Part 2 Study Guide

Since 2001, what are the reasons refugees are admitted to the US?

Admitted from crises, conflicts, war and famine.

Approximately what percentage of the population is made up of immigrants?

Approximately 13%, 40.4 million, of the population is made up of immigrants. This includes refugees, asylum seekers, lawful immigrants, and undocumented immigrants.

For which region are allotted the least visas for refugees by the US?

Europe

What are reasons that immigrants might not be likely to seek out social services for their children?

Fear of deportation, lack of ability to speak English, lengthy paperwork

What types of social services are offered to immigrant families in need?

Health and financial benefits to the children of legal residents. Most offer free, public education to students no matter the status of their families. Police, fire, and ambulance (EMT Services)

List two reasons against implementing the E-Verify laws.

High costs of implementing these requirements. Employers that have been ingnoring the law will continue to do so unless a more targeted approach is developed.

List three economic challenges immigration creates.

High levels of immigration have taken jobs away from people born in the US. 1/3 of the immigrants lack a high school diploma. They are a weight at the bottom of the employment ladder because of their lack of education. The US is taking away the most-educated professionals from their home countries that need those people more to boost their economy (brain drain)

List two reasons for implementing the E-Verify laws.

It gives law-abiding employers a tool to ensure they hire legal residents. Discourages undocumnted immigration.

What are E-verify laws?

It is a database that employers use to make sure the people they are hiring are not undocumented.

In recent years, the profile of undocumented immigrants has changed. Give two examples of these changes.

More women and children are entering the country illegally. Fewer than one-fifth of today's undocumented immigrants work in agriculture. Mexicans make up a smaller proportion of undocumented immigrants . More immigrants work in cities than in rural areas

How did September 11, 2001, affect the debate about immigration in the US?

The attacks awakened the belief in many that open borders and an open society had made the US vulnerable to this terrible event. Improved comunication between agencies. There were increased security checks. Less refugees were admitted into our country.

What puts an undocumented worker at risk?

The employer can blackmail them for low wages and long hours by using the fear of deportation

What are two criticisms of this shift in refugee policy?

US has lost sight of humanitarian considerations in awarding immigration visas. Many of the people admitted as refugees and asylum seekers are not fleeing persecution but simply looking for a better life.

List two reasons deportations have increased in recent years.

Border patrols have been strengthened and when illegal immigrants cross they are sent back. Also when illegal immigrants are put in jail their fingerprints are crosschecked to see if they are legal citizens.

What were the reasons refugees are admitted to the US before 2001?

Cold War to show that the US was anti-communist

List three ways immigrants benefit the economy.

Immigrants tend to specialize in engineering, computer science, chemistry, and other fields that are in high demand. Immigrants in large urban areas have helped revive downtown business districts. Immigrants have strengthened the local tax base. 760,000 immigrants students are enrolled in school.

For which regions does the US allot the most visas for refugees?

South Asia and the Middles East

What is one problem that might have come up for towns that provide these services?

The taxes have to increase or be spread more thinly

What impacts do undocumented workers have on state and local economies?

Their presence causes the education and health care budgets of many states to have to be increased. This also causes a raise in taxes. They have become a crucial element of the work force. They do the jobs that nobody wants for a lower wage.

Why do undocumented workers come in great numbers from Mexico?

They are looking for jobs in agriculture during the growing seasons and then returning to their homes in Mexico, a third world country.