Immigration

Note: What was here about Immigrants has moved to immigrants.html

This page is about immigration history, policy, ...

The Global Migration Center | UC Davis says:
Global migration is one of the most important and pervasive societal issues of the 21st Century. While millions of people around the world flee their homes in search of safety, freedom, and economic security, governments and the public actively debate the underlying causes of migration and how to respond effectively to the challenges and opportunities that large-scale population movements present.

A critical area of concern is the immigration and integration of vulnerable migrants, including undocumented immigrants, temporary migrants, persecuted asylum seekers, climate refugees, displaced migrants, detained and deported immigrants, trafficked people, unaccompanied children, and immigrants in dire economic conditions.

Their goal is:
"To produce and disseminate rigorous, relevant, inter- and multi-disciplinary research on the causes and consequences of international migration, immigrant integration, and immigration law and policy with a special focus on vulnerable migrants."

Most of this page is less rigorous attempt to address some of these issues I started 5 years ago. I've since added information from The Global Migration Center | UC Davis

Legislation:
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, abolished national-origin admission quotas.
The Refugee Act of 1980 - a formal refugee resettlement program

Legislation and Policies:

The term "Asian Exclusion Act" refers to a period of U.S. laws and policies, most notably the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 targeting Chinese laborers and the Immigration Act of 1924 (Johnson-Reed Act) established a quota system.

Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)of 1952 (McCarran-Walter Act), which initially retained a national origins quota system but ended Asian exclusion and introduced a preference system based on skills and family reunification. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (Hart-Celler Act), a later amendment, removed the quota system entirely, establishing a preference system that prioritized family relationships and job skills.

The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on November 6, 1986. The bipartisan legislation aimed to control undocumented immigration by balancing tougher enforcement measures with a path to legal status for many undocumented residents.

Senate Border Bill: In early 2024, a bipartisan Senate bill sought to address border security by imposing stricter asylum rules and implementing an "emergency authority" to summarily deport migrants during high-encounter periods. The bill stalled due to political disagreements<>

One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA): Signed into law in July 2025.
OBBBA allocates over $170 billion in new funding for immigration enforcement and border security. The money is earmarked for increased detentions, expedited deportations, border wall construction, and expanded enforcement technology.

Stats:
Source: What the data says about immigrants in the U.S. Pew Research

Nearly 46 percent of all immigrants resident in the United States in 2022 arrived prior to 2000.

Europe- US:

EU14 - The 14 countries in the original EU, before the enlargment to 27 countries in 2004.
Giovanni Peri Director of the The GLobal Migration Center | UC Davis

Economic Contributions of Immigrants and refugees - Peri's presentation at the Davis Community Church in October, 2025
Effects of immigrants on local laabor markeets

On creativity, Innovation.
How did they integrate economically? Refugees and the American Dream.
Recent Evolutions

More than three-quarters are in the country legally.

There were 3 waves of immigrants:
1840-1889  North/West Europe 12 Million 82%
1890-1919  South/East Europe 11 Million 63%
1965-2024  Latin America     35 Million 49%
           South/East Asia   19 Million 27%

More Stats:

Quick Immigration Statistics: United States | Immigrant Learning Center
Above from: What the data says about immigrants in the U.S. Pew Research

Status of people living in the U.S.:

Citizens:
A US citizen is either a person who was born in the US or became a naturalized citizen following a period of three or five years as a resident in the country and passing a a civics test, where applicants must correctly answer six out of ten questions on US history and civics.
Conditional and Permanent Residents:
Conditional residents are individuals who receive their green card prior to completing two years of marriage. Immigrants and their spouses to jointly file to remove the condition before two years pass.
Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) are immigrants who have obtained a green card and are authorized to live and work in the US permanently.
It's possible to become a permanent resident by having an employer or family member sponsor the green card applicant, or if the immigrant becomes a permanent resident via refugee status.
Non-Immigrant Status
Individuals who are considered non-immigrants are legally living and working in the country on a temporary basis. Some examples of people with non-immigrant status could include students on an F-1 visa, fiancees on K-1 visas, tourists or business visitors on B1 or B2 visas, and others who are given temporary protected status.
Typically, individuals with non-immigrant status don't intend to become residents. However, overstaying a visa, violating its terms, or obtaining a visa through fraudulent means could result in a change to undocumented status.
Undocumented
Undocumented immigrants are individuals who are in the country illegally or otherwise without permission, in which case they would be unable to live in the US temporarily or permanently. They are also unable to legally work in the US and won't have access to benefits accessible to residents, such as driver's licenses and health insurance.
Undocumented individuals face deportation at any time. Individuals will be considered undocumented if they overstay a temporary legal visa or enter the US illegally and neglect to go through a port of entry.

See: Overview Of Types Of Immigration Status | State justice Institute - sji.gov

Immigratuion was one of the top 2 issues in the 2024 election, along with inflation.
There was some misinformation about immigrants.

See President Reagan's Fairwell Address. Where he says "If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost."

   
Asylum - criteria, screening,

Illegal

Ethnic exclusion

US Legal issues
   Build the wall
   Differentiation crossing at ports vs between ports
   We have 1,000 asylum screeners need 3-4,000

Links:
The Global Migration Center | UC Davis
"Immigration & the Economy: Economic integration & the Contributions of Immigrants and Refugees to the US Economy" Presentation by Giovanni Peri, Founder and the Director of the UC Davis Global Migration Center.

Immigrant Help - Now your Rights (Conoce Tus Derechos) - What to do when confronted by ICE.
Spanish
Immigrant deportation
UC Davis Experts on Immigration, Labor and Human Trafficking Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States | Migration Policy.org
This Spotlight offers information about the approximately 46.2 million immigrants in the United States as of 2022, more than three-quarters of whom are in the country legally.

Is it legal to cross the U.S. border to seek asylum? | rescue.org