The World’s Worst Immigration Laws

Think Arizona's new immigration law is harsh? The Grand Canyon state has nothing on these guys.

BY PETER WILLIAMS | APRIL 29, 2010

THE "NIKKEI" LAW

Country: Japan

Immigrant Population: 1.7 million

What the law does: Japan has long struggled with its demographics and immigration problems. Although the country's aging population necessitates the importing of cheap labor, recently the Japanese government has sought to curtail immigration in an effort to shore up its unprecedentedly high unemployment figures. The most infamous of Tokyo's new anti-immigration policies is the "Nikkei" Law. Passed in spring 2009, the law allows the Japanese government to pay $3,000 to each unemployed Latin American immigrant of Japanese descent (known as Nikkei in Japanese) and $2,000 to each of that unemployed worker's family members to return to their country of origin. The catch? These workers and their family members would be prohibited from ever returning to work in Japan. An estimated 366,000 Brazilians and Peruvians lived in Japan at the time.

Reactions: Although the law is voluntary, it's nevertheless stirred up a deal of controversy within Japan. Some support the measure as being economically prudent, while others, such as Angelo Ishi of Musashi University in Tokyo, describe the law as "an insult" to Japan's immigrant communities. Much of the Western press has taken a relatively neutral stance on the issue, aside from Time, which ran a story with the headline "Japan to Immigrants: Thanks, But You Can Go Home Now."

 

Peter Williams is a researcher at Foreign Policy.

CITIZENBFK

12:35 PM ET

April 30, 2010

All Nations Control Their Borders

I'm surprised these are "the worst immigrations laws," in the world. Are you sure? I read yesterday about some Palestinians getting killed trying to go from Gaza to Egypt.

Or there are no more harsher laws in Africa? or Burma, Asia, etc.?

As an Irish-American who lives in Arizona (since identifying your race seems part of comments) -- I expect my nation to control the Border; that's not the case.

As an Irish-American who has also lived overseas, I also expected that I was required to have proper visas and/or passports and that my ability to work in foreign countries was regulated.

If we dealt with those two issues: control the border and enforce our labor laws, 70% of this problem would be resolved -- but these laws are broken thousands of times a day, day after day.

As an Irish-American, btw, I also know there is often prejudice against immigrants --- there are quotas -- there is also ways to become a citizen.

My Irish father became a citizen by serving in the Army/Air Force in WW2. That made sense to me.

 

AARON_WEE

12:50 PM ET

April 30, 2010

what we have here

what we have here is the problem wherein capital is allowed free (or virtually free) access to markets whereas labor - people like you and me - are not. where capital flows - and it's flowing all the time; billions a day - labor has to follow: to work it, to turn it into cars and electronics, to count it, and to count the people counting it.

but, you know, labor can't follow. or it is strictly controlled. then, you've got a bit of a problem.

 

TEAPOT

2:25 PM ET

April 30, 2010

Draw your country

Draw a picture of your country.

What did you just draw? The borders.

Now erase the borders. You just erased your country.

A country without secure borders is not going to be a country for very long.

Do you find it too difficult to think about or discuss immigration policy?

Remember: Not to decide is to decide.

Your country is something very special and worth the effort of difficult discussion and difficult choices.

 

ORMONDOTVOS

6:19 PM ET

April 30, 2010

That's an excellent idea, erasing borders.

Nations are just tribalism writ large. We no longer need nations. Ethinicity and culture aren't determined by borders.

If you're a national patriot, you're missing the overall picture.

 

TEAPOT

12:04 AM ET

May 1, 2010

"That's an excellent idea,

"That's an excellent idea, erasing borders.

Nations are just tribalism writ large. We no longer need nations. Ethinicity and culture aren't determined by borders.

If you're a national patriot, you're missing the overall picture."

Thank you for being so frank!

If everyone who opposed protecting our borders was as honest as you are about their motivation this discussion would be so much clearer.

You are correct: patriotism is indeed what drives us to care so deeply about this issue.

