Immigration has become an increasingly hot topic in the media since the turn of the millennium. In truth, not everyone has the freedom or luxury to sit at their computers and read up on immigration: some people have had to live through the fear of being deported and separated from their families. Immigration is a risk, but at the same time an opportunity for many of these people who seek to give their families a better life than they had. The following information about immigration ought to humanize the experience on both sides, allowing Americans and immigrants alike to see the larger picture.
America: Land of Immigrants
Modern U.S. immigration practices paint a stark contrast to the actual founding of America. Its no surprise to learn that the first colonists in America were English, French, German or some other northern Europeans who either sought financial opportunity or fled from political or religious intolerance. Between the years 1820 and 1930, the United States took in around 60% of the world’s immigrants; 30 million immigrants entered the country between 1870 and 1930 alone.
Immigration Today
Each year nearly 1,001,715 green cards are given in the United States. In 2012 there were almost 41 million immigrants living in the United States. Although around 20% of the world’s international migrants reside in the United States, this accounts for less than 5% of the global population. Most of the immigrants in America (28%) are Mexican-born, although Asian-Americans are now becoming the fastest growing immigrant demographic. Most of the information about immigration is biased in such a way to show the detrimental effects of immigration rather than the benefits.
How to Fight Deportation
Many of the United States immigration laws vary based on the immigrant’s country of origin. For example, the Diversity Visa Lottery created with the Immigration Act of 1990 grants visas to immigrants from countries with low immigration rates. Nearly 55,000 visas are given to nationals from countries that have sent less than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the last 5 years. The best immigration lawyers are also know that the United States is obligated to house immigrants that are unable to return to their home countries due to a “well-founded fear of persecution” that stems from race, membership in a social group, political opinion, religion, or national origin. By becoming familiar with information about immigration, immigrants who held a green card for 5 years can qualify for citizenship through naturalization and live as a citizen of the United States of America.