Friday, September 9, 2016

Thoughts On The Issue Of Immigration In Chicago

By William Hall


Immigration refers to the movement of people from one place to another. Many things including war, poverty and the search for better opportunities cause this. Movements of people will never stop. This is how the world was made to function. There are diverse opinions on the matter of immigration in Chicago. People have varied perspectives. It all depends on a person's upbringing and his level of education. This is usually a subject of debate in political and economic circles.

Most scholars have said that immigrants built America. This opinion will not go away any time soon. Media outlets usually publish it. A close examination of Chicago will reveal that it has many immigrants. That is the reason why it ranks highly in the diversity scale. It is almost overtaking New York as the most diverse American city. There are whites, blacks, Indians, Chinese, Latinos and other peoples in this city.

There is also the economic angle. Economics and the leading figures in the world of commerce usually adopt this opinion. It makes economic sense to have immigrants who are skilled and talented. This helps to grow the economy. The American economy has grown over the years because of influx of immigrants who have diverse talents and skills. Immigration is not bad after all.

Politicians spend a lot of time airing their opinions on this matter. A person's political inclination will shape his school of thought. Basically, there are right wingers and those who are on the left. Leftists tend to favor immigration while those on the other side are very cautious. The two major political parties in the US usually prioritize this matter. It forms the bedrock of political campaigns. People are elected to office purely because of their stances.

Most immigrants prefer the US. Many foreigners have the dream of working and leaving in America one day. This is what motivates people to come from as far as China or Cuba to this big and beautiful country. Mexicans lead the pack. There are closely followed by other South American countries. This is because of proximity of Latin America to the US.

Chicago immigrant patterns are constantly shifting. They started with a high influx of Irish and Germans. This was in the middle years of the 19th century. Towards the close of this century, Russians and the Jews started arriving by the hordes from Europe. It was in 1965 that immigration laws were amended. This opened a door for Asians and Latinos.

In the 21st century, Mexicans, Indians and Poles form the bulk of immigrants to Chicago. Other countries contributing significant immigrant immigrants are Philippines and Korea. There are also African immigrants. Lately, there has been a decline in European immigrants because of the stability and opportunities of most European countries. The foreign-born population of this city is increasing with every passing year.

The topic of immigration always draws mixed reactions. It splits people right in the middle. Despite its controversial nature, no one can stop movements of people. Since the beginning of time, people have always been on the move, in the quest for better opportunities. Some move because of the spirit of adventure. This subject matter has political, social and economic angles.




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