Defending Family Unity as an Immigration Policy Priority

• Main Author: Michael Sullivan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brock University 2018-03-01
• Series: Studies in Social Justice
• Subjects: public policy, immigration, citizenship, social policy, ethnicity
• Online Access: https://brock.scholarsportal.info/journals/SSJ/article/view/1509

In this article, I make a policy argument in defense of family and relationship-based immigration preferences in U.S. immigration law that accounts for economic objections and calls for solidarity among socioeconomically disadvantaged U.S. residents on this issue. I begin with a historical account of policy arguments for limiting family-based immigration. I challenge the view that family-based immigration is a fiscal burden on the nation as a whole and acts against the interests of disadvantaged native-born workers. Then, I present and respond to perception-based objections to family-based immigration by disadvantaged citizens who believe that they are suffering from competition with mixed-skilled immigrants, including those sponsored by family members. Advocates of family unity in immigration policy are fighting the perception of zero-sum competition between immigrants and disadvantaged citizens by organizing together for improvements in wages and working conditions, leveraging arguments from the U.S. civil rights struggle to advocate for inclusive immigration policies.