The Other Side of America By Wendi Williams, Editor

I have spent half my life either working or studying on a college campus where I've met people from every continent in the world, including native Asians from Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan. We consider these countries to be political hot spots of the world today. Regardless, these unique individuals taught me how to be comfortable in my own skin, and sadly, the process of "letting go." Every now and then I wonder what they are doing. Did they stay in America or return home as productive citizens in their native lands? What I remember the most, however, is how easy it was to share our cultures--the art, clothing, dance, music, religion, food, or even the depressing stories about racism in America. But in spite of my experiences with different nationalities, I must admit that I still harbor some misconceptions about people who are different from me. I hope this article will help to dispel misconceptions you may have about the nation's growing immigrant populations and what America is doing to resolve immigration problems.

United States Immigrants
Immigration is the process of people moving from one country to another on a permanent basis, or certainly, for an extended period of time. From the 1600s to the 1900s, other than Africans who were brought to North America against their will as slaves, most immigrants came willingly to the United States (US) to escape some form of hardship or to find a better way of life (Wikipedia, 2008). Many of them were poor with little or no formal education. Today, America is known as the "melting pot" because the people have blended their distinctive cultures under "one nation," although the reasons they come to the US remain the same.

In 2006, 1.27 million immigrants became legal residents. For more than 20 years most of America's immigrants arrived from Mexico, China, India, and the Philippines. In 2007, the number of illegal and legal immigrants living in the US reached an all time high of 37.9 million people, the highest number in eight decades. This means that one in eight people in America are now immigrants, and one in three immigrants are here illegally. It is estimated that half of the Mexican and Central American, and one-third of South American immigrants are considered to be illegal aliens. The states of Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington have seen the greatest immigrant population growth by an average of 15 percent (CIC, 2007). Perhaps now you can understand the general perception that most Mexicans are here illegally. You will find countless arguments on both sides as to whether their presence in America is good or bad.

Alabama's Immigrant Population
As of July 2006, Alabama's total population is estimated at 4.6 million, growing 3.4 percent since the last census in 2000 (US Census Bureau, 2006). During the same period, Alabama's immigrant population increased by 23 percent for an estimated total of 114,000 internationals. According to the Pew Hispanic Center as of 2005, Alabama had approximately 30,000 to 50,000 illegal residents. Compared to most states, however, Alabama's immigrants comprise only 2.5 percent of the state's general population.

What can be done?
The truth is that no one really knows for sure how many illegal immigrants live in America, and I doubt that anyone is going to willingly stand up and declare themselves and/or their family members as illegal aliens. So, we will never have an accurate count. However, most people will agree that the current immigration system is not working. What can be done to resolve this hotly debated issue?

You will find these possible options in the report titled Current Issues of Immigration, 2007 by the Constitutional Rights Foundation:

• Curtail the entry of immigrants crossing the borders to look for work.
• Prevent employers from hiring immigrants without formal documentation.
• Eliminate government services to unauthorized persons.
• Allow undocumented workers an opportunity to attain citizenship and to be given a proper work permit.
• Create a "guest-worker" program to allow Mexican nationals, for example, to enter and work legally in jobs that Americans do not readily occupy.
• Allow a greater number of legal immigrants to enter the country provided there are enough jobs to accommodate them.
• Make the immigrant process easier to allow many individuals to join their families.
• Provide more aid or increase trade to Mexico to reduce economic burdens.

On January 28, 2008, President Bush discussed the immigration debate during his State of the Union address, pointing out what current measures have been taken in spite of the fact that no new immigration reform bill has been passed. And now that we are in the process of electing our next president, it may be an issue he will leave for the next president and Congress to resolve.

Regardless of the outcome of any immigration reform measures, The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is ready to create or improve the services it currently offers to immigrant residents. Our job, although challenging at times, is to help improve the quality of life for all Alabama residents. Certainly, programs like the Urban-Rural Interface Conference that focus on improving services to these audiences, is a step in the right direction.

References

Camarota, Steven A. (November 2007). Immigrants in the United States, 2007: A profile of America's foreign-born population. Center for Immigration Studies. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from

Federation for American Immigration Reform. (January 2008). Extended immigration data for Alabama. Retrieved April 4, 2008.

Martz, Carlton, Croddy, Marshall, and Hayes, Bill. (February 27, 2007). Current issues of immigration, 2007. Constitutional Rights Foundation. Retrieved April 4, 2008.

The White House. (January 2008). President Bush delivers state of the union address. Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Retrieved April 4, 2008.

Wikipedia. (April 8, 2008). Immigration. Retrieved April 8, 2008.

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