Immigration: Current Immigration and Citizenship Laws in the United States
Introduction
Immigration and naturalization have been two hot button issues in the United States for decades, and the relevance of such debates has increased in the current context of growing terror attacks worldwide. This paper will analyze the citizenship policies of the United States and how naturalization is related to the issue of immigration. The paper will also explore the role played by race and ethnicity in US citizenship laws historically.
Checklist of U.S. Citizenship
In the United States, the application for citizenship is made using the Form N-400. The document checklist for the application comprises of three items such as a photocopy of both sides of the applicant’s Permanent Resident Card, two identical photographs bearing the applicant’s name and Alien Registration Number (A-Number), and check or money order for meeting the application fee and other charges (Document Checklist, 2016). The Citizenship Clause stated in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution overruled the Supreme Court’s decision that black people or African American could not become the citizens of the United States. In other words, the 14th Amendment allows African Americans to become the citizens of America (cited in Lee, 2011, p.4).A number of federal laws have been formed to clarify the confusions surrounding the US citizenship. To illustrate, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 specifies the legal requirements for acquiring American citizenship.
In the United States, race and ethnicity have played a crucial role in citizenship laws. To be more precise, the African American community was the central aspect of US citizenship laws during the last few centuries. In Dred Scott v. Sandford, the US Supreme Court ruled that the African American could not be American citizens, and hence they had no power to sue in a federal court of law (cited in Hofstadter, 2012, p.365).While analyzing the history of US immigration and nationality laws, it is clear that the country has adopted a ‘racist immigration policy’ throughout its history (Smith, 2002). Many groups or communities have been rejected by US citizenship laws at various points in history. For instance, US naturalization and citizenship laws always adopted a hostile approach towards African Americans. In addition, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited the admission of the Chinese to citizenship (Smith, 2002). The over-dominance of the Whites in America contributed to the formation of such discriminative citizenship laws in the country.
Citizenship and Immigration
Holding a national citizenship is really important for individuals to receive significant social and economic benefits, including food and housing, employment, minimum wages, and fundamental health services (Combat Poverty Agency, 2006, pp.5-6). Another importance of citizenship is that it gives people the right to the constitutional remedies of the particular country. From the perspective of a national government, the concept of citizenship is important for creating a sense of unity among people residing in a country and to address the threats to the country’s sovereignty successfully. It is important to note that citizenship is linked to the issue of immigration in such a way that immigrants enter a foreign territory with intent to obtain the citizenship of that country. In developed economies like US and UK, citizens receive enhanced economic and social benefits and therefore immigrants worldwide tend to enter those countries and apply for their citizenship.
Concerns of Society about Immigration
Today the process of immigration is on the rise, particularly in the current context of dreadful civil wars in the Middle East region. As a result, refugees from countries such as Syria and Iraq increasingly migrate to the Western countries with intent to achieve improved living standards. This trend has become an alarming concern for the Western society because growing immigration increases the chances of terror attacks, thus posing great threats to the national security. Currently, the American society discourages immigration for several reasons. First, the Americans are yet to completely recover from the shock of the 9/11 terror attack and they strongly believe that increased immigration can increase the probability of such attacks in future. In addition, the US society thinks that growing immigration to the country would limit the employment opportunities available for the American citizens.
Recent Developments
The Congress is considering forming strict immigration laws and naturalization policies in the current context of growing IS threats and terror attacks worldwide. The US people have also been demanding the federal government to adopt strict immigration policies for years so as to help Americans to obtain better jobs. In addition, the US Congress is planning to take extensive measures to stop illegal immigrants who enter the country through its Mexican borders.
Conclusion
References
‘Combat Poverty Agency Submission to the Task Force on Active Citizenship’. (2006). Combat Poverty Agency. Retrieved from Google Books.
Document Checklist. (2016). Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. Retrieved from https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Citizenship%20%26%20Naturalization%20Based%20Resources/A%20Guide%20to%20Naturalization/PDFs/M-477.pdf
Hofstadter, R. (2012). Great Issues in American History, Vol. II: From the Revolution to the Civil War, 1765-1865. US: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
Lee, M. M. (2011). Birthright Citizenship Under the 14th Amendment of Persons Born in the United States to Alien Parents. US: DIANE Publishing.
Smith, M. L. (2002). Race, Nationality, and Reality: INS Administration of Racial Provisions in U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law Since 1898, Part 1. Prologue Magazine, 34 (2).
