, North, and sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, will relocate. Most likely, migration destinations like Italy, Spain, and the UK will experience an increase in the number of first-generation immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, while the USA will see a gradual decline in the newly arrived residents. The inflows to the USA will mostly be from India and China.

Immigration Pros and Cons

Moving from one place to another has both positive and negative sides, so the advantages and disadvantages of immigration essay is a rather popular educational assignment. With the modern processes of globalization and merging of the entire world, people are free to transfer for employment or business opportunities to any country, making immigration common and a large-spread phenomenon.

In your benefits of immigration essay, you can mention several positive aspects of the process:

• The improvement of the quality of living. The majority of those who immigrate look for more favorable employment conditions and earning opportunities, social security, and a crimeless environment.
• Better personal and professional perspectives. Moving to a different setting, the immigrants face various challenges: they become more independent and have to meet the new living standards. It also forces people to take on professional commitments and self-actions and work with new methods and standards, thus growing as professionals and gaining unique experience.
• Contact with new cultures and knowledge expansion. Immigrants have the opportunity to learn new cultures, traditions, and ways of living, diving deeper to know more about the cuisine and language of the hosting country.

In disadvantages of immigration essays mention the following aspects:

• Racial intolerance and cultural differences. There are only a few countries, which are hospitable to foreigners; the aliens mostly become victims of racial discrimination or intolerance.
• Language barrier. Difficulties in communication are among the problems in a host country; that is why it’s better to learn at least some basic social terms, phrases for shopping, traffic signs meaning, and polite phrases in advance through online language training .
• Labor supply shortage. There are plenty of research papers about immigration work, as unemployment is a noteworthy problem the newcomers may face; particularly, if they choose to live in a new place without recognition and validation of their qualifications and skills.

Despite the advantages and disadvantages for those who immigrate, the process also has its benefits and drawbacks for countries which lose and which accept people.

The advantages for the native country are the following:

• The emigrants send money home, favoring certain economic improvement.
• The pressure on job positions and resources decreases.
• People may return with new useful skills.

The disadvantages are as follows:

• The potential amount of workforce inside the country reduces, as emigrants are often the individuals of working age.
• Gender imbalance sets in as men commonly leave in search of employment and earning opportunities, while the children and women stay.
• Brain drain happens in the states and areas, where lots of young and prospective workers leave.

With the host regions, the following advantages should be mentioned in your research paper on immigration:

• A labor shortage is reduced, and skills gaps are often filled.
• Low-paid and low-skilled jobs and services are performed by the immigrants.
• The new young workers are paying taxes that sustain economic growth.
• The people from abroad bring innovation and cultural diversity.

When speaking of disadvantages, you should not forget about the :

• Overcrowding, which may also cause additional pressure on public services.
• Unemployment and depression of wages as a result of the growing number of newcomers.
• Disagreement and tension between certain social, cultural, and religious groups.
• Increased risk of criminal and gang activity.

Topics for writing on immigration

As you could have already noticed, the immigration research paper topics for college students are variable. Here are some examples:

• How has the community growth and diversity been affected by immigration tendencies in the last 50 years?
• Are host countries’ population tolerant to the immigrants?
• What health concerns are the most vital in the communities with a large amount of the incomers?
• What kind of stress are the families of immigrants exposed to in regards to assimilation in new communities?
• Are security systems and modern immigration policies safe enough?

Research paper topics on immigration in America can be more narrow, but the most popular and disputable aspect will remain illegal immigration. Writing about the immigration issue in Europe, think about European migrant crisis.

Further on, you can see how to create a research paper on illegal immigration in more detail. Let us provide you some insights.

How to write a research paper on illegal immigration

Illegal immigration is a socio-political issue; that is why it is important to mention a particular legal state of affairs as well as the laws and acts preventing illegal entry into the area, the US in particular. Illegal immigration research papers can reveal both sides of the story, enlightening the issue from the migrants’ perspective and taking into consideration the position of the country they wish to move in.

You should make up your mind as to the topic you want to work on and set it forth. We can consider the following subject matter as a sample one - Illegal immigration and its influence on economic life in the USA.

When putting forward a thesis statement on illegal immigration, you can use a usual subject-description-triple content model of it.

Illegal immigration (subject) is prevalent immigration laws violation (description) taking various forms (content 1), having varied and complex reasons (content 2) and placing significant stress on the current economic superstructure of the USA, by supplying the cheap and effective workforce (content 3).

To make your work well-planned and structured, you should create an immigration research paper outline. The example below might be of help.           

