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Dennis Johnson has been an ESL Instructor at City College of San Francisco, teaching all levels of ESL since 1977. He has many years' experience as an ESL Site Coordinator and is the author of Get Up and Go, and co-author of The Immigrant Experience. |
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VENTURES IN ADULT EDUCATION: Changes in US Immigration Patterns and Laws |
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BACKGROUND STATISTICS  The number of foreign born in the US grew from 10 million in 1960 to 32 million in 2000
In 1960 most immigrants came from Europe; today most come from Latin American and Asia
The 1990's was a time of huge migration into the US
There are large numbers of undocumented immigrants
 The number of undocumented people in the US rose from an
estimated 2.5 million in 1990 to 8.5 million in 2000
Presently 1/4 of the 34 million foreign born are undocumented
3/4 of the undocumented are from Latin America
There is a higher proportion of unskilled immigrants than before
40% of immigrants from Latin American have fewer than
9 years of education
70% of all immigrants settle in 6 states: CA, TX, NY, FL, IL, and NJ
IMMIGRATION PATTERNS IN THE US AFTER 9/11 Immigration is still high by historical standards
The number of undocumented workers entering has dropped somewhat
Some undocumented workers are staying because they are afraid they won't be able
to get back into the US if they leave
CHANGES IN IMMIGRATION LAW Lots of "tough talk" since 9/11 but not much legislative action
Fewer student visas
New laws in 2004
Increase border patrol agents by 10,000 in 5 years
Begin development of a biometric entry and exit data system
Prop 200 in Arizona requires verification of identity and
immigration status for individuals seeking public services
Several proposed changes have not become law
President Bush's temporary worker program
CLEAR Act -- proposal to have local police enforce immigration
laws and provide records and information to a national database
Proposal to restrict drivers licenses to undocumented residents
IMPLICATIONS FOR CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS Large numbers of students continue to need language instruction
There are fewer visiting international students
The largest number of students will have Spanish as their native language
Many students need basic skills, including literacy
A strictly academic approach will not serve the majority
Low-income immigrants find it hard to pay for education and textbooks
Feelings of insecurity and the need for multiple jobs result in erratic attendance at school,
necessitating lessons which are self-contained within short periods of time
There is an increased number of older students in Citizenship classes due to new SSI rules
Because undocumented students may have limited access to services such as library cards,
EL Civics lessons need to be carefully selected
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REFERENCES Camarota, Steven, "The Economy Slowed, But Immigration Didn't: The Foreign-Born Population, 2000-2004,"
Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, GCIR Policy Update January 2005
Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute
National Center for Policy Analysis
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Ventures Community
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