Impact of Migration Policy on Economic Growth in the United States

This essay examines the historical context and current state of migration policy in the United States, focusing on its impact on economic growth and social dynamics. It discusses the integration of migrants, the challenges of multiculturalism, and the changing demographics of the US population, particularly the growing influence of Hispanic and Asian communities. The essay also addresses the rise of migrant-phobia and the absence of a comprehensive federal integration policy, contrasting the "American" and "European" models of interaction with migrants. Ultimately, it argues that current migration policies hinder the legalization and integration of migrants, contributing to illegal migration and social fragmentation, and calls for a more flexible approach that combines elements of both American and European models.

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Introduction
Mass migration to the United States details back to the movement of the first
European settlements in the 1600. The history shows that the second group to mass migrate in
the US are the Africans in 1619 who were being imported as slaves. I think that the
successive waves of immigrants have been seen later from Latin America and Asia due to
good fortunes in the United States. Thus, it can be said that the migration policy in the United
States consists in the integration of migrants and multiculturalism, which ultimately hinders
the economic growth of the country and creates an acute social situation in the society
(Oriana, 108). I think that mass migration has as well altered result of the rules that children
born to the territory of the United States, receive citizenship of this country automatically, the
proportion of Hispanics and Asia in the structure of the composition of the population is
growing significantly.
Background for Implementation of the Integration Policy of Migrants in The USA
As I write about mass migration, the United States has historically always represented a sort
of magnet for migration flows, but the current situation in the migration sphere is at least
complex, if not exceptional, in the history of the country. In terms of numbers, the newest
migration to the United States can be compared with the periods of mass migrations of 1891-
1920 and 1971-2000, when about 18 million and 20 million migrants arrived in the country,
respectively. The number of migrants in the total population of the country has always been
significant, but the current rates of increase are unprecedented: the period 2000-2005. Was

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marked by the largest migration influx of 7.9 million people. In 2011, the total number of
migrants reached 40.4 million (13% of the total US population), of which 12 million are
illegal immigrants who are permanently present in the country. I think the integration of
newly arrived migrants has always been and remains a challenge for American society and
state institutions. The last successful experience of the assimilation of immigrants to date has
almost exhausted its potential. The lack of a focused state strategy of interaction with
migrants over the past three decades against the background of a significantly increased
migration flow from Latin America and Asia with a new force actualizes the problem of
marginalization and separation of migrants in the US (Elia, 22).
Changes in the distribution of migration flows
New phenomena in the migration sphere are clearly visible on the example of the
territorial resettlement of immigrants in the United States. As a migration law expert, I think
there is a gradual decrease in the rate of migration growth in traditional immigrant states1 due
to the dispersed distribution of migration flows throughout the country, which is accompanied

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by the outflow of migrants from megalopolises. Thus, the demographer W. Frey, in his work
“The Myth of Diversity”, writes that newly arrived migrants come from Latin America and,
to a lesser extent, Asian countries, “live in regions where the majority of residents have never
heard Spanish or Chinese , - mainly in the suburbs, small towns and rural
settlements(Troy ,102). These new groups of migrants have practically replaced immigrants
from the countries of Southern and Eastern Europe. W. Frey notes that most of the US
population do not have the experience of living in a multiethnic multi-cultural environment,
and many representatives of the host society do not have the skills of intercultural
communication. In this regard, my thoughts are not only for immigrants, but also Native
Americans today have difficulties in adapting to a new multicultural reality.
1. Mass Hispanic migrants and their Influence
In the coming decades, I think serious qualitative changes are expected in the US
ethnic composition. First of all, they affect the dominant group of white Americans today: in
the period 1970–2050s. The number of white Americans is expected to decrease from 89% to
about 50% (or less than 50% if the pan-European decline in fertility prevails) due to mass
“foreign ethnic” migration and high birth rates in Spanish-speaking families, which is 48%
and 32% higher than white Americans and African Americans, respectively. I think it is
necessary to take into account that the uncertainty of the future of illegal migrants, mainly
Hispanic, makes it extremely difficult to predict the demographic situation and changes in the
ethnic composition of American society: according to the US Census Bureau, by 2050 the
population will increase to 439 million people; The UN predicts an increase to 402 million
(Massey, 89).