I. Introduction

a. Capture the interest of the audience with the statistics: information on the number of people worldwide involved in the process, the countries which lose people most, and areas accepting foreigners.

b. Inform the readers about the process: some historical background, the current state of things, main concerns, and reasons why it still exists.

c. Set the thesis forward (you may use the thesis statement for immigration research paper already mentioned above): Illegal immigration is prevalent migration laws violation taking various forms, having varied and complex reasons and placing significant stress on the current economic superstructure of the USA, by supplying the cheap and effective workforce.

II. First point – the main types of unauthorized immigration. (Illegal entry, border crossing card violation, visa overstay, the undocumented workforce.)

a. Define the illegal forms of immigration to the US.

b. Focus on the main goals and reasons people migrate.

c. Point out the main groups of people immigrating to the country.

III. Second point – immigration laws violation. (Reveal the important aspects of the problem.)

a. Provide information.

b. Outline the major concerns.

c. Define the spheres associated with the problem.

IV. Third point – the influence on the economy.

a. Consider the stress caused to the American economy.

b. Look at the problem from the workforce resources point of view framework

c. Point out the possible measures as to the immigrants without documents.

V. Conclusion

a. Summarize the stated facts and arguments.

b. Emphasize the information.

c. Offer solutions to this issue.

As soon as our outline for research paper on illegal immigration is ready, you can proceed with the main part of your work – creating immigration introduction paragraph, main part, and conclusion. The introduction should capture your audience’s attention and engage them in reading your piece of writing up to the end.

The following facts on US illegal immigrants may help you grab the audience’s attention from the very start.

• In 2015, the illegal immigrants constituted 3.4% of the total population of the US.
• The peak in the number of incomers was fixed in 2007, exceeding 12 million people and making up 4% of the US total population.
• American workforce comprises 8 million illegal foreign workers, accounting for 5% of those who were occupied or out of work and looking for it. This quantity did not change in 2009 - 2015.
• Six states: California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Texas, and New York account for almost 60% of unauthorized settlers.
• A rising share of the immigrants, which exceeded 65% of their overall number, has lived in the US for a decade.

Immigration essay content and structure

Following your immigration essay introduction, move to the body paragraphs. You may use the following information. Illegal immigration in the USA refers to the violation of the immigration laws and regulations by the citizens of foreign countries. It may happen through unlawfully crossing the country’s border or staying in the US without getting the necessary permission from the Governmental body. There are a number of reasons why one can be characterized as an unauthorized immigrant; they are as follows:

• Illegal US entry. Some individuals cross the country border with the help of specialized entities, which smuggle unauthorized incomers across the USA border. The majority enter through land borders; however, seaways and air routes can also be regularly employed. The weakest access point for the US incomers is the Mexico-American border; it was estimated that around 6.5 million settlers entered the USA in such a way. It’s actually a little less than half of the total amount of illegal American residents.
• Border Crossing Card Violators. Those who slip into this category constitute a relatively small group as the majority of the recorded non-immigrants enter the USA with the help of the Border Crossing Card - a proof of identity which allows crossing the American border for a limited period.
• Visa Overstays. Almost five million entrants came to the US without a proper visa and stayed beyond the allowed time period, thus violating the official terms of stay. The majority of such unauthorized residents are students or tourists, having a traveler or business visa type. Generally, visa overstayers have better educational and financial conditions than those who cross the border illegally.
• Undocumented workers, which are hired by US employers. As a rule, they are eager to work at low-income jobs and in adverse conditions. These individuals become susceptible to exploitation and are often abused at works like janitorial and household, clothing production, or alike. Ten years ago, 5% of the total workforce in the USA were constituted by unauthorized workers.

Proceeding to the next point of your immigration essay outline, pay attention to the legal aspect of the problem. In this article, we’ll touch upon this aspect only in the frame of our topic. However, argumentative essay on immigration reform can be an independent topic as well.

The US Government takes measures to clampdown on the influx of migrants. In case one has overstayed his or her visa or crossed the border violating the legal norms, the fact will be revealed, and the procedures of incarceration or extradition starts. The most usual methods, which the American authorities use to disclose the illegal migration, are border protection and the investigation at working places.

The main laws referring to the illegal entrance or overstay can be found in the US Code, Section 1325, under the title “Improper Entry of Alien.” It presupposes fines or imprisonments for the people who fall under one of the following categories:

• Those who try to move to the USA at the time or place not designated as due by the Government;
• People avoiding inspections of the immigration agents or those initiated by the American Administration;
• The entrants who attempt to cross the US border, providing fraudulent, fake, or misleading documents or willfully concealing certain facts.

