Chapter 16-1980's and beyond

"While both the volume and incidence of immigration continued the steady increase that had begun just after World War II, anti-immigration attitudes which have always lurked near the surface of the American mind, again emerged" (p.388)

Hesburgh, a humanitarian, stressed economic arguments in a way that also mirrored the national perception of limited possibilities:
"During the next 15 years, assuming a persistently strong economy, the United States will create about 30 million new jobs. Can we afford to set aside more than 20 percent of them for foreign workers? No. It would be a disservice to our own poor and unfortunate." (p.389)

..."the commission urged that the government set up an amnest program to allow illegal immigrants who were already established in the United States to regularize their status and become United States Citizens." (p.391)

The immigration reform act 1986, amnesty-requirements that employers verify eligibility of newly hired employees, whether resident aliens, naturalized citizens, or native-born Americans to work in the United States, provisions of seemingly touch sanctions, including prison sentences, for employers who hire illegal immigrants..." (p.392)

"Each successful applicant has two more major hurdles to clear" (p.393)

"The stick was supposed to be provided by the new eligibility for employment requirements and sanctions against employers who persisted in hiring illegal aliens contrary to law" (p.395)

"The essential hypocrisy of the law can most easily be seen in its employer sanctions provisions" (p.395)

"The law favored growers in a most blatant way, by authorizing up to 250,000 additional "green cards" for temporary agricultural workers" (p.396)

"By the mid-1980's, US English chief stated goal is a law making English the official US language, had ecliosed other members of the coalition in notoriety and effectiveness" (p.392)

"The General alignments within society are quite different. The 1920's were dominate by struggles between rural and urban elements in American society..." The 1980's are culturally much more complex" (p.399)

"...the image many Europeans have of the contemporary United States as a nation awash with crime, drugs, pollution and economic problems has diminished its pull and caused many of them to regard the United States as an interesting place to visit byt not one they want to live in" (p.400)

"[The Irish} They are thus barred from the family preference system that cominates current immigration and since they are economically motivated immigrants... they cannot claim refugee status either" (p.401)

..."the United States senate passed another major immigration revision in 1988" (p.402)

"Within 150,000, a special pool of 54,000 slots annually were to be awarded on a point system giving the highest priority to young, educated, and skilled persons in high demand occupations" (p.403)

"Unless there is a disastrous depression in the United States a depression whose severity and length rivals that of the 1930's, there will be many more persons wanting to immigrate the United States than the country will be willing or able to accept" (p.405)

"The sesquicentennial celebrations, in the 1920's had all but ignored immigration and immigrants but the celebrations in the 1970's tried to embrace Americans of every race and ethnicity" (p.407)

"...the 12 million who have come in the quarter century since 1965 will, with their descendants be an important factor in American life for the foreseeable future and will continue to contribute to its growing diversity" (p.408)