The United States of America
The United States Capitol in Washington D.C.
Date of Independence: July 4, 1776
Capital: Washington D.C.
Population: 329,877,505 as of July 1, 2020
Foreign-Born Population: 44,863,340 estimated with data as of July 1, 2019
Government Structure: Presidential Democracy
Leader(s): President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris
Primary Flow of Immigration:
The United States has a greater influx of immigrants than it does emigrants
According to a 2016 statistic, about 3 million American-born people lived outside of the US
Mexicans comprise the largest percentage of immigrants at about 25%, followed by Indians at 6%, and Chinese immigrants at 5%
Current Stance on Immigration:
Immigration Policy:
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)
The INA allows 675,000 visas to be granted each year, not including the admittance of U.S. citizens’ spouses, parents, and children under the age of 21
The President must meet with Congress annually to set a number for refugees admitted under the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Process.
Annually, no one country may contribute immigrants exceeding 7% of the total number of immigrants entering the U.S.
Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
In 2012, the Secretary of Homeland Security announced that certain immigrants who arrived as children could request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years. This deferral is eligible for renewal.
DACA recipients are eligible to work in the United States.
The Trump administration placed bans on 5 Muslim majority countries and dramatically reduced the number of refugees permitted to enter the U.S. from 110,000 in 2017 to 45,000 in 2018 and 30,000 in 2019
President Trump’s 2017 ban restricted travel to the United States by nationals Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. Venezuela and North Korea were also limited by the ban.
On January 20, 2021, President Biden signed a “Proclamation on Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to The United States,” revoking Executive Order 13780, Proclamations 9645, 9723, and 9983—policies relating to the Muslim ban.
The Statue of Liberty in New York City, a symbol of freedom and democracy gifted to the US by France in 1885.
Further Reading:
Batalova, Jeanne, Brittany Blizzard, and Jessica Bolter. “Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States.” migrationpolicy.org, February 12, 2020. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states.
Murdza, Katy. “Biden Took Eight Administrative Actions on Immigration. Here’s What You Need to Know.” Immigration Impact (blog), January 23, 2021. https://immigrationimpact.com/2021/01/22/biden-immigration-changes/.
American Immigration Council. “How the United States Immigration System Works,” March 1, 2014. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/how-united-states-immigration-system-works.
—Emma Silverman
Sources:
American Immigration Council. (2014, March 1). How the United States Immigration System Works. American Immigration Council. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/how-united-states-immigration-system-works
American Immigration Council. (2015, January 1). Immigrants in the United States. American Immigration Council. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/immigrants-in-the-united-states
Batalova, J., Blizzard, B., & Bolter, J. (2020, February 12). Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States. Migrationpolicy.Org. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states
Batalova, J., Shymonyak, A., & Mittelstadt, M. (2020, November). Immigration Data Matters. Migrationpolicy.Org. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/immigration-data-matters
Breisblatt, J. (2018, June 26). Supreme Court Upholds President Trump’s Muslim Ban. Immigration Impact. https://immigrationimpact.com/2018/06/26/supreme-court-upholds-muslim-ban/
Connor, P., & López, G. (n.d.). 5 facts about the U.S. rank in worldwide migration. Pew Research Center. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/05/18/5-facts-about-the-u-s-rank-in-worldwide-migration/
Ferdinand, S. (2017). Photo by Ferdinand Stöhr on Unsplash [Photography]. https://unsplash.com/photos/PeFk7fzxTdk
Murdza, K. (2021, January 23). Biden Took Eight Administrative Actions on Immigration. Here’s What You Need to Know. Immigration Impact. https://immigrationimpact.com/2021/01/22/biden-immigration-changes/
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.). Statue Of Liberty National Monument (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm
Perez, C. (2019). Photo by Caleb Perez on Unsplash [Photography]. https://unsplash.com/photos/a6h5e59r15o
Proclamation on Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to The United States. (2021, January 21). The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/proclamation-ending-discriminatory-bans-on-entry-to-the-united-states/
U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.-a). Population Clock. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.census.gov/popclock/
U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.-b). U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: United States. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US#
USA.gov. (n.d.). U.S. History and Historical Documents | USAGov. USAGov. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.usa.gov/history
USCIS. (2019, July 10). Immigration and Nationality Act | USCIS. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. https://www.uscis.gov/laws-and-policy/legislation/immigration-and-nationality-act
USCIS. (2021, January 21). Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) | USCIS. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/humanitarian-parole/consideration-of-deferred-action-for-childhood-arrivals-daca
