Immigration Became Illegal American Academy Of E

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In Chapter 1 of “Undocumented: How Immigration became Illegal”, author Aviva Chomsky explains how citizenship to a country is a fairly recent creation that is rooted in European colonialism. She posits that the assumption that the world is made up of sovereign countries, and that one only belongs in the country they were born in is a social construct. Chomsky also claims that “over the past thousand years, Europeans have used religion, race, and nationality as organizing principles to divide people into categories or castes.” Her opinion is that citizenship was created to subjugate people of color, and create legal barriers to prevent them from traveling freely. During the office of the 45th president, Immigration has resurged as a hot button issue in political discourse in America, and remains so today. My question is: Would you abolish citizenship in America? (Meaning anyone living in America has all the rights of an American citizen) Why or why not?

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Throughout Chapter 1 of Chomsky’s book “Undocumented: How Immigration became Illegal”, the author helps build her chapter by basing the fact that immigration and its legality are social constructs recently built in order to create a separation between those who belong and those who do not within sovereign states. Within this chapter Chomsky also mentions that immigration laws, especially recently, are based in inequality which benefits those with power (often wealthier) and disadvantages those without power. Chomsky mentions, “Recently the discipline of critical legal studies has developed this perspective, arguing that despite its pretensions, the law is never neutral, but rather reflects power relationships in society” (Chomsky, page 25).

Question: While reading this part of this chapter, it made me think of the way the U.S. immigration laws are made today, and made me think of the fact that many Americans will leave to other countries like Mexico, Brazil, Canada, etc. and will assume residence there with almost little to no issue sometimes, but when people come from Hispanic countries come seeking a better life they are automatically labeled as ‘illegal’ and ‘bottomfeeder’. Why do you think this is the case? Is this just that many Americans are allowed to relocate to other parts of the country when looking for new opportunities, but not Hispanics/Latinx immigrants? Does this have to do with the privilege if being American, and wealthier then many others?