The Pros And Cons Of US Immigration Policy

The Jewish Eastern European population suffered immeasurable losses during the second World War. While the focus remains on the horrific acts committed by Germany, there is one that is glossed over. That is the immigration policy instituted by the United States of America. An immigration policy that discriminated and prohibited entrance to the country for many Jewish refugees. Whilst Germany was committing mass genocide, America did little to stop them. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States finally responded to the violence. However, America did not do enough to aid the rising amount of displaced people in Europe. The Allied forces focused mainly on winning the war, and ignored the growing crisis while doing so. Thus, causing
the turning away of countless refugees, and denying Jewish Europeans safety from the Nazi regime. The Immigration Policy in place at the time of World War II cannot be considered an act of wartime precaution. Rather, an act of blatant xenophobia, a concept all too familiar to the United States. Throughout American history, xenophobia, a fear and/or hatred of foreign people or concepts, has been a recurring idea. This fear mainly manifests as hatred, and has become a prevalent part of American culture. Going back to the terribly discriminatory immigration policy in place during the second world war, it is plain to see how it relates to now. Following the 9/11 attacks, the American people grew increasingly concerned about Islamic terrorism, and took these concerns out on Muslims. Over the years, this fear and concern has grown into blatant hatred and discrimination against innocent followers of Islam. Recent and past events have shown that American xenophobia, if left unchecked, can manifest and grow into hatred, eventually developing into violence and hate crimes against certain groups. The actions taken in the immigration policy of the past, and the ones in the present have been based on protecting American citizens, whilst ignoring the suffering of victims of war. Through the use of immigration policies, Americans have been allowed to exhibit their xenophobia, shown in the discrimination against Jewish refugees during the second world war, as well as the actions committed against Muslims today. Moreover, this country was built on immigrants escaping religious persecution, yet is still somehow highly discriminatory against refugees, particularly ones that are not Christian. While these measures are considered precautions to keep the American people safe, the immigration policies are doing more harm than good.
During World War II, the immigration policy that was obviously Anti-Semitic could be considered a wartime precaution, however it was not. Countless refugees stayed in dangerous areas of Europe, or, once arriving to America, were sent back to Europe, where there was no place or hope for them. The strict immigration policy instituted at the time was xenophobic, as the American people were fearful of a Nazi spy being among admitted refugees. Considering this, and history’s way of repeating, it is happening once more today. The United States population fears the fact that there could be a potential terrorist among a group of Middle Eastern refugees, so instead of risking their chances and saving a majority of innocent people, the citizens of America turn their backs on all refugees. The Islamophobia and Antisemitism of now, coupled with the United States’ history of being discriminatory, it is no surprise that the actions of the past reached little compromise, and have led to issues
now. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the United States had no official procedure surrounding refugees. The only policy was a slow immigration procedure. In 1924, the Immigration Act set quotas based on an immigrant's home country. Despite Germany being the second highest, the amount of Jewish Europeans fleeing persecution greatly outnumbered the amount of visas allotted. The Great Depression had also led to a decrease in immigrants admitted, as Herbert Hoover mandated that immigrants must be able to support themselves financially, which disqualified countless families. Moreover, xenophobic views grew, and did no help to the amount of refugees admitted. In fact, even after the United States became aware of what events were unfolding in Germany, the immigration rates hardly changed. In the month of July, 1941, American embassies closed in Nazi-occupied territories. After America entered the war, it became near impossible for refugees to find safety in the United States. The Allied forces focused mainly on winning the war, and kept procrastinating on figuring out what to do about the growing amount of displaced persons in Europe. America still had a disorganized and complex immigration procedure during the war, which led to difficulties for fleeing refugees. A prime example of this confusing and xenophobic immigration procedure is the tragedy of the SS St. Louis, a German transatlantic liner. On board the ship were 937 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. Most, if not all, of the passengers had applied for United States visas and the passengers had planned to stay in Havana, Cuba before entering America. However, the political state of Cuba prevented the refugees from staying there. The passengers of the St. Louis were not informed of this, and were turned back to Germany. Of the 937 refugees, 28 were admitted, and 22 of them were Jewish. In a BBC Witness video, Gerald Granston speaks of his experience in his family’s attempt to seek refuge in the United States. He and his family were passengers on the St. Louis, and were part of the 909 refugees who were not admitted. Turned back to a country with no place or hope for them, the passengers were forced to find their own haven. Despite this, his family found safety in England, however, others were not so lucky. Those who ended up in areas that became Nazi territory would be the first to be arrested. Throughout this time, America and its citizens became increasingly wary of Jewish refugees, for fear of Nazi spies being smuggled in among them.
