Assignment I: Social Problem

Analysis

Assignment I: Social Problem Analysis

Sunitha Mahrajan

The Ohio State University

SOCWORK 7530

February 7, 2026
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Assignment I: Social Problem Analysis

Step I: Identifying the Problem

A big issue that has been widely debated in the United States is the issue of immigration

policy. The political climate and administration have perpetuated this issue of immigration and

policies surrounding it. According to Merriam-Webster, immigration is the act or instance of

immigrating, specified as travel into a country for the purpose of permanent residence there

(n.d.). The definition does not indicate bias of any type. Immigration can simply be from any

location to another. The definition does not indicate any bias of whether immigration is positive

or negative. The choice of this definition was easy because it was simple to understand and

doesn’t show signs of bias.

The magnitude of immigration in the U.S. is at an intense point. There is a lot of debate

on immigration due to cultural issues, economic and societal effect on Americans (Congress,

2016). A major concern of immigration from native born Americans has come from the

possibility of immigrants affecting the fiscal economy and labor market competition (Congress,

2016). A popular argument that has perpetuated the issue of immigration across the nation is

that immigrants are taking jobs away from American citizens (Congress, 2016). However,

according to statistics, immigrants increase the supply of labor, and their wages expand the

domestic economic demand as they spend on goods and services (Congress, 2016). Empirical

data has also indicated that there are long term benefits for Americans like increased productivity

and reduced labor market competition (Congress, 2016). Generally, document and or

undocumented immigrants, create a net positive contribution to the federal budget because most

are of age to work and have small effects on costs of Social Security and Medicare compared to

native recipients (Congress, 2016).

Step II: Identifying the Causes and Consequences

America has been seen as a place of refuge and welcomed people from other countries in

search of a better life. The United Staes of America was known as a “melting pot,” after

President Theodore Roosevelt felt inspired following 1908 playwright by Israel Zangwill

(O’Leary, 2025). There was favoritism for the pot which was towards Northern and Western

Europeans, which conveniently resemble White Americans (O’Leary, 2025). Eventually reform

began to enforced this in the 1924 Immigration Act, “establishing strict national –origin quotas

the limited immigration from Asia and Southern and Eastern Europe” (O’Leary, 2025). The U.S.

holds a unique position because native born Americans make up about 4% of the worlds

population but we host 17% of all international migrants (O’Leary, 2025). In 1960 he initial

surge of immigrants came mainly from Italy, Germany second, Canada third, United Kingdom

fourth, then fifth Poland (O’Leary, 2025). But as of 2023, the ranking goes as from the highest to

lowest: Mexico, India, China, Philippines, and El Salvador (O’Leary, 2025). However, India and

China frequently surpass Mexico in the amount newly arriving immigrant (O’Leary, 2025).

Recent influxes of migration have been due to global crises but consistently over time,

reason of migration is to economic reason and political factors (O’Leary, 2025). Immigrants play

a large role in the accelerating American innovation and entrepreneurial dynamism (O’Leary,

2025). Migration includes native languages being brought into America, making us the most

linguistically diverse country in the world (O’Leary, 2025). Some critics of immigration point

towards people not speaking English but about half of immigrants (52%) ages five and above are

proficient English speakers (O’Leary, 2025).

Step III: Formulate the Values and Ideology & Step IV: Distinguishing your Gainers and

Losers
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Due to the many misconceptions of the effects of immigration in the United States, there

is major concerns from Americans to protect their society and economy. To the point where

citizens have implicit bias towards non-Americans. In a Yale study, researchers saw that both

naturalized and native-born citizens have implicit ani-foreigner bias even if they identified as

progressive (Cummings, 2025). In the same study, researchers examined the participants pro-

American/ anti-foreigner implicit and explicit preference correlated to immigration policy

(Cummings, 2025). Results indicated that there was a strong correlation to the county's predicted

strength of implicit anti-immigration simply based on previous voting patterns and results of

regional ballot initiatives (Cummings, 2025).

Conservative and Republic frames favor national sovereignty, rule of law, and needs for

security which has led to a focus on the large undocumented population and perceived loss of

border control (O’Leary, 2025). For example, President Donald Trump exacerbated this need for

interior enforcement and promoted a wall along the border to keep Mexicans from migrating into

the U.S. during his campaigning season (O’Leary, 2025). Around 2024 and to now during his

second presidency, Trum has gained a large following of voters because of his stance on anti-

immigration policies (O’Leary, 2025).

References

Cummings, M. (2025). Bias Against Non-Americans Spans Demographic and Political

Spectrums. Yale News. Bias against non-Americans spans demographic and political

spectrums | Yale News

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Immigration. In [Link] dictionary. Retrieved February

7, 2026, from [Link]

O’Leary, A. (2025). How Immigration Is Reshaping America: The Data Behind the Debate.

GovFacts. [Link]

data-behind-the-debate/

[Link]. (2016). The Effects of Immigration on the United Sates’ Economy. HHRG-118-

[Link]
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