Background and History
For my cultural comparison project I will be taking a deeper look on the issue of immigration. Specifically, I will be comparing the issues related to immigration between the countries of Austria/Germany and Poland. This study will focus on current government policies relating to immigration along with how it affects the economic state of each given country. In addition, the feelings and opinions of citizens about the issue will be discussed.
Immigration is a hot topic all around the world. According to the Oxford Dictionary, “Immigration is the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country” (Oxford’s collegiate dictionary 1999). Similarly, according to Webster’s Dictionary, “An immigrant is a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residence” (Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary, 1999). Immigration is more than people simply seeking to take residence in a foreign country. It is an issue that has created unstability and division within and between many countries. Immigration is both an emotional and controversial issue in the world today and cannot be overlooked.
The immigration crisis in Europe has increased over the last number of decades and has hit extreme levels in recent years. These immigrants consist of people with both European and non-European origins. World War II was a large reason for the spike in immigration around the late 1940s. The Maastricht Treaty of 1992 created the European Union which granted common European citizenship and more or less encouraged European migration. This action lead to efforts in reducing border control between certain countries in Europe. The Schengen Agreement of 1995 lead to this which gave citizens free movement between France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal. Today, there are 25 countries a part of this agreement and people can travel freely within these European borders. In 2004 the European Union was a conglomerate of 15 countries. Today, the European Union consists of 28 different countries. In more recent years, attitudes have began to shift in a more negative manner when it comes to the issue of immigration. One factor that plays into this is that the outlying nations in the Schengen zone require more border security and more responsibilities. Similarly, now, there are more people than ever seeking to come to Europe (Koikkalainen, 2011). Thousands of refugees from the Middle East are seeking asylum from their war torn country. Other people seek a better career, economy or simply a better life; but with the amount of people coming into Europe, people are becoming frustrated.
The United States is also struggling with this issue. “Dating back to the colonial period, immigration is now one of the most important - and divisive - issues facing citizens of the United States today as they enter the 21st century” (Powell, 2007). With the recent election, America is a very divided nation on many issues, one being immigration. Although America’s immigration crisis is not nearly as severe as Europe’s, it’s definitely a topic that the U.S. citizens want resolved (Woolf, 2016). As Europe struggles with refugees fleeing from the Middle East, America is dealing with their southern border as it seeks to regulate immigration from Mexico. There have been discussions by the Trump administration to build a wall on the southern border but there is still work to be done for that to happen. Nonetheless, the immigration issue in America is still just as emotional and controversial as it is in Europe.
The world as we know it is in a state of globalization. According to Globalization 101, “Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity and on human physical well-being in societies around the world” (Globalization 101, 2016). With all this said, it is clear that immigration is a major issue around the world. It has caused economies to fluctuate, governments to rethink policies and tension among citizens. With that said, in the remainder of this paper I will breakdown the specifics of what policies are currently in place in the countries I am studying, how it has effected the economy along with the attitudes of the citizens. As Ronald Reagan said, “A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation.” Borders are important, otherwise there would not be different nations with different governments. Later, I will give my personal opinion on the issue of immigration with biblical support for my reasoning.
Immigration. (1999). Oxford’s dictionary.
Immigrant. (1999). Merriam-Webster’s dictionary.
Powell, J. (2007). Immigration. New York City, New York: Facts on File.
Woolf, C. (2016). Fact checking the migration ‘crisis’ in the us. Global Nation.