This fear of one evil immigrant led to careful screenings of refugees fleeing persecution. Not even half a century later, these views are prevalent. Islamophobia has grown increasingly more relevant as each year progresses, with the growing refugee crisis, coupled with recent travel bans, it is apparent there is a problem. The fear of one radical Islamic terrorist being among a group of Middle Eastern refugees has led to a fear of all Middle Eastern refugees. History repeats itself, and American history is no exception to this rule. Despite the horrific incidents of the past, religious persecution against refugees continues. Many refugees are left without aid, and the crisis continues to grow with no solid solution to the problem. Lack of government action has killed in the past, and improper government action will kill today. Executive Order 13769, or, Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States, was a recent travel ban signed in effect by 45th President Donald Trump. This executive order suspended the United States Refugee Admissions Program for approximately 4 months as well as permanently banned Syrian refugees, as well as suspended immigration law for 90 days for predominantly Muslim countries. Those countries being Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. While Donald Trump made a
statement saying it was not a Muslim ban, it does appear to be one. This has disastrous effects on the American view of Muslims. In a way, it rewards xenophobia, showing these Americans that their discriminatory views were just. The justification of xenophobia leads to more xenophobic actions, including ones that escalate from harassment to assault. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2016 there were six-hundred eighty-four reported hate crime incidents involving Jewish-Americans. That same year, there were one-hundred twenty-seven reported assaults against Muslim-Americans. A startling statistic that has roots in anti semitism and islamophobia, which are all branches of xenophobia. Americans have had the fear of what is different than them, of what could potentially harm them, since the founding of the United States. It just so happens that hatred for the Jewish community never completely dissipated after the second World War. Many people then displayed hatred towards Jewish-Americans and Jewish immigrants, and that hatred continues to today. With the emergence of extremely racist and anti-semitic ideology, including Alt-Right and Neo Nazism, this hatred is made even more obvious. The Alt-Right remained an internet phenomenon, and it was not until the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally was the public notified of it. White supremacists gathered together in protest of a statue of Robert E. Lee being removed, yet it escalated into Nazi salutes and anti-semitic chants. This is modern America, an event that occurred in August of 2017 that resulted in only approximately ten arrests. Anti-Semitic hate crimes continue: the vandalization of cemeteries, desecration of synagogues, harassment, as well as assault. While it is assumed that the country has progressed since World War II, it is clear it has not. Despite this, hatred towards the Jewish community was replaced for Muslim hatred for a short period of time. After 9/11, assault rates escalated, jumping to ninety-one in 2001, as compared to the twelve in 2000 (Pew Research Center). As can be shown by data fifteen years later, the Islamophobia has reached a record high. Either due to a fear of terrorists or the fact that America is currently militarily involved with the Middle East, assault has increased, and will not stop soon American history is a long tale of xenophobia and hatred towards anyone other than the white community. Efforts are made to keep minorities as minorities, and it all stems from this fear of what is different. The white community wants to stay in power, and will do anything to do so. The Jewish community suffered during World War II as a result of the strict immigration procedures, and Muslim refugees today face the same struggle when faced with the executive orders and policies. Jewish refugees were prohibited entry into the United States, and Executive Order 13769 has done the same to Middle-Eastern refugees. The American people fear the fact that there could potentially be a Nazi spy, or a radical Islamic terrorist in a group of countless refugees, so they turn their back on the people fleeing dangerous situations. America’s repeated lack of action to aid refugees is startling, considering the ideal of an immigrant coming to America and working their way up to success. Of course, this ideal only applies if said immigrant fits a specific category. The United States is a nation built on xenophobia and hatred, and will continue to exhibit these traits unless action is taken.