 

WYCOFF

8:02 AM ET

May 1, 2010

"Nations are just tribalism

"Nations are just tribalism writ large. We no longer need nations. Ethinicity and culture aren't determined by borders."

This is so foolish that it's hard to even know where to start attacking it. Have you even thought through the implications of what you are saying. You're basically calling for the extinction of western civilization.

 

BLAKE HUELSMAN

3:34 PM ET

April 30, 2010

thats just insane

thats just insane

 

BOBBYTHEONE

4:00 PM ET

April 30, 2010

What's the point?

Great! So, we live in a country who is nothing like that, we don't send them to jail, we just build a wall...wtf?

My grandma just to say "Problem of many, consolation for fools".

 

LOUISM

4:04 PM ET

April 30, 2010

An American Dreamer.

I was born and raised in Miami. Having done so, I saw first hand the destruction that ruinous immigration policies can bring. Most of my childhood was spent attending schools that were bankrupt, overcrowded, asbestos laden, and devoid of any teachers who could get a job elsewhere. I lived through the Mariel Boatlift, the cocaine cowboys, and the Haitian gang drive-bys. I was driven from my hometown, like so many others, long ago.

Before you call me racist, listen to this. My stepfather was Venezuelan, and I loved him dearly. He was very proud to have migrated to America, legally, and had nothing but contempt for the illegals. He was also very ashamed that he did not speak English as well as he would have liked, and tried very hard to improve.

He knew, as do I, about the new breed of immigrant. Those seeking only to enrich themselves, without regard for the host countries, or their residents. Many years ago it was different. Immigrants strived to become like us, to fit in to our society and contribute. Now they don't care to assimilate our culture or customs, and demand that we accommodate them. These are NOT the immigrants of old. No wonder they march in the streets shouting and waving banners. We have given, and given and given more. Don't we dare stop now.

How foolish are our leaders, that they have given away the most valuable asset that we have, like some door prize to be discarded. Our government has failed us terribly, sadly, and completely. How stupid are the ideologues who cry 'bigot' at the most innocuous attempts to preserve our own society. Thank you Arizona, for shoving our faces towards the light. I know you will be trod upon for doing so. I only hope that it's not too late to open our eyes.

 

ORMONDOTVOS

6:22 PM ET

April 30, 2010

Immigrants aren't the only entitlers, by far.

Corporate welfare has been a major cost to our country for decades. Greed has no nationality. Arms merchants will sell to anyone, Castro Or Batista.

The solution is to repeal corporate personhood, and make bribes of legislators a capital offense.

 

SSIDDIQUI

9:08 PM ET

April 30, 2010

Bravo

I would like to applaud the individual that stated the idea of ridding corporations of personhood.

Our society has been overrun by these greedy, over sized machines. Humanity will suffer if they continue to be allowed free reign to do whatever they please.

 

SCOTTFREE

11:28 AM ET

May 1, 2010

One generation, maybe two

Louism -
It only takes one or two generations if they are given status, such as with Jus Soli, and they will be just like you and me: a strange and unique mix of cultures and races. Immigrants who are given US citizenship and not isolated into ghettos will almost always want to be like normal Americans and not anything like you've described. The time to have multiple generations can be costly, but this is sometimes the cost of immigration. It does bring with it strong benefits which I believe are worth it, but yes, there can be downsides.

I look at Miami now, and it seems to be doing well. It grew into a large robust city. Yes, its not remotely the same as before the changes you mention, but neither is California after the White Westerners showed up (and now a few of the original inhabitants who are coming back are chaing it again).

Look at the NYC or Chicago immigration problems of the 19th century. It was bad, you might say worse then in Miami during the period you describe. Certainly the immigrants then changed the landscape and culture of the US more significantly then those of today.

 

LOUGTZ19

5:09 PM ET

May 5, 2010

"American Dreamer"

Please don't use this slogan, because that is not dreaming. I'm sorry that you're neigborhood was taken over by criminals, not immigrants. WHY DOESN'T ANYONE REALIZE THAT FREEDOM IS DWINDLING BY THE MINUTE??????????? You get pulled over because your skin is brown. Give me a break.

