Question

Immigration In April 2010, the state of Arizona passed one of the most stringent immigration laws in the nation. The law requires all immigrants to carry their immigration documents with them at all times, and it authorizes law enforcement officials to question and apprehend anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant. Individuals who are not carrying the appropriate papers will be at least detained, and local governments and police departments that do not comply with the order can be reprimanded. This law has drawn fire from critics including President Obama, who believes it undermines the basic idea of fairness that we hold as standard in the United States. The Obama administration challenged the law in court, but in 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that the law’s central provision, the requirement that law enforcement check the legal status of anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant, was constitutional. It can be said that the United States is a nation of immigrants, based on our history. What are some reasons why people are so resistant to immigration despite this history? Elaborate on your peers’ posts with a well-thought-out, substantive comment that contributes new knowledge to the conversation.

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) America has been a nation where the only genuinely indigenous population would be the “Native Americans.” Since the pilgrims landed from the ‘Mayflower’ and other settlers made America their home, the major festivals that were celebrated in the region were Thanksgiving, Christmas and other European traditions.

Upon the arrival of slaves and the eventual emancipation, there were new Christian sects that the African Americans followed that were different from their African, cultural backgrounds. Later on, it was time for America to gain independence, the men who strived for it, signed the declaration and framed the constitution, were white Christian men.

Upon emancipation in 1863, there still wasn’t a true freedom for the African Americans to be known for their unique inherent culture and art forms. Several types of music and dance would only become famous after it was performed by the white artists as opposed to the black artists who actually would invent the art form.

Up until recently, even institutes like the Oscars and other such entities would showcase mostly the white majorities. Stories in film, subjects in art and other fields would generally explore the white perspective of things. This is not to say that minorities were not represented at all but, the amount of representation was not as abundant as it should have been. In other words, the “soft-culture” in America, had its influence in politics, institutions and even the general culture.

This made the people who are easily influenced by a lack of representation to be rather unaccepting of a culture that they were not acclimatised to. A normal individual may not be familiar with immigration regulations. However, they are familiar with the culture around them, which is greatly developed through the arts, politics and their level of representation.

If individuals who are wary about immigration would simply be acclimatised to the fact that the world is looking to a future where globalisation is a normality, they would probably be more accepting.