Latino/A/Xs in the United States and the Need, Bills and Struggles for Legalization Through Immigration Reform
Location
SU-214
Department
Justice Studies
Abstract
Latino/a/x immigration from the Americas to the United States has been affected through a history of evolving immigration laws and policies alongside the historical effects of colonization, western expansion to create the modern US borders and globalization. Immigrants have been marginalized by continuing changes in immigration policies that expand and retract based on US social and economic needs at any particular point and have created several classifications for Immigrants. The various classes that have been identified include but are not limited to those that are called undocumented, unauthorized workers, dreamers, refugees, unaccompanied minors or asylees. As a result, there have been approximately 9-11 million immigrants that are marginalized by the lack of paths to legal immigration in the US. The policies that are currently providing relief to this growing underclass includes processes for family based petitions, victims of crime and a few other processes. These processes have not been able to make serious reductions in the number of undocumented or unauthorized immigrants in the US and there are limited studies that can demonstrate how these limited processes are affecting the overall number of undocumented immigrants. Organizations have an impact on the policies that are implemented through various advocacy tactics which are done by individual organizations or coalitions of organizations. This research paper seeks to explore the reasons for US immigration, Immigration policies, Immigration proposals and the role of organizations in effecting change. Intersectional Framework analysis will be used to identify key themes, patterns within themes between policies, and patterns across themes among various immigration classes. This research will provide data to understand the development of immigration policies and laws including the effect of advocacy by organizations with the goal of legalization of undocumented immigrants and to reduce the discrimination of this population because of their legal status.
Faculty Sponsor
Adam Messinger, Northeastern Illinois University
Latino/A/Xs in the United States and the Need, Bills and Struggles for Legalization Through Immigration Reform
SU-214
Latino/a/x immigration from the Americas to the United States has been affected through a history of evolving immigration laws and policies alongside the historical effects of colonization, western expansion to create the modern US borders and globalization. Immigrants have been marginalized by continuing changes in immigration policies that expand and retract based on US social and economic needs at any particular point and have created several classifications for Immigrants. The various classes that have been identified include but are not limited to those that are called undocumented, unauthorized workers, dreamers, refugees, unaccompanied minors or asylees. As a result, there have been approximately 9-11 million immigrants that are marginalized by the lack of paths to legal immigration in the US. The policies that are currently providing relief to this growing underclass includes processes for family based petitions, victims of crime and a few other processes. These processes have not been able to make serious reductions in the number of undocumented or unauthorized immigrants in the US and there are limited studies that can demonstrate how these limited processes are affecting the overall number of undocumented immigrants. Organizations have an impact on the policies that are implemented through various advocacy tactics which are done by individual organizations or coalitions of organizations. This research paper seeks to explore the reasons for US immigration, Immigration policies, Immigration proposals and the role of organizations in effecting change. Intersectional Framework analysis will be used to identify key themes, patterns within themes between policies, and patterns across themes among various immigration classes. This research will provide data to understand the development of immigration policies and laws including the effect of advocacy by organizations with the goal of legalization of undocumented immigrants and to reduce the discrimination of this population because of their legal status.