Immigration and racism

   1 Immigration is a political issue in some parts of the world. Discuss these questions in
   groups and then tell the class.

     o [IMG]Why do people go to live in another country?
     o What benefits can immigration bring to a country?
     o What problems can large-scale immigration cause? 
     o Should immigrants conform to the local culture?
     o What should governments do about immigration?
     o What is the public attitude to immigrants in your country?

   

   2 Complete these sentences with the words in the box.

   +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
   |immigration      integrate     immigrants      compete    illegal    demanding        racial|
   |minority                                                                                    |
   +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

   

   1 Both Democrats and Republicans are _____________ strict immigration controls.

   2 The immigrants _____________ with the local people for jobs and houses.

   3 The biggest problem is _____________ immigration.

   4 African Americans are currently the largest _____________ in the USA.

   5 The new immigrants don’t _____________ as earlier immigrants did.

   6 The USA is a country of _____________, but today’s newcomers are different.

   7 If present levels of _____________continue, by the year 2050America’s population will
   increase by 50 per cent to 383 million.

   

   3 Discuss these questions in small groups.

   1 Are there any ethnic groups in your town/region?

   2 If yes, where have they come from and why?

   3 Does your country offer help to refugees?

   4 How easy is it for a member of an ethnic minority group to do the following in your
   country?:

     o get citizenship?
     o get a home?
     o get a good job?
     o make friends and be accepted by the majority?

   5 How do you think the villagers in a small village/in the city in your country would react if
   150 refugees were sent to live nearby? How would you personally react?

   6 What is the public attitude to refugees in your country?

   

   4 Match the words on the left with the words on the right:

   +--------------------------------------------------------------+
   |1. asylum                     |a. migrants                    |
   |------------------------------+-------------------------------|
   |2. border                     |b. immigrants                  |
   |------------------------------+-------------------------------|
   |3. economic                   |c. controls                    |
   |------------------------------+-------------------------------|
   |4. illegal                    |d. officials                   |
   |------------------------------+-------------------------------|
   |5. immigration                |e. seekers                     |
   +--------------------------------------------------------------+

   

              

               1 ____ 2 ____ 3____ 4 ____ 5 ____

   

   

   

   

   5 Complete this text with expressions from the exercise above:

   Following the discovery of fifty (1)__________   __________ in the back of a lorry at Calais
   yesterday, the government has ordered stricter security (2)_________   __________ and has
   warned (3) __________ __________to be vigilant. “We are very willing to help genuine
   (4)__________ __________,“ said a government minister, “but these people are just
   (5)__________  __________. We cannot allow just anyone into the country.“