Introduction
The history of migration of Asians to the U.S has risen rapidly since the 1960s. In 1965 America enacted the immigration and nationality Act that eased immigration from Asian countries into the U.S. According to the statistics released in 2019, over 14 million immigrants from Asian countries reside in America (Wilson et al., 2020). According to Pew Research Center Estimates, this makes Asia the second largest region of birth for United States immigrants. Before Asians settled in America, it was surprising that images of Asia and Asians had already taken American culture due to trade between Chinese and Indians in the 1970s.
Moreover, international relations and foreign policy have greatly influenced the immigration and experiences of Asian Americans. Immigration to the U.S arose during the mid-19th century when Asian men arrived on the west coast for agriculture, railway construction, mining, and other jobs that demanded low skills. The paper explains contemporary migration and international relations concerning Asian immigration in the U.S. The Asian immigrants’ population is fast overgrowing in the United States. According to Cheng & Bonacich (2021), for the last 20 years, the Asian population has grown by more than 81%. The population has begun to influence the politics of America due to the growing share of U.S voters and starting to push for more political representation. Congress recently held a lengthy hearing to address issues affecting this critical community. The point of discrimination came out clearly as one of the challenges that Asian Americans have faced for a long. Currently, the population of Asians is about 19 million, and (Jeanne et al., 2021) is expected to grow to more than 36 million by 2060.
Immigration continues to be the biggest accelerator of growth following the act of 1965 that removed all restrictions on immigration into the United States. Distribution by region and country of origin shows that the most significant countries of origin are India accounting for more than 2.7 million Asian immigrants, and China and Hong Kong, which have approximately 2.5 million people (Ramachandran, 2019). The Philippines follows closely with a population of about 2 million. North and South Korea account for nearly a population of 1 million (Cheng & Bonacich, 2021). The data show that these Asian countries contributed to almost 70% of the total Asian immigrant population in the United States, according to U.S Census Bureau 2019 (Ramachandran, 2019). The countries were among the top 10 origin countries attributing to the growth of all immigrants in America. Moreover, distribution by state and critical cities show that almost half of the Asian immigrants have settled majorly in California, New York, and Texas. However, the countries with a high population of Asian immigrants are Los Angeles, Santa Clara, and Queens in New York.
International relations between U.S and Asia greatly influenced the experiences of this population in America. For instance, during the exclusion of the Chinese in the 1880s, the Chinese government was unstable and too weak to protest against treaty violations. Chinese was unable to protect its people overseas from violation of their rights. Luckily, Japan, having claimed victory in the 1905 Russo-Japanese war, commanded the U.S to stop the harassment and restore the dignity of the Asian community. Teddy Roosevelt, the president of America, then negotiated an agreement to have their numbers reduced rather than excluding them. By 1924 Japanese had championed inclusivity, and some significant American-born people could claim U.S citizenship at birth. In ten years, the life of the Japanese in America was pretty, having settled and started to increase rapidly. Japanese family structure and commitment to the U.S enabled them to thrive in the 1930s.
Having settled then, World War II came disrupting the good life for this community. The Japanese lost the property, dignity, and freedom they had fought for years in a flash. As a result of the war, more than a hundred and twenty thousand Japanese immigrants were removed from their houses and taken to the camp. This population increased concentration in the camp due to completing basic needs. Afterward, the camp experience raised fundamental constitutional issues, liberty, patriotism, and loyalty. The war clearly defined the relationship between Asians and American citizens. It brought reflection of the Philippines’ colonization of Japan and now World War II and later the cold war with China.
Despite the improvement in international relations and foreign policy, images of Asians as the enemy still are deeply embedded in American culture up to date. Whenever the U.S engages in war with Asia, it’s the Asian Americans who pay the ultimate price. After World War II, the U.S military’s significant presence in Asia generated a population of war brides. This contributed to new migrations and renewed calls for sovereignty and independence. The issues of power and race have been at the center of international relations between Asia and the United States. The ties between the Asian community and Americans have shaped widespread attitudes and government policies.
Influence of Asian Immigrants on the U.S
Little is it known that Asian Americans have been in the U.S since its founding. Chinese and Japanese immigrants helped build railroads and farm as casual laborers in America. In addition, they have made their credible mark in several industries since stepping into the U.S. while racism is something that cannot be cured easily, it will take a long to combat this social challenge. Focusing on their positive contributions to society brings us to five ways Asian Americans have significantly changed the United States over the years.
Enabling technology is one of the breakthroughs that Asian migrants pioneered. From web portals to sending emails and other technological advancements were engineered by Asian immigrants. For example, Jerry Yang founded the famous yahoo, which late expanded to include engine, news, and email. In contrast, Sabeer Bhatia founded windows live Hotmail, currently known as Microsoft outlook. Other technologies that Asians pioneered are YouTube and USB. Moreover, Asians continue to influence technology in terms of developing hardware and software and impacting the lives of millions.
