Thiss post was written with the help of the author: Jessica Sanders is a bachelor in English philology and sociology at California University. Jessica is currently working as one of the best writers at https://essayswriters.com/ She also studies feminine psychology.

Immigration is a central aspect within the United States. Firstly, the issue is significant because it plays a key role towards generation of the American national identity. Before becoming Americans, the US citizens were Scottish, Irish, English, Welsh, German, Dutch, etc. Although the United States has predominantly engaged in devising policies aimed at impeding immigration, the country prides itself as a hub of immigrants. Many people consider the rich mixture of immigrants in the country as an outcome of the freedom and opportunities that are critical in the pursuit of economic, cultural and political goals. The embracement of the policy of assimilation when handling immigrants has partly contributed to the uniqueness of the country. I selected the topic on challenges of immigration enforcement and border control because they play an important part in the homeland security within the United States.

Discussion

Immigration is a political concern that often excites passions and powerful feelings. At one time or another, many Americans experience the impact of immigration policies because they have a bearing on the costs of consumer goods, labor markets, ethnic composition of schools and neighborhoods, popular culture and most importantly, national security.

When assessing the consequences of the US policy on immigration and the freedoms accorded to Americans, considering the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is critical. The declaration guarantees each person the right of asylum when faced with persecution. However, no international law accords noncitizens absolute rights regarding entry and remaining in a country indefinitely. In addition, whereas the United States Constitution does not accord foreigners the right to access the country, it gives them the right to fair and equal treatment upon arrival to the country. This extends to their protection against discrimination on the basis of nationality or race and arbitrarily government actions. Thus, the law inadvertently aids immigration which ends posing a risk to the country’s security.

During the initial times, the founding leaders of the United States were opposed to massive immigration into the country without restrictions. However, they agreed on the essentiality of immigration towards the construction of the American nation. Immigration would be necessary for the expansion of the country. During the early times, American entrepreneurs sought workers from abroad to provide labor for farms, factories, mines, and mills. The Congress also played a role by actively assisting Polish exiles to set permanent residence in Michigan and Illinois in 1843. Through the enactment of the Homestead Act in 1862, the Congress attracted additional settlers by allowing them inexpensive land grants.

With time, Native Americans gained strength having succeeded in tightening the immigration policies. For instance, the Know-Nothings movement comprising Protestants opposed the mass influx of German and Irish Catholics into the country during the 1840s and 50s. The movement formed the American Party, which participated in the 1856 election before disappearing. Although the movement was against immigration, it solely used religion as a basis.

Soon, race assumed a significant position in the fight against immigration. Attention turned from Europeans to the Chinese immigrants. More than sixty thousand Chinese had entered the US by 1870. Additionally, ten thousand more Chinese made entry into the country following the conclusion of the Union Central Pacific Railroad. The development raised an alarm among western laborers. Notably, Americans were in fear that the Chinese were encroaching into their territory. The Chinese issue got into the floor of the senate owing to fears that the immigrants might take part in electoral fraud to benefit the Democratic Party. Thus, during the 19th century, the immigration debate bordered on politics, culture and work/jobs.

After deliberations by the Congress on the Chinese threat, the Chinese Exclusion Act was adopted in 1882. The enactment of the law was the first open act that went against the country’s historical open policy towards immigration. The law disallowed the entry of skilled as well as unskilled laborers from China besides imposing tedious paperwork to screen Chinese workers already in the country. A series of laws followed targeting to exclude Chinese workers from the US. By 1892, Chinese citizens living in the country were considered illegal immigrants according to the law. The reason for targeting the Chinese lay on the idea that they posed a bigger threat culturally. Hence, it is observable that controlling the country’s borders was based on cultural fears as opposed to security matters.

Owing to a continued increase in the number of immigrants to the US from the Asian region, the US also took preventive measures to stop the trend. In 1917, Congress set up a literacy test to be administered on immigrants from Asia. The test was targeting to bring to an end the threat similar to the one by the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. In particular, the Red Scare following the revolution inspired the enactment of the Immigration Act of 1918. Following the enactment, foreigners would be deported based on their ideological leanings. In 1919, a bombing, which was traced to anarchists, prompted the Justice Department to come up with a list of suspects who were targeted. The same actions were seen following the September 11 attacks in the country.

During the First World War, immigration temporarily slowed. Later, the Congress passed the Quota Act in 1921 with the intention of assigning quotas to regions. The law set three thousand fifty eight immigrants each year. The passing of the Johnson Act in 1924 tightened the previous law by allowing a preferential system.

The new limits introduced in 1924 were in favor of immigrants coming from western and northern parts of Europe. The quotas for the countries were reduced by only twenty-nine percent while for the eastern and southern parts, the quota system was lowered by eighty-seven percent. The Act of 1924 disallowed all immigration from Asian countries. Based on the dependence of the US on Mexican agricultural labor and the urge not to annoy its neighbors, the US did not apply the quota law to the countries from the western hemisphere.

Natives had their most significant influence on foreign policy in 1924 as their interest became clear in the postwar policy framework. Job competition and fear of immigrants were particularly important concerns. During the Great Depression, immigration controls were stepped up leading to a notable decline in people entering the country.

The connection between immigration policies came into the fore more than it had done previously following the September 11 attacks. The framework pursued by the state has largely focused on lowering or reducing the danger posed to national security by immigrants. The issue of homeland protection has led to the adoption of bipartisan approaches with the view to promote national security although such legislations have occasionally led to adverse effects on the freedoms of the citizens.

Assessing the viability of the policies adopted to tackle the terrorism problem has been a contested issue owing to the controversies that surround the measures used. In particular, those opposed to the policies adopted the infringement of the rights of people as the major problem encountered because of the country’s bid to secure its borders. Of particular concern is that immigrants have come under heavy scrutiny. Similarly, the larger American society believes that some immigrants such as Muslim Americans sympathize with terrorists such as al-Qaeda operatives.

Immediately after the terrorist attacks in New York in 2001, the country’s Attorney General approved the detention of foreign citizens without congressional or judicial authorization under the guise of extraordinary circumstances. Soon, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was given the power to disregard immigration judges who ruled in favor of the release of individuals suspected of engaging in terrorist activities.

The passing of the Patriot Act helps to understand how the country moved to protect itself from perceived terrorist threats following the September 11 attacks. Thus, reviewing the Patriot Act is likely to shed more light on the pursuit of homeland security at the highest policy level within the country. In a bid to deter individuals from engaging in terrorist activities, the US enacted the Patriot Act. The legislation would also prove significant in punishing those found guilty of terrorism-related offences. It should also be noted that the Act reduced legal requirements necessary to secure a conviction. Understood differently, evidentiary expectations were lowered to ease the fight against insecurity.

In the effort to improve law enforcement, the authorities lowered requirements on search warrants, telephone and communication interceptions. The Act also allowed emergency disclosure of electronic communication in order to protect lives by expanding on the definition of terrorism to include acts of domestic terrorism. Alongside the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the Patriot Act permits the Federal Investigation Bureau the authority to intercept items such as papers, books and records to determine possible terrorism connections.

Paying attention to the stated function of the Act it emerges that the framers of the legislation were keen on deterring and punishing terrorists and their accomplices both within and outside the country. The law also focused on enhancement of the enforcement. However, the law also focused on addressing issues related to terrorism. Further, the experts perceive the law as complex because it altered a number of existing legislations such as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, Money Laundering Act, Money Laundering Control Act, Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, Right to Financial Privacy Act, Immigration and Nationality Act, and Bank Secrecy Act.

Many sections of the Act were critical in addressing terrorism. For example, the enactment eases law enforcement at various levels of government. In particular, sharing information among federal agencies regarding various missions and other activities like entry into the US became a lot easier. On the basis of this account, the policy framework was tailored to focus on addressing the threat posed by terrorism adequately.

Law enforcement remains a critical component in the war against terrorism. Given that policy makers used the Act to address such an area of interest, it is arguable that the law eased the application of existing anti-terrorism laws such as anti-money laundering. In particular, it became easier to freeze assets of terrorism suspects. Such developments proved to be significant in the fight against terrorism given that it became difficult to sponsor the activities.

After the September 11 terrorist attacks, the question of immigration and national security changed dramatically. With the acknowledgment of the terrorism threats, policymakers had to alter the way the United States approached national security. Although many of the policies adopted have been geared towards the enhancement of security measures, it is evident that they have occasionally undermined the freedoms enjoyed by Americans. In particular, immigrants from the Muslim world have had to endure a torrid time because of the developments of September 11. The presence of a high number of illegal immigrants in the country further compounds the immigration and homeland security concerns.

In practice, a large percentage of the immigrants come to the US with the hope to integrate into the American society through education and hard work. Besides the simmering concerns regarding the cultural implications of the assimilation of the immigrants into the American society, the status and ubiquity of undocumented millions of workers alongside their families presents a hurdle in the efforts by the authorities to improve homeland security.

In 2007, the George Bush administration supported a bipartisan congressional initiative with the aim of responding to issues surrounding immigration. However, opposition from some democrats, liberals and conservative republicans defeated the approach. Bush was agitated by the development, conceding that the country had lost an opportunity to correct its immigration policy since as it was it was unacceptable.

Controlling cross-border migration and immigration is a challenge not only for the US, but also for many parts of the developed world. Given that the United States is largely made of immigrants, attempts to control immigration are emotive. Through various policy tools, the US has often paid close attention to border patrols and control of immigration. The terrorist attacks of September 11 heightened the need for stringent rules to curb immigration and protect borders given the perception that loopholes in the systems were partly to blame for the events. Despite a number of efforts to control immigration in order to enhance homeland, security, challenges persist.