 

COMMANMAN

7:33 PM ET

April 30, 2010

Expressing the Disabilty inother words

Undoubtedly America z the powerful nation in the world forever. At least next 100+yrs.Isn't it because of the American Ancestors idea of bringing industrious immigrants.

in simple, the peoples inability who can't compete with the citizens of world making them to cry and covering with illegal/race/immigrants issues.

Nothing can stop(not your fake crys/one Arizona racial feeling) if ur smart enough to live.

 

WYCOFF

8:12 AM ET

May 1, 2010

Funny. The economically

Funny. The economically well-off leftwingers employ white guilt to try to shame white people into not enforcing the laws of the country. The economically well off rightwingers pretend that there's no such thing as civilization or community to protect and that immigration policy should be dictated entirely on economic terms.

Meanwhile, the working class whites have their ecnomic well being and their cultural identity threatened. They speak out against it and they're branded as racists or bigots, just like Gordon Brown and that lady in Britain. We're to sitback, shut-up, and watch our standard of living decline.

Not to mention that the current immigration situation is not comparable to that of 100+ years ago, for a variety of reasons (widespread unemployment in the US already, especially amongst unskilled workers, a smaller industrial base that doesn't need millions of new immigrants, a political culture amongst the ruling class that believes it wrong to try to make the newcomers assimilate, the fact that millions of illegal immigrants are coming from a neighboring country with irridentist claims- none of these elements were present 100 years ago.)

 

GRANT

2:31 AM ET

May 1, 2010

Looking at this, it's hard to

Looking at this, it's hard to believe that there was a time when Japan really was thought to be about to replace the U.S economically. You would think that these people would realize they have a longterm demographic problem and a system that encourages women to not work.

 

WILLIAM100

12:52 AM ET

May 2, 2010

Why isn't everybody everywhere good and decent like Peter?

It's hard to read this fool. How can he seriously write a sentence that contradicts its premise so thoroughly?

"Although the country's aging population necessitates the importing of cheap labor, recently the Japanese government has sought to curtail immigration in an effort to shore up its unprecedentedly high unemployment figures."

So we need labor, but we have unprecedentedly high unemployment?

Politically correct streetcred is built up by blandly stating utter untruths. Doing this really well demands one shuts down the brain. Peter, here is a question for you: Why does the Japanese government want to "shore up" unemployment? What else do they want to shore up, Peter? Crime, poverty, and disease figures? I read what you write, but do you read what you write?

 

GRANT

7:35 PM ET

May 4, 2010

The immigrants make up a far

The immigrants make up a far smaller portion of crime than the media would have you believe (and disease isn't even a stated concern), and Japan just reached either its 29th or 36th (I can't remember) consecutive year of a declining birth rate. It's gotten to a point where Chinese go to the country ostensibly for training and are actually working on farms and in factories.

 

LAL QILA

5:29 AM ET

May 3, 2010

Nationalism is Fatherhood gone wild

Nationalism has no historical basis.

Nationalism is Tribalism.

Nationalism is Fatherhood gone wild; Think of a father trying to “protect” his “family”.

Some simpletons may love Arizona; but Arizona does not love its simpletons back. Arizona is not a human being, Arizona does not have a human face, its sands, artificial cities and it’s collection of Simpletons and fathers gone wild.

Same applies to New White Jews (the East European Russian, Polak, American variety) who love Israel at the expense of stealing the homes, villages, water and the very life of the Palestinians who own these.

 

LAL QILA

9:06 AM ET

May 3, 2010

Aged Palestinians with their house keys

1. "New White Jews (the East European Russian, Polak, American variety) who love Israel at the expense of stealing the homes, villages, water and the very life of the Palestinians "

Aged Palestinians with their house keys whilst the thugs and thieves of Eastern Europe sit in their houses illegally and very very immorally:

http://images.google.fr/images?hl=fr&q=palestine%20house%20keys&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

2. "you are happy when Muslims justify a 1000 years of theft by legitimizing their harebrained claims to Jerusalem"

Nonsense; Old Jews were defeated and killed by the Romans 2000 years ago, driven off the land or committed mass suicide (remember your Masada), or converted to Islam in the sweetness of time.

The New White Jews (the East European Russian, Polak, American variety) are NOT Semites, but East European Khazar converts to Judaism. Their claim to even an inch of Palestine complete nonsense and certainly harebrained.

 

CARDENAS697

11:56 AM ET

May 3, 2010

to all

Now to some facts:

I have to say there are a lot of inaccurate remarks. To say that illegal immigrants cause an increase in unemployment is not completely accurate. Most of the jobs performed by illegal immigrants are low skill jobs that most Americans would not do. But we do have illegal aliens that are high skill workers from Africa, Europe, Middle East, China, and India that do take jobs away from people that are in this country legally.

There are only three races White, Black and Indigenous this has been reclassified through history and they continue to debate this question of how many races excist. The determination of race classification comes down to if they use a historic, scientific and what type of scientific classification. The classification continues to evolve and many people continue to confuse Race and Ethnicity. Who ever said Jews can’t be White should take the time and do some research. I expect this classification to change again to another number.

Affirmative action was first established in Executive Order 10925, and was signed into law on March 6, 1961 directly it has nothing to do with illegal immigration but Illegal aliens do get protection under affirmative action.

Is their truth to the following?
Illegal aliens do get access to State and Federal aid. Even though illegal immigrants are not eligible to enroll in North Carolina’s Medicaid program, federal law requires treatment for anyone who needs emergency care. As a result, many illegals use Emergency Medicaid as their primary source of healthcare. Between 2001 and 2004 total spending on Emergency Medicaid services for illegal immigrants in North Carolina increased by 28 percent. State Medicaid spending for illegals more than doubled between 2000 and 2005, going from $25.8 million to $52.8 million.As much as two-thirds of total operating costs in some hospitals are for uncompensated care for illegal immigrants. North Carolina hospitals had more than $1.4 billion in unreimbursed costs in 2003. That is just in North Carolina.

One thing is for sure I find many people liberal and conservative making comments about the new Immigration law of Arizona. Interesting is they have not even read the law this in my view is not smart so here is the link. And Read it

http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/2r/adopted/h.1070-se-maps.doc.htm

 

SIGH

1:23 PM ET

May 3, 2010

What is fascinating about

What is fascinating about these comments is how little the majority of them have to do with the actual article; the scarcity in logic is also jarring. This is about ILLEGAL immigration, not just immigration. Since I'm already here let me say this: "Jew" does not equate to "White". Judaism is a religion not a race. ANYONE can be Jewish. And indeed there are Jews of many races and ethnicities.

It is because when people talk about illegal immigration the focus is exclusively on "brown and black" people that the issue of racism comes up. It's as if there were no White illegal immigrants. The reality is that three are many. I don't hear anybody talking about closing the borders to illegal Swiss or Italian people. Or even Asians for that matter. Since "browns and blacks" are perceived as not belonging anyway - inferior - they are always the convenient pawns.

People emigrate illegally out of sheer desperation...you know, like the PILGRIMS did. And that desperation is often caused by capitalism and Western politics. If illegal commercial fishing is killing fishing industries in communities around the world - Nigeria's a great example, hell even Somalia - and local fishermen can no longer feed their families, what else are they supposed to do?? Furthermore, the browns and blacks typically emigrate illegally to nations they have a cultural connection with anyway! Remember colonialism??

It's always weird to see White guys shaking in their boots over the "browning" of the population. 1. White people were never a majority in the grand scheme of things. There was, is now, and will always be, far more colored folks in the world than white. 2. Higher demographics doesn't automatically translate into power. Clearly. So relax.

This is a nation of immigrants. It always will be.

 

CARDENAS697

2:32 PM ET

May 3, 2010

Regarding the PILGRIMS

The Pilgrims never emigrated illegally. Not all people immigrate illegally out of sheer desperation some do just to get more money but can feed them selves fine in their own country and are making good money.

 

SIGH

3:50 PM ET

May 3, 2010

The. point. is. the Pilgrims

The. point. is. the Pilgrims (founding fathers, etc) came to the New World not 'cause they wanted to see the sites. They were ESCAPING from unjust, repressive systems. No, they did not emigrate illegally. *sigh* And I beg to differ: people who are doing just fine in their own countries do not illegally emigrate to other places. I'm not defending illegal immigration. It's just you guys have a lot of really convenient beliefs. I know lots of immigrants - legal and illegal - EVERYBODY says "As soon as I (accomplish x,y,z) I'm going home." They visit their native countries often (the legal ones) because that's where they'd rather be.

 

CARDENAS697

10:41 PM ET

May 3, 2010

Let's think about this

At best there are 12 million illegal aliens in this country but the number could be more like 20 million. I know many of them say they will go back to their country but when all is said and done they don’t leave they stay and the number continues to grow the numbers do not lie.
Now let’s make sure we understand this not all illegal aliens that come to the United States are escaping dictatorships or facing dire economic situation. The fact is they know they can survive in their country but can do better in the United States. I can say this from first hand knowledge because members in my family came to the United States not because the Colombian government was repressive or because poverty was so bad that they would starve. They knew life would be easier and it is.

 

STUCK

8:40 PM ET

May 7, 2010

a little bit illegal immigration is tolerable but not too much

"It is because when people talk about illegal immigration the focus is exclusively on "brown and black" people that the issue of racism comes up. It's as if there were no White illegal immigrants. The reality is that three are many. I don't hear anybody talking about closing the borders to illegal Swiss or Italian people."

That's because there aren't many illegal Swiss or Italians in the US. As you said, there are of course white illegal immigrants in the US (Australians & Europeans overstaying their visas, etc. They are deported or refused entry by CBP and ICE). We hosted an illegal Czech in 1994 for a few weeks but he returned home. But not millions of them. No country would tolerate millions of illegals of any ethnicity in their country. If there were millions of Germans, Swedes, Swiss or Italians I hope the authorities would run them out. But that's not the situation so you don't hear about it.

In small quantities, illegal immigrations is tolerable. But it has escalated to an intolerable scale in some parts of the country such as Arizona.

 

CARDENAS697

2:25 PM ET

May 3, 2010

The World’s Worst Immigration Laws what makes them so bad

I have a question for everybody that is on this website. What makes any immigration law good or bad?

Specifically with regard to the author and the examples provided what makes some immigration law good immigration law as suppose to bad immigration law.
I may not agree with the way some societies handle their own internal affairs. The question that should be asked is does any society have the right to impose strict laws based on any criteria established by the majority rule. If the answer to that question is yes then why have any issue with regard to any of the immigration laws passed by the majority.

If the answer is no then we have a dilemma, and must then ask ourselves the justification of Majority rule. Does any law that is past by the Majority rule need to be fully understood and scrutinized to determine it’s basis for legality. Should we then begin a careful analysis of all our laws?

In the grand scheme of things I really don’t think this is a White man vs. Brown/Black man thing. Economic times are tuff terrorism is on the rise and crime is up. People are frustrated and something needs to be done.

I for one must say. Let everybody in this country but let them in legally. I defiantly think creating a law that we will never enforce is not smart. Then I have to ask? Why create any law at all? Do we really have any immigration problem?

 

ESDEETEE

4:42 PM ET

May 3, 2010

Do what I say but not what I do

It's quite astonishing that a country like Italy with huge communities abroad - South America, USA, Australia to name a few- is now so harsh with immigration (to be honest it's mainly a smoke screen for political purposes)
Even more incredible is the vocal opinion of some self proclaimed Jew who should know better that Israel is mostly made of immigrants, arrived in recent years.
USA is 99% immigrants. I doubt all of them came because they where invited. And no, I don't believe that today's immigration is different than yesteryear's, as some commenter seem to suggest. Together with boatfulls of law abiding citizens, trying to build a better future for themselves and for the host nation, there were bad apples. And there will always be.
Now, as westerners, what do we expect? That people living in impoverished countries just sit there, and build our LCDs and sew our clothes for a coup of rice, forever? What would YOU do if you were in their shoes? Some says that they are taking jobs from legal citizens. True. But most part of the jobs we lost has been willingly "exported" to those countries.
Do you really believe that decades/centuries of exploitations would have had no consequences in the long run?