Asian have extensively championed and advocated for human and civil rights in America. Before 2016, sexual assault victims were paying out of their pockets for medical examination, which is a requirement for forensic purposes (Caruso, 2019). However, change was witnessed when Amanda Nguyen encountered challenges after rape. She encountered roadblocks in her journey to seek justice. At this point, she started a non-profit organization to champion the rights and protection of rape survivors. A forensic examination was made accessible, something which had been taken along. In 2018 she was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize. Asian Americans have championed civil rights in the United States. For example, Yuri Kochiyama led the black movement, which led to the signing of the civil liberties act of 1998.
Asian Immigrants Emerging as Force in U.S Politics
Due to good international relations, Michelle Steel was born in South Korea and raised in Japan. In 2019 she became the first Asian immigrant woman elected to the United States Congress. It was not accessible to run for office because she is an immigrant. Steel’s political involvement and winning seat in the House of Representatives reflect the changing face of American voters and the government officials they elect. Since signing the voting rights act in 1965, which removed barriers preventing non-Americans from voting, their leaders have gradually changed how Americans choose. Asians flexed their muscles during the 2020 presidential and congressional elections. Over the last elections, Asian Americans have been favoring and supporting Democratic Party, and it was the case with the 2020 election. If research is anything to go by, demographers and political experts suggest that Asian Americans will grow in population into a dominant force in the politics of the United States.
The issues that affect Asian immigrants in the U.S are employment and healthcare, which resonated well with Democratic Party campaign points in 2020 which resonated with them. In the 2020 elections, Asian immigrants scoped 21 seats in congress. Asian immigrants will continue to influence the politics of U.S and international decisions. It is a community that may not be familiar with American means of democracy. According to Lueck (2018), the growth of this community in America will influence civil rights and liberties due to their continued increase in representation in the House of Representatives. It is a journey that no other minority immigrant group has achieved in American history. There is no turning back on Asian Americans in matters of politics in the United States because that is the only way to address issues of employment and healthcare.
Furthermore, among these Asian immigrants, there are significant unique differences in regional language, religion, education, and political perspectives. For example, two Filipinos may communicate in English because they have different native languages like Tagalog and Ilocano. There are high rates of interracial marriages that have contributed to the diversity and complexity of Asian immigrants. Others have been adopted by families in America, especially from Korea. Intermarriages have intensified the diversity of this particular race, and in years to come, some will not be noticeable. International relations enable interactions and free movement of people worldwide, and it is the same with the Asian immigrants in the U.S. The Asians feel free and have chosen the U.S to be their home together with other generations to come.
Asian-Americans seem to be enjoying and doing well in life. Compared to other racial and ethnic minorities, Asians live in wealthier neighborhoods; their marriage rate steadily increases. According to Lueck (2018), they have high levels of education and continue to be successful in the labor market. Asians have a positive attitude towards education. They believe in perfecting learning virtues to become intellectual. Asians value education and effort in everything they do in their day-to-day activities. Apart from commitment to education, Asian immigrants believe in hard work. Asians believe that hard work pays off. This is evident when the immigrants arrived on the west coast in search of low-skilled jobs. Asians were committed to their work and could produce the best outcomes. Most parents value the benefits that come with education, and for this reason, they take their children through a risky and costly journey of education to enable them to get the best in the U.S.
Immigration to America has been at the center of the political agenda. Immigration policies have brought heated debates with a view to proposing restrictive measures. According to Wilson & Stimpson (2020), Donald Trump’s administration wanted to restrict all forms of immigration to the U.S. During the covid-19 outbreak, and the government cited public health and economic concerns. Despite the media rhetoric on immigration policy, most Americans believe immigrants offer support to American society. The majority believe legal immigration should increase or be maintained at its current level. A century ago, Asian immigrants were low-skilled and were paid low. Today Asian immigrants in the U.S are paid highly due to their high educational skills, and they live an expensive life.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as the Asian population increases in the U.S, Asians will become influential in the political constituency. The outcome of the 2020 election showed that Asians are becoming a success for significant parties, especially in swing states (Wilson & Stimpson, 2020). The majority of the Asian immigrant ideologies resonate with Democratic Party, and this is what might have influenced the margin of victory in most swing states, especially Arizona and Nevada. A better understanding of how thy push their views, particularly on immigration policies, is essential to attaining potential impact on U.S politics. Asians have diverse experiences of immigration and addressing that diversity will be necessary for developing political power that can influence policy change in the United States.
References
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