Lab Manager at Immigration Initiative at Harvard
Has a MA in international political economy from King's College London as a Chevening Scholar and worked as an educator for over seven years. She is passionate about civics and early childhood education.
Nancy Palencia Ramirez
Immigrants at the border.

America’s long, fractured history of immigration

Immigrants at the border.

 

The United States has a long and complex history with immigration, characterized by both a rich tradition of welcoming newcomers and periods of tension, discrimination, and fractured policies. Immigration has significantly influenced the development of American society and culture, both historically and currently.

Immigration to the United States has its roots in the colonial era, when European settlers came looking for a fresh start, economic opportunity, and religious freedom. Millions of immigrants from Europe, mostly from Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Eastern Europe, landed on American soil in pursuit of a better life during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In order to support economic growth and meet the workforce needs of a rapidly industrializing country, the United States established an open-door policy during this time. But as the immigrant population grew, conflicts started to emerge. Certain populations, particularly those from Asia, Southern, and Eastern Europe, faced discrimination and nativist attitudes. Restrictive laws designed to reduce immigration from particular areas include the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the introduction of quotas in the Immigration Act of 1924.

Early 20th-century anti-immigrant sentiment was fueled by worries about national security, employment competitiveness, and cultural assimilation.

Discussions over immigration have gotten more divisive and heated over the past few decades. Passionate discussions have been sparked in American politics and society over issues including unauthorized immigration, economic effects, and national security. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform proposals from 2006 and 2013 are only two examples of attempts to change the immigration system that have had difficulty winning support from lawmakers.

The ongoing cycles of political discourse, legislative initiatives, executive orders, and court disputes highlight the shattered nature of American immigration policy. Balancing national security goals, economic realities, and humanitarian considerations has frequently led to deadlocks in policymaking and inconsistent enforcement procedures. Immigration has grown to be a contentious issue that exposes ideological and cultural divides in American society.

It is crucial to recognize that the U.S. immigration experience is not simply characterized by conflict and disjointed policy. Immigrants have made significant contributions to the arts, sciences, business, society, and cultural fabric of the United States. Immigrants have significantly contributed to the nation’s ingenuity, entrepreneurship, and cultural diversity, greatly enhancing American society.

There is a continuing need for serious and comprehensive reforms that balance the country’s ideals, economic interests, and humanitarian considerations as it deals with the difficulties and opportunities brought about by immigration.

 

Learn more about the US immigrant experience here. 

Lab Manager at Immigration Initiative at Harvard
Has a MA in international political economy from King's College London as a Chevening Scholar and worked as an educator for over seven years. She is passionate about civics and early childhood education.
Nancy Palencia Ramirez
Carola Speaking

Overcoming Barriers to Citizenship and Immigrant Inclusion

Our own IIH Director Carola Suárez Orozco hosted the second panel, “Overcoming Barriers to Citizenship and Immigrant Inclusion.”

On this panel, Eva Millona, Chief Office of Citizenship, Partnership, and Engagement (OCPE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Mary Waters, PVK Professor of Arts and Sciences, and John L. Loeb Professor of Sociology, Harvard University, and HGSE graduate student Nancy Palencia Ramírez discuss the importance of incorporating immigrant students into the US culture and workforce.

If you missed the event live, the recording is now available via the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. Watch Here

Lab Manager at Immigration Initiative at Harvard
Has a MA in international political economy from King's College London as a Chevening Scholar and worked as an educator for over seven years. She is passionate about civics and early childhood education.
Nancy Palencia Ramirez
Kamiya Parkin of Boston, center, celebrated with friends at the University of Massachusetts Boston commencement ceremony at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in 2022.

The solution to declining college enrollment? Immigrants.

Kamiya Parkin of Boston, center, celebrated with friends at the University of Massachusetts Boston commencement ceremony at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in 2022.

 

Over the past decade, higher education has faced steep declines in enrollment at all but the most competitive of colleges. Driven by myriad forces — a drop in the college-age population, rising costs, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a comparatively attractive labor market — students are enrolling at rates that worry college administrators across the nation. Immigrant-origin students, however, provide a demographic beacon of hope that has largely gone unrecognized. It’s time to take stock of their demographic significance and the human capital they bring.

Immigrant-origin youth — those with at least one parent born outside of the United States — are the fastest-growing group of students in higher education today. New data estimates revealed at the recent Higher Education Pathways to Immigration: Why it Matters Summit indicate they make up a stunning 31 percent of all college students across the United States — a 58 percent increase from 2000 to 2018. The majority (84 percent) of these students are citizens either by birth (68 percent) or through naturalization (16 percent).

Read the full article here