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 are never short of opinions. They frequently talk about immigrants. The prevailing politics of the day usually influences the fate of thousands of immigrants. Politicians on the left side have favorable opinions. However, the conservative ones usually suggest radical approaches. This matter will continue forming the bedrock of American political campaigns. Politicians simply love to talk about this topic.

People immigrating to the US are from different parts of the world. A good percentage comes across the border. Mexico and other South American countries are the biggest contributors of immigrants. There are also those who come from far-flung destination such as China and Vietnam. Some people escaping war and other unfortunate circumstances usually end up on the shores of the United States.

Chicago Immigration patterns have changed over time. The major shift has been change in the demographics of immigrants. There was a time in history when most immigrants were of European descent. Presently, a big percentage are either Asian or Mexican. There are still European immigrants mostly from Poland but they do not represent a significant percentage of the immigrants.

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.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment