Essay Sample on South Asian American Republicans

Introduction

Asian American community has a high level of political incorporation regarding their actual voting population in the United States. Asian American historically low voting rates as resulted to the community's overall political integration have been relatively small. Asian Americans population has been on the increased in the past 30 years mainly due to the high immigration rates (Junn, Jane & Natalie 730). However, high rates of naturalization, as well as voter outreach efforts, have provided this community with less than 1% of the total votes (Junn, Jane & Natalie 730). These low voting rates and political incorporation of this community has posted a concern because the Asian American community is the fastest demographic in the United States.

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Asian Americans in areas where they have large populations have elected Asian American candidates at the city and local level (Junn, Jane & Natalie 730). Examples include Chinese Americans in San Francisco and Vietnamese Americans in Orange County. However, the community does not always elect their own to political positions during elections. Various Asian Americans have served in the state government at multiple levels (Reyes 1). The first Asian American to be elected as a governor of a state in the United States was George Ariyoshi who was selected as the Governor of Hawaii from 1974 to 1986 (Haas 649). George Ariyoshi currently holds the record of being the long-serving state governor in Hawaii to date (Lai, Thomas & Okiyoshi 611). David Ige is also another Asian American to serve in the state government. David of Japanese-American descent was the governor of Hawaii since 2014. Other Asian Americans politicians include; Gary Locke governor of the state of Washington between 1997 to 2005, Kamala Harries the first female African American state attorney general in the United States and Jon Chiang who served as California's state Treasurer (Lai, Thomas & Okiyoshi 611). However, the most vocal and famous South Asian American politicians who are considered to have made a significant impact on Asian American politics are American Indian politicians Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley (Spring 112). The two have served as state and federal leaders over the last ten years and have made a significant impact on politics in the US. This essay seeks to discuss the contributions of politicians Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley on immigration and the effects of their policies on racism and xenophobia in the US.

Bobby Jindal is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of Louisiana between 2008 and 2016. Before his job as the boss of Louisiana County, Bobby served as a US congressman as well as the vice chairman of the Republican Governors Association ("Bobby Jindal On The Issues"). Jindal, the son of immigrants, embraced his immigrant heritage but his rhetoric and policy positions on immigration reform legislation can be argued to result to a general misunderstanding of executive authority and the humanitarian obligations to asylum seekers ("Bobby Jindal On The Issues").

Jindal argues that he does not support the comprehensive immigration reform bill presented to the Senate for many reasons. He states that the United States should strengthen its border security to prevent illegal immigration. He accused the Muslim immigrants of an invasion and that they come to the United States to impose some variant of Sharia Law. Jindal defines who should be the judge of a secure border by arguing that the US Congress and the border-state governors should be the ones who verify that the United States Boarders are secured from illegal immigrants ("Bobby Jindal on Immigration"). Jindal proposes a generous legal avenue for immigration. In one of his speeches, he states "Increase legal immigration, by a lot ("Bobby Jindal On The Issues"). Letting folks into our country who want to work, get an education, and improve their lives is good for them and good for us. We should increase legal immigration not only for unskilled labourers, but also for skilled workers from all over the world. We need to stop educating the world's best and brightest engineers and scientists and then upon graduation kick them out of the country so they can compete with us and create growth and wealth in other countries" ("Bobby Jindal On Immigration"). Jindal argues that the United States should focus its efforts on attracting highly skilled foreign workers. According to Jindal, it would be foolish for the government to expel the immigrants into the US who have been educated using government resources. This according to him would result in indirect losses as the educated minds would compete for other countries whereby they can practice the skills they learnt in the United States ("Bobby Jindal On Immigration"). Jindal proposes for allowing more skilled foreign workers into the country and will enable them to apply for citizenship. However, he argues that it was elected president, he would ban or minimize immigration from radical Muslims.

Immigration without assimilation according to Jindal is an invasion ("Bobby Jindal On The Issues"). He argues that the United States should insist on assimilation by letting the immigrants into the United States legally, ensuring that they learn English and adopt the American values. This according to Jindal will ensure that the immigrants do not undermine the freedoms of others by them being provided with the freedom to be in the United States. If immigrants what to come to the United States then they should be willing and ready to be Americans ("Bobby Jindal On Immigration").

On amnesty, Jindal has clearly stated that he has never supported it. He says "Granting amnesty by executive order is wrong.... It will incentivize more of this illegal immigration. If the President wants to make the case that the law should be changed, he should go make the case to Congress and our people" ("Bobby Jindal On Immigration"). The United States should criminalize, accuse and jail those who are found to be in America illegally as well as the mayors and councilman who facilitated the immigrants. He proposes that sanctuary cities should be defunded for harbouring illegal immigrants (Yuhas).

