Week 1 Responses

“U.S. immigration policy has reflected its economic needs. When the nation needed workers, immigration laws were relaxed. When jobs were harder to find, Congress curtailed immigration”(Amadeo, 2020). “No recent event has influenced the thinking and actions of the American public and its leaders as much as the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In the almost-12 years since 9/11, many aspects of the U.S. immigration enforcement system have become dramatically more robust. The national security threat posed by international terrorism led to the largest reorganization of the federal government since World War II. Because the 9/11 hijackers obtained valid visas to travel to the United States, despite some being known by U.S. intelligence and having been encountered by law enforcement agencies, the immigration system came under particular scrutiny.” (USCBP, 2017). In reference to post 9/11 customs relations between the US and Cananda, “ Sadly it would seem the dreadful events that took place on 9/11 did not draw Canada and the United States closer together as might have been expected when a good neighbor suffers a major catastrophe. On the contrary Canada/US relations have not been at such a low point since the end of the Civil War. In reference to our southern neighbors, “The issue with Mexico has less to do with 9/11 than it does with the long-standing problem of the thousands of illegal Mexicans who cross the border illegally searching for work and a higher standard of living in the USA. (Bissett, 2003)

https://www.thebalance.com/how-immigration-impacts-the-economy-4125413

http://trilateral.org/download/files/na_regional/troubled_borders.pdf