In the US, there are detention centers annually holding about 300 000 unauthorized immigrants. Deportation is one more measure specified in the US immigration law and used by the American authorities. The proceeding of deportation is usually held by a special judge of the US Immigration Court. The person who commits the crime of unauthorized residency should be deported. There are also complicated cases when the parents live in the USA illegally, while their children are the US-born. By the way, should immigration laws be reformed essay is a popular assignment, which allows students to declare their point of view and defend their position. So using this info, you can ponder over this issue as well.

The American Customs and Border Protection agency bears responsibility for capturing people who make attempts to enter the country unlawfully. The Border Patrol is another law enforcement organization in charge of preventing, detecting, and arresting such incomers.

US-VISIT is a program, which helps to track those who have overstayed their visas. The abbreviation stands for the US Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, which collects personal, travel, and biometric information of the foreigners applying for the American entry. It requires an electronically readable passport with the necessary data, photo, and fingerprint.

The American Government makes regular audits on employment records initiated by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE). Any discrepancies in audit records may lead to the deportation of illegal employees. The employers are alerted of mismatches between workers’ names and social security numbers and the SSA’s records. Besides, immigrants’ visas are regularly tracked by the US administration.

In 1996, Congress passed the PRWORA - Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. Even though undocumented residents do not have access to public benefits, they are still entitled to immunizations, medical care, disaster relief, and k-12 education. The implementation of this Act, in fact, makes the shift towards personal responsibility for “public dependency” evident.

The maximum punishment for the 1st time caught in the violation of migration rules is 6 months’ imprisonment; each following offense stands for 2 additional years. The immigrants whose term of overstay is between 180 and 360 days, face a 3-year ban when trying to re-enter America; those who violated visa terms for the period exceeding one year, get 10 years ban.

Most essays about immigration in the United States touch upon its economic influence; we’ll also consider it as one of the major aspects. The economic impact of illegal immigrants is usually challenging to measure, being costly, and influencing the financial security of the native citizens in various ways. It is often claimed to cut wages, as unregulated workers can be paid less. Employers benefit from this, while it keeps wages at a lower level in certain occupations and regions. Moreover, usually, illegal aliens have bigger families, thus putting a financial burden on local resources and law implementation.

Immigration and effects on economy research paper of 2010 showed that the household of an illegal immigrant got about $25 000 in state services and benefits; however, they only paid about $10 500 in taxes, generating a yearly fiscal deficit of approximately $14 500 per family. The US citizens had to cover those costs. Nowadays, all illegal households together create a total annual deficit of around $55 billion.

Besides, the illegal foreign workers pay little or no taxes, at the same time sending money home, causing a huge wealth transfer from the USA. Moreover, they use food stamps and social services, such as free medical care and education.  

This situation can set back technological progress and diminish competition in domestic and international markets. However, in the papers on immigration, one may find the opposing views, stating that certain employment areas benefit from unauthorized foreign employees as the latter contribute to reducing prices in the industries such as agriculture, catering, and building. The research has revealed that illegal residents bring profit to the USA in the long run, due to their consumption of goods and services. They are also one-sided contributors to Medicare, Social Security, and insurance program on unemployment.

You may ask why people are reluctant to arrive in the USA legally. Why does the illegal migration problem still exist and remain a burning issue for years? You may say that lots of people enter the USA legally; however, they face processing delays and formalities connected to Congress established immigration quotas. This results in significant waiting time and severe frustration for potential immigrants and American employers as well. Most Americans do not understand what a significant time lapse foreign guests and business travelers have to wait in order to get the US visa.

The individuals “playing by the rules” might spend many years waiting to obtain the status of legal permanent US residents. In the past several years, the situation with green cards has also worsened considerably; an immigrant has to spend about 5 years waiting to become a legal resident, even if he or she is an expert in some sphere. In your essay about immigrants, you may suggest the key to solving the illegal immigration problem; for example, making the admission system more workable along with providing enough visas for the working and family reunification. You may also bring forward the fact that sometimes it is easier and faster to enter the country illegally than to wait for official permission, which is the major problem of immigration.

Your immigration essay conclusion should answer the thesis and generalize the information of the essay. So you may give a summary of the problem and offer your point of view as to its solution. For instance, you may claim that the US still needs more workforce, and that’s why it’s quite reasonable to increase the number of visas for foreign employees, who can help keep the American economy running. Besides, the incentive to enter the USA illegally should be reduced and illegal immigration control increased.

