Sociology Exam 3

What major change did the Immigration Act of 1965 make?

It eliminated the nation-based quota system and replaced it with preferences for family ties, refugees, and special skills.

What was the annual maximum immigration quota under the 1965 act?

170,000 total and 20,000 per nation.

What was the purpose of the IRCA (1986) amnesty program?

To allow immigrants who lived in the U.S. since January 1, 1982, to obtain a green card.

What did IRCA require employers to do?

Verify the immigration status of new employees or face fines.

What preference category did the Immigration Act of 1990 create?

Diversity immigration for underrepresented nations and a preference for immigrant investors.

List two major consequences of the Immigration Act of 1996.

Allowed retroactive deportation; required incarceration while awaiting deportation; reduced judicial discretion; mandated deportation for drug-related offenses.

What percentage of the U.S. population was Latinx in 2020?

18.7% (62.1 million).

Which states have the largest Latinx populations?

California, Texas, Florida, and New York.

What is the largest Latinx origin group in the U.S.?

Mexican (63%).

Why is Latinx political influence expected to rise in coming years?

A large portion (one-third) of the Latinx population is under 18 and becoming eligible to vote.

What does immigrant concentration mean?

70% of the foreign-born population resides in CA, NY, TX, FL, NJ, and IL.

What is immigrant diffusion?

Immigration spreading to new states like North Carolina, Kansas, and Nebraska, especially since the 1990s.

What is uneven settlement?

Immigrants cluster within specific local areas within states.

What is segmented assimilation?

Different immigrant groups assimilate into distinct sectors of American society (e.g., Indian immigrants into Silicon Valley tech).

What law did Hazleton pass in 2006?

An ordinance revoking business licenses of employers who hired undocumented workers and fining landlords who rented to them.

What did the federal appeals court decide about Hazleton in 2010?

It struck the law down because immigration regulation is a federal responsibility.

What was the main conflict in Farmingville, NY in the late 1990s–early 2000s?

Whether to create a day-laborer hiring site for Hispanic immigrant workers.

What characterized Arizona’s immigration bill (SB 1070) in 2010?

Made being undocumented a state crime; required immigrants to carry documentation; required police to check immigration status.

What additional measures did Alabama’s 2011 bill include?

Required schools to determine student immigration status and publish the number of undocumented students and associated costs.

Why did local and state anti-immigrant laws rise in the 2000s?

Frustration with weak federal enforcement of immigration policy.

Name one federal strategy used during this time.

Border fencing/walls, virtual border fence, or mass deportation (2.2 million in the early 2000s).

What is DACA?

A program granting eligible undocumented immigrants protection from deportation and work permits.

Who is eligible for DACA?

Under 31 on June 15, 2012; entered before age 16; lived in U.S. since 2007; paid application fee.

How many immigrants received DACA status?

About 800,000.

What is transitional bilingual education?

Students learn subjects in their native language while gradually transitioning into English.

What is English immersion?

Teaching subjects entirely in simplified English.

What is maintenance bilingual education?

Teaching in both English and the native language via team teaching or half-day language splits.

What did Lau v. Nichols (1974) decide?

Submersion without accommodation violates the Constitution.

What did Horne v. Flores (2009) affirm?

That English immersion is a legally acceptable instructional method.

What did Proposition 227 (1998) mandate?

California schools must teach only in English and place ELL students into one-year immersion programs.

About how many ELL students are in U.S. schools?

About 5.1 million (10% of K–12 students).

Which state has the most ELL students?

California (1.4 million).

What percentage of the U.S. population is Asian American?

5.9%.

What six groups make up 83% of Asian Americans?

Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese.

Which Asian American group has the highest rate of bachelor’s degrees?

Indian Americans (72%).

What is the “model minority” myth based on?

High average educational attainment among some Asian American groups.

What is consonant acculturation?

Parents and children assimilate at the same speed.

What is dissonant acculturation?

Children assimilate much faster and further than their parents.

What is immigrant optimism?

The belief that America offers vast opportunity.

What is immigrant pessimism?

The belief that America is deeply shaped by racial discrimination.

According to immigrant pessimism, why do Asian Americans emphasize education?

To shield themselves from racial discrimination by achieving credentials viewed as protective.

What is the race discrimination system?

A framework describing how racial disparities across institutions reinforce one another, creating interconnected systems of inequality.

According to Cornel West, how must we begin any serious discussion of race in America?

By acknowledging America’s deep structural flaws rooted in historical inequalities and cultural stereotypes.