The Repercussions of the Law and its Impact on Individuals - Hart-Celler Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

Extract

[...] Immigration numbers have dropped in the last two decades, they now consist mostly of refugees and asylum seekers, and unfortunately, the US do not have an open and anti-discriminatory Act ready for them. It may be time for another Hart Celler Act. " h="113" Video referenced in the text, to help you with your presentation President Lyndon Johnson signing Hart-Celler Act presidential library, Washington DC Lee, Catherine. "Family Reunification and the Limits of Immigration Reform: Impact and Legacy of the 1965 Immigration Act." Sociological Forum, vol no. S1, [Wiley, Springer] pp - 48, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43654405. [...]

[...] The Repercussions of the Law and its Impact on Individuals - Hart-Celler Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 « The bill will not flood our cities with immigrants". This is what Senator Edward Kennedy stated during the Senate debate about the Hart Celler Immigration Act of 1965. Indeed, when it was created, the bill was meant to eliminate race discrimination in immigration and allow people from all countries to come to the United States, not just white immigrants. The fact is that decades after this bill, we can see the clear impact it had on US immigration: in percent of US immigrants were born in Europe or Canada and Mexico only represented 6 percent, nowadays in 2017 European and Canadian immigrants represented 13.2 percent when Mexican immigrants are near the 26 percent. [...]

[...] The bill was only meant as a way to end immigration discrimination but it more than quadrupled the number of immigrants living in the United States. Its major impact on the very people this bill was meant for is truly the family reunification effect, it allowed relatives to live together once more, letting them immigrate without separating them as they do more and more nowadays. The bill can thus be seen as part of the Civil Rights movement. Indeed, the sixties were times of rebellion and activism, and this bill is based on an anti-discrimination policy, which makes it part of the Civil Rights fight. [...]

[...] We understand from this video that before the Hart Celler Act of 1965, not only were there quotas preventing people to emigrate from Asia or South America, but there had also been some clearly racist laws such as the "Chinese Exclusion Act" of 1882 that banned Chinese immigration altogether for over 60 years. The video shows us clearly that the Hart Celler Act repeals quotas and allows for a more diverse immigration and it boosted US economy. It also shows us that after the 09/11 terrorist attacks and the rise of ISIS, the police forces around the borders has been reinforced and American officials are once again pitching quota laws and regulation against mass immigration, targeting this time people from Africa. [...]