Immigration and the rate of crime in the host country

You can mention that the research paper about modern immigration and crime holds leading positions among educational assignments. The connection between immigration, especially illegal one, and the level of criminal activity in the region has always been the subject of heated discussions. In short, aliens were criminalized, and even new classes of “law-breakers” were created, which are only applied to foreigners. Donald Trump, in his persuasive speech about immigration, mentioned that there were 2 million criminal aliens in America several years ago.

However, century-long research proved the powerful truth: immigrants commit fewer crimes than the native-born and are less inclined to get into prison. The high rate of immigration correlates with a lower rate of property or violent crimes. The results are valid for legal and illegal immigrants, regardless of their native country or education. That’s why strict immigration regulations will not help in overcoming the criminality. Plenty of information can be found about the life and experience of Chinese, Italian, Swedish, and Vietnamese immigrants, who came to the USA at different times. You can write an immigrant assimilation essay touching upon the problem of crime as well.

Here are more facts to support the above-mentioned claim:

• Actually, the number of American entrants in recent decades was growing, while the rates of crime trended downward. Unauthorized US immigrants have more than tripled in the amount in the last 30 years. The official data indicates the decrease in the rate of violent crime for 48% in the same period, including the murder, rape, and robbery rates. The property crime rate dropped 41%. It was characteristic for most cities across the USA, especially for the so-called immigrant “gateways,” like Chicago, Miami, San Diego, and San Antonio.
• Besides, roughly 1.6% of immigrant males between 18-39 years old are incarcerated, while among the natives the percent is 3.3. This difference in incarceration rates was preserved for minimum 3 decades; though it fluctuated, it still showed 2 to 5 times higher rate of the native population imprisonments compared to that of immigrants.
• It’s essential to bear in mind that the majority of native prisoners are not in federal jails, while immigrants often get there because of immigration violations. In 2010 only 9% of all prisoners were kept in federal prisons.
• A study conducted 3 years ago revealed that immigrants are less likely to be involved in criminal affairs than native US citizens. Moreover, Americans almost 4 times more often demonstrated violent behavior than Asians and Africans and 3 times than Latin Americans.

You may explain the reason for this trend in your research paper about illegal immigration. Immigrants are, as a rule, goal-driven and highly motivated individuals. They leave their native countries, families, and friends in search of a better life, so they would rather work hard and stay out of trouble than get involved in criminal activities. They come to a foreign land to pursue learning and financial opportunities unavailable in their countries of origin, so they have little to gain and much to lose by breaking the law.

The studies on the correlation between immigration and crime in Europe showed that immigration increase generally does not influence crime level; however, it goes hand-in-hand with growing community anxiety and anti-immigration mood. Going deeper into the topic, you may consider working on an immigrant experience essay as well.

In the United Kingdom, the consequence of 2 immigration waves was examined in relation to the crime rate. When the workforce from Eastern Europe flew into the country, the impact on crime was minimal; however, the wave of asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia, which came in the 90s, corresponded to a slight increase in the number of property crimes at that time.

As you can see, the topic of immigration is vast and interesting to study. It’s not a problem nowadays to find a good immigration research paper example and create a proper piece of writing following the standard guidelines. So we wish you good luck in your research work!

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32+ Argumentative Essays Topics on Immigration with Prompts [+ Essay Outline]

Dr. wilson mn.

• August 1, 2022
• Essay Topics and Ideas , Nursing

There are a lot of immigration issues that people are passionate about. If you care about the immigration and want to make a difference, then you should consider writing an argumentative essay on one of these topics. Here are some ideas on Argumentative Essays Topics on Immigration to get you started:

What You'll Learn

Interesting Topics On Migration

• Different Perspectives on Immigration Reform Essay Prompt: Over the past few years, people have moved to the United States for various reasons. Some have moved to the United States to reunite with their families, work, or look for safety.
• Arguments on Why Immigration Should be Stopped Essay Prompt: Immigration can be defined as the movement of an individual from one’s country of origin to set up new and permanent residence in another country. Immigration has been a pertinent issue in most countries, especially the United States.
• Effects of Immigration Essay Prompt: Immigration is moving from one place to another in order to live and work in that place. The history of immigration dates back to thousands of years ago when the first Africans arrived in Egypt.
• How does racism impact the way we view Immigration? Essay Prompt: In recent years, views of immigration in the United States have shifted with many Americans perceiving immigrants as a source of national prosperity, rather than an eminent burden. (Interesting Topics on Migration)
• Immigration, Essay Prompt: Consider any issues such as how to deal with illegal immigrants, how to encourage new, productive immigrants, cost of illegal immigrants.

