Policy Goals In America

Submitted By pokergod7479
Words: 3438
Pages: 14
Open Document
Contradictory Policy Goals in America

On September 11th, 2001 a terrorist act was committed on U.S. soil. This event has shaped our country in more ways than one, but the often-overlooked consequence is how it has changed the lives of people in countries thousands of miles away. The global climate about national security has changed in such a massive way that it now reaches into nearly every part of our government as well seemingly unrelated parts of foreign nations policy. One can look to 9/11 as a tipping point and a catalyst to these changes, and the question now becomes how to better understand and deal with the issue of security without jeopardizing our other interests or losing sight of the ideals America was founded on. Focusing on immigration, a key part of the changes engendered by the shift towards national security, my goal is to link the character of Tarek, from the movie “The Visitor”, into our dichotomy between being a safe nation and a true nation for the people, by the people. I want to preface our current situation by acknowledging the fact that the anti-immigration sentiments and even laws are not without precedent. Past laws such as the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, that flatly refused immigrants, and the 1924 National Origins Act, which restricted immigration into national quotas, are certainly part of our history and illustrate the progress we have made today (Lecture, 1/13/10). Large steps have been made since that time in terms of better inclusion and with more adherence to human rights, and the issues of today are much more nuanced and complicated than the simple outlawing of a certain people. We have in no way solved how to handle immigration but looking back in history shows that progress on an issue as large as the one at hand not only takes time, but often occurs as a halting march where it takes two steps backward and three forward to accomplish anything. Recent restrictions to immigration range far and wide. Some are focused at the geographical borders and others affect the large population centers far away from border crossing and customs agents. The laws pertinent to the discussion of Tarek’s situation are those that are in affect inside the country. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, the Immigration and Naturalization Service becoming the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the subsequent conscription of local law enforcement through 287g agreements with the Department of Justice form the changes that enabled police to stop Tarek in the subway for no apparent reason (Lecture, 3/1/10). The IIRAIRA act first introduced the concept of using means other than federal agents to police illegal immigration and the gray areas that occur in the immigration process. The INS turning over immigration control over to a new organization dubbed ICE is not in itself a red herring, but the name change certainly suggest a harder line towards immigration and the timing alludes to anti-terror efforts. Looking at the ICE mission statement confirms this. The ICE government website reads, “Formed in 2003 as part of the federal government's response to the 9/11 attacks, ICE's mission is to protect the security of the American people and homeland by vigilantly enforcing the nation's immigration and customs laws ("U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement"). 287g agreements are important in this discussion largely because of the increase of affected areas. As of August 2008, 63 localities and over 800 officers have become able to actively search and arrest persons suspected of having illegal status (Lecture, 3/1/10). Without these changes, Tarek’s experience would have so strikingly different that “The Visitor” would no longer be a story of a deported man, but simply one of young man full of life giving a gift of music to an older man who has lost touch with the world. In the scene where Tarek is arrested, he is wrongly accused of not paying for his
Show More

Related Documents: Policy Goals In America

Q1 Public Policy Essay

American Government I Public Policy Formation in the United States In order to solve a dilemma or dispute in the country, there is a goal oriented course of action involved known as public policy (US History). Upon starting, the general goal of interest groups and many other individuals is to persuade decision makers to act in a distinct manner to achieve their goals. They can and will use ample tactics and techniques such as educating the public on general issues of concern. It is generally a guide…

Words 560 - Pages 3

Essay about Cuban Emargo

States and Cuba. This embargo consists of economic sanctions against Cuba and restrictions on Cuban travel and commerce for all people and companies under US jurisdiction. The Cuban embargo should be lifted. a. The embargo harms the US economy. b. The United States should end the Cuba embargo because its 50-year policy has failed to achieve its goals. c. If the embargo were lifted, the Cuban people would be a bit less deprived and Castro would have no one else to blame for the shortages. d. Having…

Words 713 - Pages 3

The Unlawful Internet Gambling

underage gambling, led to compulsive gambling, and had allowed for easy money laundering. By completely outlawing all internet gambling by directly applying the Wire Act of 1961, they could eliminate these issues. However, the Institutional Policy model shows us that the reasons for politicians’ support for the bill is misleading. Some of the leading proponents for enacting a ban on internet gambling were states with large gambling revenues, such as Nevada. Because Internet gambling was unregulated…

Words 333 - Pages 2

Obama Care Comparison

There are some similarities between U.S. health care policies called ObamaCare with Indonesia National Health Insurance Program (JKN) that managed by Social Security Implementing Agency (BPJS). The different of JKN with ObamaCare is health reform process in U.S has become one of important political issue and in Indonesia it does not. Since Lyndon Johnson launched the Medicare and Medicaid programs in 1965, there has never been a successful reform program. Clinton had tried in 1993, but failed because…

Words 1822 - Pages 8

Role Of Interest Groups In American Politics

analyzing a popular group such as St. Jude’s advocates for children’s health and the NRA’s efforts in opposing gun control. Each interest group has different goals or ambitions…

Words 1098 - Pages 5

Toby s Essay

Foreign Policy Analysis Essay By 201306428 Is Soft Power Better Than Hard Power? In this essay I will be examining the positives and negatives of hard and soft power with reference to case studies in an attempt to reach a conclusion upon which is the most useful form of power for a state to use to achieve its foreign policy. I will first define the two terms and I will speculate which I believe to be the most effective form of power. Then I will go into several case studies as evidence for both…

Words 2200 - Pages 9

Essay about The Business Enviroment

not exist then consumers will have to create and sell items themselves. It would be a free for all and everyone would be in it for themselves for every need and want. (Kelly, M., & McGowan, J. (2012). The role of business is to make it easier for us to create money and spend it throughout our economy. For example, manufacturing businesses use resources and transform them into products or services. We would have to get our own food, gather materials and make our own shelter, and make our own clothes…

Words 870 - Pages 4

Narcotics: Recreational Drug Use and Current Drug Policy Essay

how Congress has influenced our current drug policy. Through this I hope to show that drug policies in the United States, for the greater part, have failed. I will also talk about congresses decisions to continue support for these ineffective policies. Finally, I will conclude this research by marking the changes I feel necessary for future progress to be made. Among these changes are drug education and the elimination of our current system First let’s us review the history and current situation of…

Words 362 - Pages 2

Public Interest Group Analysis

Interest group: a group of people the share common interests and goals, whon enter the policy process at different times, to achieve their goal. They seek to change and influence public policies. The NRA has become driven with their goals since Donald Trump was elected President. Pluralist (group) theory: theory that many groups, with all different goals, bring representation to everyone through their activities. The LGBT group advocating for legalizing gay marriage Membership interest groups:…

Words 764 - Pages 4

The Monroe Doctrine

In its preliminary history, The United States adhered to the policy of Isolationism established by the Monroe Doctrine, which proclaimed the Western and Eastern Hemispheres to be their own separate worlds and that one should not interfere in the affairs of the other. The conclusion of WWII and the early beginnings of the Cold War marked a new era of American foreign policy; the United States no longer utilized an isolationist approach to foreign affairs, and assumed the role of “world’s police,”…

Words 862 - Pages 4