Immigrant Rights and Social Democracy: The Immigration Debate on the Left

Question 1

The cosmopolitan camp in immigration politics favors robust immigration admissions and broad immigrant rights. Can you provide examples of U.S. political leaders and groups in this tradition?

Answer 1

AOC, JFK, Thomas Paine, National Immigration Forum

Question 2

Drawing on Nichols and class discussion, why did the DREAMers break from more seasoned immigrant rights and civil rights advocates?

Answer 2

Fighting for national reform was unproductive. ex. CIRA, instead aiming for local and state reform that could reverse the impacts of anti-immigration policy being put in place

Question 3

What pressures did the Obama and Biden presidencies face on immigration policy? How did the respond to them

Question 4

Why have progressive critics of U.S. immigration policy, such as Frederick Douglass and Barbara Jordan, called for restricting immigrant numbers while protecting immigrant rights?

Answer 4

the American “social contract” calls on us to advance
social, economic, and political justice among citizens before welcoming new arrivals.

Question 5

What are humanity claims and belonging claims, according to Hiroshi Motomura?

Answer 5

Belonging claims: the connections that people have to communities in any given
country. These ties are the source of their claims (often when people don’t have lawful
immigration status) to be treated like others in the nation

Humanity claims: based on the dignity of all people, no matter who they are or where
they were born or where they live. These claims set a floor or minimum as a way of
thinking about justice for all people regardless of their ties to any countries.

Question 6

Can you provide examples of border hawks, capitalists, cosmopolitans and social democrats in U.S. immigration politics?

Answer 6

Capitalist: Alexander Hamilton, Ronald Regan

Boarderhawk: Agrippa, Dennis Kearny,
Social Democrats: Thomas Jefferson, John Rawls, Barbara Jordan