PHIL 219 Spring 2018
Discussion Paper #1
Directions: In 3-4 pages, respond as completely as possible to the following. You should use whatever resources are available to you, including the class text, notes, and the links collected on the class website. Be sure to consult the rubric posted on the website. Also, please review the information in the Compass on academic honesty. If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, I would be happy to explain it to you.
Due Date: February 27th, 2018
In his State of the Union address on January 30th, 2018, President Trump announced that in addition to seeking monies and laws to limit illegal migration, his administration was proposing new limits to legal immigration policy. One of the targets of these proposals is a law known as “Family-Based Immigration” (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/family-immigration/family-based-immigrant-visas.html) labeled by the president and other critics as “Chain Migration.” This label highlights one of the difficulties of evaluating the debate over public policy. Partisans on all sides can and do misstate and obfuscate the nature, processes, and effects of policies they disagree with to make political points. This can make political or legal analysis of an issue like family-based migration difficult to produce or process.
Your task, however, is not to do a political or legal analysis of family-based immigration policy in the U. S. Rather, in 3-4 pages, I am tasking you with using one of the moral theories we’ve discussed in class (Virtue Theory, Natural Law Theory, Kantian Moral Theory, Utilitarianism, or Rule Consequentialism) to provide a moral argument for or against the position that current family-based immigration policy should be continued. Your paper should begin with an introductory paragraph that includes a thesis statement, making your stance clear. The body of the paper should include a presentation of the details of the moral theory you are applying, an accurate presentation of the policy and its processes and effects, and an argument to the conclusion that the moral theory in question offers principled support for the position you are advocating. Make sure that your argument is a moral one, and doesn’t get bogged down in political or legal issues.
Below, I’ve collected some resources that may be helpful to you when writing your paper. Make sure that any work other than your own is properly cited.
What is ‘Chain Migration?’ https://www.snopes.com/2018/02/01/what-is-chain-migration/
Understanding Chain Migration. https://fairus.org/issue/legal-immigration/chain-migration
What is chain migration? http://thehill.com/homenews/politics-101/370796-what-is-chain-migration
Why is Chain Migration so Controversial? https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2018/01/economist-explains-13
Explaining 'Chain Migration.' https://www.npr.org/2018/01/07/576301232/explaining-chain-migration
These Claims About ‘Chain Migration’ Are Not Accurate. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/us/politics/chain-migration-immigration-daca-factcheck.html
‘Chain Migration’ Has Become a Weaponized Phrase. Here Are the Facts Behind It. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/us/politics/the-facts-behind-the-weaponized-phrase-chain-migration.html
Keep saying Chain Migration. http://www.nationalreview.com/article/455907/keep-saying-chain-migration-its-not-racist-its-accurate
Immigration Multipliers. Trends in Chain Migration. https://cis.org/sites/default/files/2017-09/vaughan-chain-migration_1.pdf
The Effects of Immigration on the United States’ Economy. http://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2016/1/27/the-effects-of-immigration-on-the-united-states-economy
Immigrants’ Impact on the Economy in Seven Charts. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/immigrants-impact-on-the-u-s-economy-in-7-charts/
Summary of Recent Quinnipiac polling on immigration. https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2517