 

INFONOMICS

4:13 AM ET

May 6, 2010

USA is 99% Immigrants?

Mr. Esdeetee,

You write that the USA is 99% immigrants. Now, take a quite moment to ponder the absurdity of this statement. After WWII, the USA experienced the largest reproduction in its history. Where do you think these darling new babies came? From Ireland? From the UK? From Scotland? From Italy? From Germany? From Africa? From China? From Mexico? From France? From Australia? From Heaven? From a box of Cracker Jacks? No, they came from the womb of the American women. Slow down and think responsibly. Have a pleasant day.

 

WOW. JUST WOW.

9:02 AM ET

May 6, 2010

99%... should be 100%

@INFONOMICS

wombs of american house wives... you say "american" as if they really are completely american. Where did these American women come from? You'd probably answer "from the wombs of -their- american mothers." Well, if you keep going back, you're eventually going to get back to Europe. Keep going far enough, you'd probably get back to Africa.

Scientifically speaking, in terms of evolution, the most popular theory is that the first of our species, homo sapiens, originated in Africa. Later on, tribes travelled to other lands, went further north (area now known as Russia) and crossed that 80 mile strait while it was frozen. Some stayed in that area, others continued to travel south.

The Americas had too many trees, meaning primates never had the need to evolve the skill for walking upright since they could easile swing from tree to tree finding food. Homo sapiens did not evolve in the Americas. People did not ORIGINATE in the Americas. Everyone (read 100%) is an immigrant.

Oh, just to calrify, my definition for "immigrant" is a person who moves into a different demographic area from where he or she grew up and stays there for their foreseeable future (I'm not going to go into all the settling and government structures; I'm just sticking to "land," whether or not there are already people there).

At the present, if you are a white immigrant to the Americas, your offspring are immediately labelled "American" or "Canadian." Other visible minorities... well, they're visible minorities.

All humans are decendents from nomads. Meaning people travelled to whereever it was easiest to get food. Not that different from today, but now people are staking claims on areas and trying to prevent others from taking their livelihood away, saying "we came first! Squatter's rights!"

Now kids, play nice. Share.

 

MANNTIS

5:12 PM ET

May 5, 2010

You lost me at...

"Suffice it to say..."

Really? You're a journalist and this is how well you write? It's "sufficeth to say" or, in less archaic speak, "it suffices to say". Do you write "must of", too? Yeesh. When you can't write well, you lose credibility as a writer.

 

DAMIAN OYIBO

10:34 AM ET

May 11, 2010

Why flog a dead horse?!!!

Nate 1129/Wow.just.. Why the heck do you bother... if Allangreen and the others choose to remain ignoramuses then so be it! Let them wallow in it. Cardensa you seem to have a problem with hiring immigrants even if they're who you are looking for because they are immigrants...You'd rather hire less qualified 'Americans'? Pity...
In any case who are the real Americans. Except for the American Indians who were exterminated at a horrific pace its still a wonder they still remain here and there, everyone else in America is an immigrant! The policy makers know better any way. What the heck do you think the whole green card lottery was for? To entice trained, skilled citizens of the world to America so that America will still maintain what started it in the first place: Immigrants. Get some education people.

 

BETTY58

8:26 AM ET

May 29, 2010

I may not agree with the way

I may not agree with the way some societies handle their own internal affairs. The question that should be asked is does any society have the right to impose strict laws based on any criteria established by the majority rule. If the answer to that question is yes then why have any issue with regard to any of the immigration laws passed by the majority.Sazkove kancelareIf the answer is no then we have a dilemma, and must then ask ourselves the justification of Majority rule. Does any law that is past by the Majority rule need to be fully understood and scrutinized to determine it’s basis for legality. Should we then begin a careful analysis of all our laws?