“Election integrity” is a thinly veiled excuse to justify republican efforts making it harder to gain entry/document yourself in non-white America. I think they have made it clear they would rather spend time and money building a wall and deporting undocumented immigrants, then to spend time and money making them (many of whom have lived here for years) legitimately documented citizens through construction of more local DMV’s, or a national immigration facility.
While I think many of these immigrants/and companies have purposefully ignored documentation requirements in order to avoid paying taxes, I also think many of the desperate people who have trekked thousands of miles to be here have made every intention of becoming a legitimate tax paying, voting citizen. It’s precisely because of that sentiment that republicans don’t want them to be voting citizens. Republicans will always say they want LEGAL immigration, but when it comes to welcoming refugees or creating a streamlined legal immigration for desperate people they purposefully fail to do so.
One of the reasons American infrastructure is in need of repair is because we have too many people using it with not a large enough tax base to support it. Documenting the undocumented immigrants who have come through the southern border, or are currently stuck there, not only adds their taxes to our infrastructure efforts, it helps achieve a more perfect Union.
Anti-immigration rhetoric has been rife amongst nativist America for centuries and has always been on the wrong side of history. Oftentimes it’s has been used maliciously, and I recognize Republican efforts today as the source of the immigration crisis.
Been finding decent documentation on the passenger lists and boats coming over, but then all of a sudden they seem to teleport to the midwest.
Did they take wagons? Trains? Ships through the Great Lakes? Are there any records of these trips?
Do I have a passport? Did I need to get a visa before I come? What sponsorship do I need? Do I need a work visa? If so, what do I need to do, and how much time do I have to do that?
(Yeah, please actual immigration historians only, please.)
Today's visa feels very different from how people came to Ellis island back then.
I read about people just arriving and getting work that same day or almost with meager savings. Were they illegal immigrants? Were visas to enter automatically work-eligible visas?
Most of the immigration laws seemed focused on what people did-- i.e. politics, prohibited classes but it is not clear how they would keep legal status and become permanent residents and citizens. I can't find clear mention of work or any distinction between tourist vs immigrant visas.
