immigration policy

QUESTION: globalization of U.S. communities

question / pregunta: 

The focus of our project is identifying the effects of globalization at the community level. We are trying to identify data and information resources that demonstrates trends in the internationalization (i.e. migration - including migrant sending and receiving countries/communities - and international trade patterns) and then tying those to a generation (last 15-20 years) of primarily neoliberal foreign and economic policy choices. The goal is identify 12 communities for further study on local impacts and the ways communities respond to the positive and negative aspects of these trends.

US Bishops Labor Day Statement - Unions, Immigration

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has released a five page message for Labor Day that concludes:

Labor Day 2007 is a time to look back, look around, and look ahead. It is a day to celebrate the work and the workers who are at the heart of this holiday. It is a time to recall the powerful and consistent teaching of our Church on the dignity of work and the rights of workers. It is an opportunity to remember when we have fallen short and when we have made a difference. Most of all, like New Year’s Day, it is a time to resolve to do better. For Catholics, Labor Day 2007 is a time to recommit in our own small ways – to our own work, to treat others justly, and to defend the lives, dignity, and rights of workers, especially the most vulnerable. This is a requirement of our faith and a way to advance the promise of our nation.

answer

answer: 

It sounds like what you want to do is narrow in on one predecessor to today's immigration policy. Probably the most frequently mentioned precursor (in my brief skimming of the literature) is the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. You can see a summary of the bill and its complete legislative history on Thomas, the legislative section of the Library of Congress.

The original cosponsors of that bill wrote an op-ed piece that appeared in the Washington Post last fall, which might be helpful in thinking about ideology and intent.

Justice Talking, an NPR program, did a program on immigration reform last year, which I seem to recall included some discussion of the history of immigration policy in the US, thought that's not apparent from the web summary.

NPR and the New York Times both have excellent collections on immigration, and both include some history and background that might be helpful. A lot of the Times stuff may be hidden behind a pay wall, but if you get an article citation, you may be able to find it through a library database. If you're at a college or university, you probably have access to Lexis Nexis Academic through your library, which includes the NYT. For more background, CQ Researcher is another good source, if you have access to it.

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