Studies: Immigrants Worldwide Staying Put, Those in U.S. Still "Buying Into the American Dream"
By Diego Graglia &bull 9/10/09 • Categorized as Immigration News 
(Photo: Perfecto Insecto/Flickr - Click to visit)
Immigrants worldwide “are overwhelmingly choosing to stay put in their adopted countries, rather than return home,” in the face of the economic crisis, and those in the U.S. continue to “strongly buy into the American Dream,” said a couple of reports released this week.
Migration and the Global Recession, published Tuesday, done by the Migration Policy Institute for the BBC World Service, reported that “some migration flows, particularly illegal migration, are … down as would-be migrants are being deterred by reduced job prospects in countries that would previously have offered them better opportunities.”
At the same time, A Place to Call Home, released Wednesday by the non-profit group Public Agenda, said that “despite the worst economic crisis in decades, renewed national security concerns in a post-9/11 world and an immigration policy many consider to be broken, …immigrants themselves hold fast to their belief that America remains the land of opportunity and remain committed to becoming U.S. citizens.”
“Seven in ten immigrants say they would do it all over again,” said Scott Bittle, Public Agenda’s executive vice president in a conference call with reporters. “Most say they made the right choice (in migrating.)”
The MPI study looked at major migration flows worldwide, including the U.S.-Mexico, U.K.-Eastern Europe, Spain-Romania and Spain-Morocco; and “Gulf State flows from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and the Philippines.” It confirmed at a global level what other studies have said about the U.S. in particular: that immigrants have preferred to stay in their destination countries during the economic downturn, rather than go back home to brave conditions there.
“…counter to some widely held public perceptions, immigrants overwhelmingly are choosing to stay put in their adopted countries rather than return home despite higher unemployment and lack of jobs.”
[ Migration Slowing as Recession Bites
- MPI press release ]
BBC reporter Andrew Walker added,
“Fewer people are moving abroad for work but those who are already abroad are, for the most part, staying put.
“And in general, money sent by migrants to their families in their home country, has declined.”
- BBC World Service ]
In the U.S., the Public Agenda survey showed, immigrants are mostly content with their decision to move to the U.S. and most adapt quickly to American society, Bittle said.
The study also showed that immigrants’ “concerns about discrimination have held stable since 2002,” when a previous survey was conducted, he added. Only about a quarter of those interviewed said they had experienced some form of discrimination personally.
However, Bittle said, Mexicans and other Latin Americans were “more likely to perceive discrimination in American society.”
The study said,
“Three-quarters of Mexican immigrants say there’s at least ‘some’ discrimination against immigrants in the United States, compared with 57 percent of other immigrants.”
Despite that perception, Bittle explained that Mexicans are not more likely to experience discrimination personally than other immigrants.
Muslim immigrants, in turn, were less likely to perceive discrimination, with 64% saying they see little or no discrimination.
The survey by Public Agenda seemed to support the MPI study, since it showed that seven out of every ten immigrants “intend to make the U.S. their permanent home,” Bittle said.
People who state they love this country, but are here illegally should know that this great country of ours was founded and has flourished thanks to something we all know, cherish, and abide by: the Rule of Law. If they truly believe in the “American Dream,” they wouldn’t commit crimes to get in. Being an American citizen is not a right but a privilege.
As we have noted several times before, entering the U.S. illegally is not a crime, but a civil offense. Undocumented immigrants are not criminals just by the fact of having entered the U.S. without proper documentation.
Thanks for your comment.
Diego Graglia
Feet in 2 Worlds
The Civil Penalties under US laws are in addition to, and not in lieu of, any criminal or other civil penalties that may be imposed. The actual law is below, Section (b) is the only civil portion.
Title 8 of the US Code as currently published by the US Government reflects the laws passed by Congress as of Jan. 8, 2008, and it is this version that is shown below.
Title 8 > Chapter 12 > Subchapter II > Part VIII > Section 1325
Improper entry by alien
(a) Improper time or place; avoidance of examination or inspection; misrepresentation and concealment of facts
Any alien who
(1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or
(2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or
(3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.
(b) Improper time or place; civil penalties
Any alien who is apprehended while entering (or attempting to enter) the United States at a time or place other than as designated by immigration officers shall be subject to a civil penalty of—
(1) at least $50 and not more than $250 for each such entry (or attempted entry); or
(2) twice the amount specified in paragraph (1) in the case of an alien who has been previously subject to a civil penalty under this subsection.
Civil penalties under this subsection are in addition to, and not in lieu of, any criminal or other civil penalties that may be imposed.
c) Marriage fraud
Any individual who knowingly enters into a marriage for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or fined not more than $250,000, or both.
(d) Immigration-related entrepreneurship fraud
Any individual who knowingly establishes a commercial enterprise for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, fined in accordance with title 18, or both.
Diego Graglia is confused. In this case, it means you have no paper proof. The United States Constitution is a document. Not an un-document. It contains the laws of the land. Sneaking out of one country may not be a crime but, it is a crime to sneak into the US of A. Crimes come in all sizes here. Criminals are charged accordingly. You are required to come in the front door and prove your right(know that you are priviledged)to be here. Whatever is wrong with your country, stay home and fix it. Or, migrate thru the front door,if it’s open to you. If not, prevail on your mother country to provide for you. Figure it out the best you are able to. What else can I say? Welcome. No Dice!!!
Whether illegal immigration is a crime or not seems to be a point of contention in other forums as well as this one. For example, see this response from the Heritage Foundation to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano’s assertion that “crossing the border is not a crime per se.”
This Star-Ledger story and this subsequent Houston Chronicle post seem to clarify the answer quite well. Based on a statement by then-New Jersey U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, The Star-Ledger explains that “‘illegal presence’ … is not a violation of the U.S. criminal code,” while “‘improper entry by an alien’ … is a violation of Title 8 of the U.S. criminal code punishable by a fine of between $50 and $250 and/or a maximum of six months in jail.”
I stand corrected on my statement that entering the U.S. without the proper documentation is not a crime. I should have written that undocumented immigrants are not criminals just by the fact of being in the U.S. without proper documentation.
Thanks again for your comments.
Diego Graglia
Feet in 2 Worlds