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From my point of view of Cisneros, the population of the USA can reach 430 million,
which means an increase of almost 130 million people. The ethnic composition of these 130
million will be approximately as follows: 18 million - white Americans, 25 million - African
Americans, 27 million - Asians (Asian Americans), 60 million - Latin Americans. According
to the presented calculations, by 2050 the total number of immigrants from Latin American
countries and their descendants will reach 100 million people, which will correspond to
almost 25% of all residents of the country. These changes can contribute to the fact that Latin
Americans will become one of the leading actors in the economic, social and political spheres
of the United States.
I think that against the background of high political activity of Latin Americans, their
socio-cultural integration is taking place much slowly. The main indicator here is the decline
in English proficiency among Spanish migrants. In California, Texas and New York, there are
approximately 25% of the total population of the states. The linguistic barrier is responsible
for the growth of migrant-phobia in American society, and Spanish-speaking migrants are
increasingly becoming targets.

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The changes taking place in the American society are provoking heated debates about
the priorities of migration policy, its consequences and the future of migrants. An opinion poll
showed that “about 48% of respondents support the idea of strengthening migration control.
Far from all Americans believe that immigration has a positive impact on the country's socio-
economic development: 53% of respondents say that “immigration creates more problems
than it opens up new opportunities”.
My thoughts are that despite the relatively perceptive attitude of the population to
cultural and religious diversity, today there is no reason to talk about "American exclusivity."
There is a widespread belief in the country that “the United States should remain a white
country, and the ethnic and racial composition of the population should not undergo radical
changes. A striking example of the rejection of Hispanic migrants is the actual identification
in the public mind of Americans of the concepts of “illegal migrants” and “Latin Americans”,
especially “Mexicans”. The growth of migrant-phobia in relation to the Hispanic population
opens the way for the “racialization” and marginalization of the latter, which in the future
may slow down the pace of integration of this group of migrants (Thomas, 112).
Immigrant integration legislation
In the USA, in contrast to such countries of classical immigration as Canada and
Australia, there is still no federal policy for the integration of migrants. My thoughts are that,
In the organization of state institutions there are no specialized immigration and integrated
integration of migrants. Most integration programs are implemented at the level of civil
society. Exceptions are target groups of refugees and legal migrant workers who receive
limited government support.

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In this regard, my thoughts are that two federal programs focused on the integration of
migrants are exceptional in their spirit. The first is the “No Child Left Behind” program,
approved by the 107th US Congress in 2001 (one of the objectives of the program is to
finance school education programs to improve English proficiency in students; especially this
provision concerned the target group of migrant children).
To partially solve the problem of illegal migration, lawmakers proposed extending a
residence permit for those illegal immigrants who, at the time of their arrival in the United
States, were not 16 years old, lived in the country for at least five years, received a good
personal characterization, and after graduating from American secondary school institution of
higher education or went to serve in the US military. Difficulties in adopting this bill are
related to the fact that it was supposed to be the first step in carrying out a comprehensive
immigration reform, whose task is to determine the status (and possible amnesty) of more
than 12 million illegal immigrants, two million of whom came to the country with their
parents in a minor age (Haas,21).
We are on the path to the immigration as an accession” model, which focuses on the
process of gradually integrating immigrants into society — as they are employed, giving birth
to children of gaining citizenship of a new country, strengthening social ties. In this process,
immigrants “are transformed from outsiders into quasi-citizens. During the integration of
immigrants into the host society, their status may gradually change, and along with the rights
of immigrants, certain responsibilities are assigned. It is within this model that debates are

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now being held in Congress about the legalization of illegal labor migrants who have been in
the country for a long time and have extensive e social connections, contribute to the
country's economy and wish to continue to stay in their country of residence. It is important
to note that federal initiatives within the “immigration as an accession” model, coming
primarily from representatives of the US Democratic Party, often meet with tremendous
opposition from state authorities (Petrenko 45).
The Migration Phobia
I think the political trend associated with growing migrant-phobia (mainly to migrants
from Latin American countries) at the regional level gradually moved from the sphere of
political discussions to the field of legislative initiatives. To counterbalance the position of
the federal center in the person of the Presidential Administration, mass campaigns against
migrants were carried out in a number of states and laws were passed that strengthened
repressive measures against illegal migrants and general control over migration.
In the process of taking such tough anti-immigration measures in a number of states,
the historical experience of successful integration of pan-speaking migrants into American
society was virtually unaccounted for: a significant proportion of Latin American second and
third generations consider English as their native language and position themselves as
“Americans”. It is for the speedy achievement of this result that the authorities of individual
states adopt programs of positive actions in the area of migrant integration.
My thoughts are that at this stage of globalization, the United States and the EU
countries face common problems - this is the growth of illegal migration, a drastic change in
ethnic composition of the population, increasing cultural diversity and fragmentation of social
fabric and, as a result; - bursts of xenophobia and migrant-phobia in host societies. This
situation requires the development of a new flexible approach, which consists in a

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complementary combination of the “American” and “European” models of interaction with
migrants for the effective implementation of the whole range of integration policy measures -
instrumental, economic, social and cultural.
The dominance of the models “immigration as a contract” and “immigration as
belonging” in the modern migration policy of the USA impedes the legalization and
integration of migrants, at the same time contributing to the growth of illegal migration. This
installation not only impedes the improvement of a democratic political regime that does not
recognize the formal inequality of people living in the same society, but also increases the
risks of marginalizing the huge flows of migrants from Latin America and Asia and increases
migrant-phobia from the receiving population.