Jindal views and policies on immigration have undecided effects on racisms and xenophobia in the US. Jindal's arguments that the US should strengthen its border to curb illegal immigrants will lead to a reduction in the number of illegal immigrants into the United States. However, his proposed policy of not allowing immigration by radical Muslims may result to racism against the Muslims. Allowing immigrants from other religions across the world and explicitly targeting Muslim immigrants would lead to racial discrimination against the Muslims by religion. Jindal's policy to deport unaccompanied children and their families is not a humanitarian solution. Jindal does not support amnesty initiatives. His policy against amnesty defers from the humanitarian obligations towards asylum seeker and refuges. This is not only against humanitarian doctrine but also results to xenophobia towards the immigrants. If adopted his policies would lead to the Americans feelings of dislike and prejudice against immigrants from other countries. The fact that he targets explicitly Muslim and is in favour of skilled immigrants proves that his policies are racists.

Nikki Haley is an American Republican politician who currently serves as the 29th United States Ambassador to the United Nations ("Nikki Haley: UN Can'T 'Dictate' US Immigration Policy"). Previously Haley served as the 116th Governor of South Carolina. She also served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Haley was the first female governor of the state of South Carolina. She is also the second governor in the United States of Indian-American descent to serve after Bobby Jindal. Haley was in 2016 named by Time magazine among the world's 100 most influential people. Haley has had different views on the major policies in the United States during her political career. In particular, Haley immigration policies have been discussed and criticised at different levels ("Nikki Haley: UN Can'T 'Dictate' US Immigration Policy").

Haley, a daughter of immigrants, supports the enforcement of immigration laws. She is 2014 signed an "Arizona-style" law that cracked down on illegal immigrants (Archibold 42). Haley voted in favour of a law that requires employers to hire legal residents of the United States. The law also requires immigrants to carry documentation at all times. However, Haley strongly supports immigrants, and this is evident when she stated that her Republican party had lost its way by ignoring the frustration and anger of all its party people-including immigrants and people of colour. According to her, Republican Party should return to its core values of limited government and being a party for the people ("Nikki Haley: UN Can'T 'Dictate' US Immigration Policy"). Haley asked republicans after the election of Donald Trump, to take the opportunity to conduct a detailed autopsy of the Republican Party's win. She urged the party to remind the people that it would offer equal opportunities to all citizens despite their race, place of birth and growth as well as their gender ("Nikki Haley On Immigration"). Haley in an interview defended her decision to take the Confederate flag down from the South Carolina statehouse grounds by stating "What we saw in the extraordinary reaction to Charleston where people of all races coming together. We didn't have riots; we had vigils. We didn't have protests; we had hugs," ("Nikki Haley On Immigration"). This action according to her showed that the people who protested during the incident were not racist and also pointed out that the people have proved that by electing people of colour to the state and other elective positions.

Haley criticized President Donald Trump's immigration policy of excluding Muslims. She stated that it was wrong to pass laws based on religion ("Nikki Haley On Immigration"). However, in the history of the United States, laws had been passed by religion, for example, the United States Immigration Act of 1924 restricted immigration from Catholic descent in Southern and Eastern Europe and instead favoured immigration from protestant regions such as Northern and Western Europe (Ngai 68). Haley states that her American story is not different from that of many Americans as many who migrate into the United States it is in the search for better lives as it was the case for her parents who moved into the United States from India.

Haley states that though Americans should allow those willing to work hard, abide by American laws and absorb the American values, the country should ensure that it protects its borders by fixing the broken immigration systems ("Nikki Haley On Immigration"). She advocates for a stop of illegal immigration and instead proposes for a system whereby the legal immigrants are vetted regardless of their religion or race. She also states that refugees whose intentions cannot be determined should not be let into the United States at this age of terrorism. The United States according to Haley is a nation of immigrants and a country that abides by laws. She argues that her decision to support immigration laws is not a racial issue but about the rule of law.

Haley's Vies and policies on immigration do not impact negatively on racism and xenophobia. She acknowledges the fact that she is a daughter of an immigrant and that immigrants to the United States are in search of better lives. According to Haley, as long as someone has migrated into the United States legally, they should be allowed to work and live in peace. Her arguments on why the United States should strengthen its borders by use of immigration laws are appealing and do not support racism. On the contrary, sh...