Essay Example on Immigrants' Role in Strengthening US Economy & Culture

Introduction

The United States conceits itself as one of the leading nations of immigrants across the world. Ideally, the country possesses a comprehensive history of the successful absorption of people across the globe (Dominguez, 2019). It is undeniable that immigrant integration, together with their children, offers a considerable contribution to the economic vitality of the nation, in addition to America's vibrant and ever-changing culture. For a long time, the federal government of the US has provided great opportunities for immigrants to better themselves. This opportunity has enabled them to be fully incorporated into the American system and allowing the majority of them to embrace American identity and citizenship. Significantly, the majority have also involved themselves through military service in the US.

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Shifting Paradigms: The Evolution of U.S. Immigration Policies

While it is evident that immigration into the US offers a wide array of opportunities to different people across the world, the policies related to immigration have focused on regulating the type of people who enter the US (Pierce et al., 2018a). For many years, there have been proposals that have sought to shift the US immigration system away from its current focus, especially on the family reunification and employment-based migration. This implies that many have tended to move towards the point-based system that offers the priority for admission of immigrants who meet certain education and employment qualifications (Dominguez, 2019).

The Trump Era: Promises, Controversies, and Policy Changes

The Trump administration has recently announced the proclamation that the green cards, for instance, would only be issued to the immigrant who meets requirements related to education, age, and English-speaking abilities (Dominguez, 2019). While all these proposals are evident, the administration previously proposed the regulation that would deny immigrants' entry to the US or lawful permanent residence in case they were unable to use the Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as well as other social assistance.

The 2016 presidential election saw Donald Trump win in a mostly unanticipated victory. The immigration issue was at the forefront of Trump's campaign message. In reality, Trump made numerous campaign promises, with some of them still in the process of being fulfilled. Among these include the building of the border wall that separates Mexico and the US, dealing with the illegal aliens, restrictions of the Muslims entering the United States, limit legal immigration.

While it is evident that these immigration policies may be significant in building America economically, they have been subjected to tremendous controversies. Trump's hardline stances on immigration won him favor with the conservative base. Controversially, these policies have been focused on limiting individuals from certain parts of the world, particularly those associated with the Islamic religion.

System of Power and Immigration

Systematic power refers to a legitimate or legal ability to access and control those institutions that are sanctioned by the state. Systems and institutions in the US are created and structured legally and intentionally to serve white society exclusively. These do not include pre-existing native institutions or civil organizations. Since the inauguration, Trump's administration has ensured that all the federal agencies such as the Department of Immigration and Border Protection have implemented measures to ensure that the proposed immigration policies are implemented (Dominguez, 2019). The systems have been controlled and structured to ensure that illegal immigrants are prevented from entering the US through various porous sites in the US-Mexican border. Additionally, the Muslims from the breeding grounds of terrorism. Immigrants from nations such as Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran have been barred as a result.

Power Imbalance

One fundamental principle of the constitution of the US is that balance and separation of power are distributed among the three government arms. These include the executive, legislature, and judiciary. The US Congress constitutes to the legislature and is involved in lawmaking. The executive branch is headed with the President. At the same time, the judiciary is tasked with the interpretation of the laws of the land and settles legal disputes related to the meaning and the law application (Pierce et al. 2018a).

I believe that the power distribution among the three branches is meant to ensure that all branches work together for a common goal and that no one branch of the government has the power to gain a disproportionate authority over the other two. Each branch has a separate independent force that cannot be impinged by another branch. Additionally, the decision by one branch can either be accepted or rejected by other branches (Pierce et al. 2018b).

While it is evident that the US constitution has a strong system of government and power that is distributed, the power imbalance often occurs (Dominguez, 2019). Going by the fact that the President has the power to issue an executive order, it has become difficult for some federal agencies to address specific issues independently. The executive orders related to immigration has posed enormous implications on the existing policies and decisions of other branches. The constitution of the US provides a structured mechanism through which individuals can be treated (Pierce et al. 2018). It means that no one should be discriminated by the basis of their race, ethnicity, religion, or background. The decision to restrict the movement and immigrants from the Muslim nations contravenes the crucial elements stipulated in the constitution of the US.

References

Dominguez, J. I. (2019). Immigration as foreign policy in US-Latin American relations. In Immigration and US Foreign Policy (pp. 150-166). Routledge.

Pierce, S., Bolter, J., & Selee, A. (2018). US immigration policy under Trump: Deep changes and lasting impacts. Migration Policy Institute, 9. https://observatoriocolef.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TCMTrumpSpring2018-FINAL.pdf

Pierce, S., Bolter, J., & Selee, A. (2018). Trump's First Year on Immigration Policy. https://immigrantfresno.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/05/TrumpFirstYearImmigrationPolicy_FINAL.pdf