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Reasons for migration in the region
I think intensification of migration flows in recent decades has become one of the
most important manifestations of globalization. At the same time, migration itself contributes
to the further deepening of globalization processes. Along with the information and financial
flows, it is an important factor in shaping the global economy. Population migration has long
been viewed as a natural process that does not pose a threat to the security of countries and
peoples. However, nowadays more and more about migration is referred to as a serious
problem.
This change is due to the fact that the last stage of globalization, which began after the
collapse of the USSR, gave many local or regional problems a global scale. These include
international migration, which affects all participants in this process (host countries, donor
countries, transit regions and migrants themselves) due to its size, lack of organization,
irregularity and loss of a constructive nature. Mobility of people has increased many times,
and the reasons lie in the path that mankind moved at the end of the twentieth century: this is
the dominant neoliberal model of economic development, to which many countries moved in
the 90s of the last century and which deprived many people of their jobs and growth political
and criminal violence, also largely associated with changes on the world stage, - which could
not but be reflected on the national level.
Migration has ceased to be the driving force of social development.
My thoughts are that due to the variety of causes and consequences of mass
displacement of people, the region is different from others. In it, the common features of
migration, characteristic of many countries, are closely intertwined with specific internal

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ones, leading to consequences that cannot be seen in other regions of the world (Diodato, 33).
Perhaps there is no other region in the world in which migration would be “put on stream”
and turned into such a large-scale business. However, it is here that one can find trends,
patterns, causes and consequences of migration flows common to many countries of the
world.
For Mexico, international migration is not a new phenomenon, but for the countries of
Central America it acquired a special significance in the last quarter of the last century, when
migration outside the region significantly increased. In the 1980s, migration grew at an
average of 9% per year. Its causes in Mexico and Central America differ. In Mexico, socio-
economic factors always dominated, and in Central American countries they began to play a
role only recently, while at the end of the twentieth century migration was determined by civil
wars and the associated increase in violence. The latter has not lost its significance as a
reason for migration even now, and some authors consider it to be more influencing the
migration than economic factors(Richard, 76).
2. Mass Migration of Asians
The second mass migration I will cover is the mass migration of Asians to America.
Economic reasons have been the main reason for Asians to migrate to the united states.
Contries like Indonesia, Philippines, India and China has seen an influx of their population to
America.
The economic reasons for the increase in migration flows from the countries of the
region in question are connected with the neoliberal model, oriented towards the opening of
national economies, accompanied by hypocritical arguments about the positive role of
competition. It is important that different nations and states approached the new system of an

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open globalizing world unequally prepared and differing, first of all, in their economic
potential. As a result, the meeting of more developed, or, more precisely, more protected
economies with less protected in the open globalization of the global space was marked by
upheavals.
Globalization has consolidated the division of labor in the world capitalist system, in
which developed countries got the knowledge economy with its creative nature of work and
information technologies, and the developing countries the real economy, designed to ensure
the development of the "first echelon" of countries. In the latter group can be attributed not
only the countries of Central America, but Mexico, no matter how offensive it may seem to
the authorities (Sandra, 99).
I think that the last decades of the last century can be described as highly conflicting
and controversial embedding of Central America into the world economy and global society.
The migration of people is driven by processes that make their lives impossible: the negative
consequences of neoliberal reforms, with which the authorities tried to “inscribe” their
economies into the world market, the deterioration of the ecological situation. They decided
to emigrate because they did not receive anything from economic transformations, turned out
to be “thrown away” from a new reality, in which their traditional, but already
“denationalized” economy was destroyed.

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At the same time, I think it is important not only the direct impact of the economic
situation on migration associated with the inability to provide a growing population with jobs,
but indirect influence - the collapse of people’s last hopes for a decent life and the
opportunity to get out of poverty, the destruction of social life in these states.
Mass Migration of People from Asia
Cause migration from the countries of Central America and factors that, while not
being purely economic, are related to the nature of economic development - for example,
environmental degradation due to the activities of transnational companies. It is often
accompanied by intensive use and soil erosion, desertification and salinization of land, as
well as groundwater sources of drinking water. The implementation of large projects,
paradoxically, can also contribute to emigration: an example is the Garifuna people in
Honduras, who lose their lands because of the implementation of large mega-projects by