

Immigration Restriction Violates the Moral Code of America

	The underlying fabric on which the principles of the United States of America were written is one of declaration for the unalienable rights of humankind. The Declaration of Independence bestowed upon the Constitution to be a governmental system for the people and by the people. It is fundamental belief that is rooted in the concept of Nature's God and human beings made in its image. Regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, class, or creed, the essential anatomy of a human being is a creature made in the image of God. It is rooted in both the moral and political philosophy that framed the Declaration of Independence, which in turn set forth the bedrock principles of the United States' Constitution. It has been argued that these philosophies must be interpreted literally and applied universally. It is the responsibility for all citizens of the United States to adhere to these documents and uphold them throughout each successive generation. However, the history of the United States is embedded with failures to adhere to this design. It has been evident in the enslavement of African-Americans and in the broken promises of Post-Civil War Reconstruction. It can be seen in the persecution of women and the battles for women's suffrage. And it can be seen in federal policies regarding immigrant restriction. If the United States is to restrict immigration based on race, ethnicity, nationality, and class, then it has failed to apply the philosophy on which the country was founded. i
	It has been argued that the immigrants come to this country with one specific agenda in mind, that is, to exploit the country. It is believed that the immigrants are, at a base level, simply poor peasants who live in the United States for only a small handful of years until they have acquired enough savings from their labor and then return home. The idea being, that the immigrants would ultimately diminish the economic status of the United States. However, immigrants are currently required to provide their full name and other personal information in regards to their native country. This information is then referenced and checked to determine the economic standing the immigrant held in his homeland. Those at the very bottom of the economic ladder, the most destitute of people, do not have the capabilities and the wherewithal to immigrate. Therefore, the immigrants that are referenced and checked are not simply poor peasants. In fact, the majority of them are skilled laborers who had lost their jobs or found their skills were no longer needed in their native country. The immigrant is not a poor peasant in destitute economic standing. He is simply here to work.
	While the practice of referencing and checking arranges people into separate groups and judges them is a direct violation of the principles of the United States, it does however dispel the myth that factors into immigrant restriction policy. Furthermore, those that do choose to live in the United States for only a specific amount of time are not exploiting the country. They are not dragging down the economy. They are simply accumulating wages for services of labor like any native-born worker. The savings the immigrant returns home with are equivalent to the fruit of his labor. The gathering of harvests, the digging of irrigation ditches, the tunneling of coal, the planting of crops, the building of subways and railroad terminals and skyscrapers; these are the results of immigrant labor. The immigrant leaves with the monetary equivalent of his labor, not the products of it. Great industries have prospered and the economy has ballooned through the labor of immigrants. In no way could this be construed as exploitation, but rather an essential component to the productivity and rapid advancement of American wealth and prosperity. ii
	Interestingly enough, it is important to note that the majority of immigrants are not fleeing their countries as a result of an economic crisis. It is true to assert that the Belgian immigrants have left their homeland as a result of an economic shift and change in its factory industries. It is accurate to say that Italian immigrants are coming to escape a system of landlordism that prevents them from overcoming their poor economic status. But to these groups, America represents the only chance in finding any economic independence. Therefore, the concern should not be over immigrant restriction, but rather to the adjustments and methodology that needs to be established to better acclimate immigrants socially, politically, and industrially. In doing so, it would minimize any losses to the immigrant and to the American community as well. iii
	Yet moreover, the majority of the new immigrants are fleeing their native countries out of desperation. For example, in the 1880s the Russian government passed laws in regards to the Jews. There were restrictions on land ownership, there were prohibitions passed on the ability to do business on Sundays, and there were quotas on getting a higher education. There are several stories of persecution and deplorable acts of violence that the Russian Jews had to endure. In one case, a mother said she, "...saw her baby's eyes burned out and her husband killed..." Her immigration was born out of a desperate need to save the rest of her family from religious persecution. Immigration today is rooted in the very same principle that it was rooted in during the seventeenth century. It is an escape from intolerable conditions and religious persecution. The Jews from Russia and the Spanish Protestants see America as a bastion of hope, a land of religious freedom. This does not differ from the determination of the Puritans, the English Catholics, and the Quakers years ago. iv
	There are other procedures that are either being considered or have already been implemented for immigrants to undergo before acceptance into the United States that violate our bedrock principles and moral codes. For instance, it has been proposed that all immigrants be required to take and complete a literacy test before gaining entrance into the country. This is an absurd suggestion in that such a test is in no way indicative of the immigrant's character, ambition, or personality. Furthermore, an inability to read or white does not constitute any wrongdoing or fault on behalf of the immigrant. It cannot be categorized as a deficiency or a problematic trait. The conditions in which the immigrant was raised are often beyond his control. Oftentimes, the inability to read or write is a direct result of the conditions of his environment. The primary concern in the United States should not be over whether or not we institute a literacy test requirement to determine the acceptance of new immigrants. The concern should be over guaranteeing that we supply the immigrant with an education and understanding of language. Once again, the philosophies of our sacred documents should help to determine our course of action. v
	In addition to literacy tests, it has also been proposed that the immigrant be required to present an official police record before gaining acceptance into the United States. The idea for this stems from the currently held belief that the immigrants are more likely to commit violent acts of crime, pillage and steal, and fall victim to alcohol. However, the United States Immigration Commission has concluded that, "...conviction for crime is not more common among [the immigrants] than among the native born..." Furthermore, it is foolish to assume that the simple review of a police record is in any way, shape, or form, going to be a deterrent to criminals, and most likely, criminals are still going to be able to find their way into the country. This is further compounded by the fact that several of these records indicate convictions for crimes that do not apply to the laws of the United States. For instance, there are countless European immigrants who spoke out in favor of the principles of the United States. The moral philosophies on which America is governed are the means by which these immigrants seek independence. By setting forth policies in an attempt to prevent a very small minority, checking the police record would affect a larger group of immigrants whose only crime was a declaration for their own freedom. vi
	What is at work here is a misrepresentation and distortion of the truth. The media has been irresponsible and failed to adhere to its role of objectivity. Newspaper reports are filled with stories that portray the immigrant as brutish and violent. It has Americans convinced that the immigrant has no respect for the law. This is the result of poor and inaccurate journalism. Mary Antin, a Russian immigrant, wrote in They Who Knock at Our Gates ,
"Half a dozen Italians draw knives in a brawl on a given evening, and the morning newspapers are full of the story. On the same evening hundreds of Italians were studying civics in the night schools, rehearsing for a historical pageant at the settlement and not a word about them in the newspapers...To speak of the immigrant as undesirable because a few of them throw bombs or live by gambling is about as fair as it would be for the world to call us Americans a nation of dissolute millionaires and industrial pirates because...Rockefeller swept a host of competitors to ruin."
	Ultimately, the immigrants have been misrepresented by politicians and by an irresponsible media. In doing so, the United States has begun to undermine the Constitution and has started to dismantle the moral philosophy transcribed in the Declaration of Independence. If the United States is to be a country for the people and by the people, and these very people are to be equal creatures in the image of God, then it is our civic duty to ensure that the immigrants are not restricted but rather properly adjusted and assimilated into the fabric of American society. Immigrants who come as a result of economic turmoil in their native land should not be seen as exploiters, but rather as fellow workers. They have been largely responsible for our economic growth and our industrial achievements. They come to seek the same economic independence that native-born citizens are privy to. The constitution needs to be applied universally in this regard, as a philosophy that represents a moral view of all humankind. The immigrants who come to this country to escape persecution and intolerable conditions mirror our own heritage and ancestry. The United States was founded by a group of people who sought independence and freedom and were immigrants themselves. It is hypocritical then to dismiss our heritage and deny the same opportunities to other immigrants. They are not criminals. They are not savages. They are human beings entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
	
	










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