NPG Forum Paper Looks at Immigration to the U.S. from Ukraine
- NPG
- July 26, 2022
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NPG Forum Paper Looks at Immigration to the U.S. from Ukraine
Population Growth Linked to Refugee Policy and Chain Migration
Alexandria, VA, (July 26, 2022): Ukraine continues to hold attention nationwide as the country’s people seek to remain independent and free from Russia, an outcome that Negative Population Growth, Inc. supports. A new forum paper titled How Ukrainian Refugees Invaded the U.S. Southwest Border from NPG speaks on the problems in U.S. refugee policy and the benefits available to refugees that are not available to immigrants. Author Edwin S. Rubenstein invites readers to look at the opportunities for refugees entering the U.S. versus the standard immigration pathway.
At the start, Rubenstein is quick to say: “The U.S. has always been a safe haven for individuals fleeing persecution in their home country,” affirming the foundational premise of immigration to the U.S. Immediately following this broad stroke, he contends that all is not well, stating: “In recent years, however, asylum has become a mass movement, available to any alien claiming persecution on account of race, religion, sexual identity, nationality, or political opinion.” Leaning further into asylum seekers and their options, Rubenstein shares: “Compared to legal immigrants, asylees are on a fast track to citizenship. Two years after being granted asylum, they can petition to have immediate family members – spouses, children, and parents – join them as legal immigrants via the chain migration process. Legal immigrants must wait five years for that privilege. The inescapable conclusion: under current asylum laws, asylees are on track to become the fastest growing segment of the foreign-born population.”
The historical challenges that arise from refugees entering the U.S. and the chain migration process establish how the number of people adds up so quickly. Rubenstein shares: “The chain migration process, by which one generation of refugees can sponsor future generations of legal immigrants, has been a part of U.S. immigration policy since the 1965 Immigration Act…The 1965 immigration law was marketed to the American people as a law that would cap legal migration at around 200,000 per year. But the fine print was conveniently ignored – namely, that immigrants (including refugees) with relatives already in the country were not subject to the cap. Like compound interest, the impact of this oversight was imperceptible in the early years, but huge after decades.”
Among Rubenstein’s rhetoric on the jarring implications of continued immigration to the U.S. is Title 42. He warns that termination of the program is a threat to national security while reminding readers that Title 42 is a public health measure implemented by the Centers for Disease Control. Rubenstein also points to one of the biggest blind spots in the asylee process: “The vast majority request an asylum interview, at which they may assert, with no evidence required, a ‘fear of harm’ if they were to be returned to their homeland. At that point, a court date is set, and the prospective asylee is released into the country. Many of them never show up in court, or any other public venue, again.”
Rubenstein then gives a broad scope statement about war and immigration before declaring a stark outlook if things don’t change, saying: “World War II. The Vietnam War. The Cold War. Since 1945 the U.S. has provided a safe haven for millions of people whose lives are upended by war. Although details have yet to be worked out, the Ukrainian refugee program will likely resemble its predecessors. Refugees will be admitted…The first generation will become naturalized citizens and sponsor family members left behind; the migration chain will be set for generations…Our invasion will remain unchecked so long as scarce resources are spent elsewhere.
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