As you continue,  thestudycorp.com  has the top and most qualified writers to help with any of your assignments. All you need to do is  place an order  with us . Select a Argumentative Essays Topics on Immigration and we will write the essau for you.

Argumentative Essay Ideas On Immigration with Prompts

• What Role Should The State Of Texas Play In The Immigration Policy
• No One Is Safe.’ How Trump’s Immigration Policy Is Splitting Families Apart Essay Prompt: In the past, people who immigrated to the US illegally and had criminal records were some of the most targeted, but now the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can pick up family members and separate them from their families.
• The economic impact of Immigration on the US economy Essay Prompt: Immigration has a significant impact on the United States economy. Immigration has enhanced economic development and has small to no effects on employment and wages for native-born workers.
• Describe Immigration Laws And Potential Illegal Immigrants
• Essay Prompt: You explore your position on the topic of immigration laws. Select an immigration law for this Discussion and consider whether or not that law is justifiable.
• The bad impact of Immigration on the U.S. economy. Essay Essay Prompt: Immigration is a hotly debated topic in the United States, especially in political circles. Over the years, millions of people have immigrated to the United States from all parts of the world and it has become a melting pot of cultures. (Interesting Topics on Migration)
• Impact of Immigration on American Cities Essay Prompt: The issue of immigration is a sensitive national topic in the United States. The topic’s sensitivity is fueled by several misconceptions about immigration and its impact on the United States. (Argumentative Essay Ideas On Immigration)
• Research Assignment on Enforcement of Immigration Laws Essay Prompt: Explain at least one challenge related to enforcing the laws at the state level. Provide an insight you had about the effectiveness of enforcement of laws. A Research Project On Migration.

Further read on Creative Synthesis Essay Topics & Ideas in 2022

If you care about immigration and want to make a difference, then you should consider writing an argumentative essay on one of these topics . Here are some ideas on Argumentative Essays Topics on Immigration to get you started:

Immigration Research Paper Topics

• Immigration is Good to America: Immigration Makes Americans Less Isolated Globally Essay Prompt: Incorporate analysis of the reading and somebody’s personal experience to make a clear and precise argumentative essay on immigration.
• Republican Party Restrictions on Immigration Law Essay Essay Prompt: The US president Donald Trump is from the Republican Party with the decision made following the policies of the party. Republican Party has a strong stand on restrictions on immigrants which have caused unrest to blacks and minority groups in the US.
• Discuss one specific issue position from either the Democratic or Republican parties’ platforms, indicating whether you agree or disagree.
• Why The United States Should Adopt An Open Immigration Policy Essay Prompt: Two Viewpoints explaining why Immigration Must Be Restricted to Protect American Americans Against Terrorists and why the United States Should Adopt an Open Immigration Policy.
• Liberal Critique And Reform Of Immigration Policy Essay Prompt: Immigration reforms have remained fundamental similar to civil rights and desegregation throughout the history of the united states (US). In the past centuries, immigration reforms have been greatly influenced by the civil rights movement. As noted, the civil rights movement was about winning full and…
• Immigration, Pluralism, and Amalgamation Essay Prompt: The world has significantly transformed into a global village mainly due to technological advancement that has made almost every part of the world accessible. Consequently, migration has become a common aspect of modern life. These changes have prompted different countries to establish immigration policies…
• Essay Prompt: In the current interconnected world, global migration has turned out to be a reality that affects approximately all countries across the world. With advanced modern means of transport, people find it easier, cheaper and more convenient to move from one nation to another searching for employment.
• How to Strengthen America’s National Security
• Essay Prompt: Enhancing border control and enforcement of immigration laws are the two primary ideas that can effectively manage the problem of illegal immigration in the US. (Interesting Topics on Migration)
• Immigration Policy Impact on Economic, Security & Humanitarian Policy Essay Prompt: The current immigration policy has a far-reaching impact on humanitarian, security, and economic aspects. For instance, Migrant Protection Protocols by former President Trump prevents the imprisonment of asylum seekers, especially women and children, until the hearing of their case.
• Should American Citizenship be a Birthright? Research Paper Essay Prompt: The belief that everybody born in American soil becomes subject to the jurisdiction, hence citizens of the United States was included in the Constitution in 1868, in the 14th amendment.

These are just a few examples of Argumentative Essays Topics on Immigration. If you can find a topic that is relevant to your audience and that you are passionate about, you will be well on your way to writing a great argumentative essay.

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