(warm upbeat music) (logo hums) (clock ticking) (text whooshes) - What's up?

(transition hums) It's Cory.

And it's time we talk about one of the most important issues defining America, immigration.

(intense rock music) (person whooshing) Whoa!

Whoa!

Who are you?

I'm kind of in the middle of something here.

Why does this keep happening?

- My name's Yroc from Planet Bebop.

I don't mean to be rude, (upbeat hip-hop music) but I was on a intergalactic cruise when I passed by Earth, and saw all these views.

So many gorgeous creatures, and so many different foods.

Can I stuff my face before I return to outer space?

I'm even willing to learn (Arabic hip-hop music) if ya got time to burn.

- Well, if you're willing to learn, I know a spot.

(transition hums) If you've ever been to a bodega, you might be familiar with the chopped cheese sandwich.

(knife tapping) Here, try one.

The 'akhi way.

(teleportation hums) (transition hums) Delicious, nutritious, a little bit sloppy.

Hey, what's an 'akhi?

- 'Akhi is Arabic for brother.

(text whooshing) A nod to the origins of the chopped cheese.

(text whooshes) This fusion of American-Yemeni-Latine cuisine was invented at a corner store in New York City run by Yemeni Americans like the one here in Lackawanna.

- I know Yemen!

As I passed by your planet, I saw it on the other side of the axis.

- Yeah, (laughs) that's right.

Located on the southern edge of the Arabian peninsula, (transition hums) Yemen's roots go back to ancient times, from its history of powerful women like the Queen of Sheba, to the Middle Ages, when Yemeni farmers and merchants introduced coffee from Ethiopia to the world.

Today, the United States is home to over 100,000 Yemeni Americans, largely in major cities in New York state, Michigan, Illinois, and California.

(transition hums) - I was on my way to Uranus, but this planet's potential is limitless!

I've never tasted anything better.

Can I stay here and eat chopped cheese forever?

- Well, it's complicated.

Visiting is one thing, but there are laws about who can stay here forever and how.

As a country of settlers (smooth chill music) opposed to indigenous nations that are native to the land, early American leaders needed to decide, who gets to be an American citizen?

Although the Constitution and Bill of Rights doesn't define citizenship, the founders agreed to implement Jus Soli, the right of the soil.

Meaning, (graphic chimes) that for the most part, to be an American citizen, you had to be born here.

- Aw, darn!

I was born afar on another star!

- Hold on, now they quickly realized that we need to embrace people who were born elsewhere.

That process is known as naturalization.

In simple terms, (calendar rustling) if an immigrant lives here for several years, and pledges allegiance to America, then they naturally can take an oath of citizenship.

- Ooh!

Can I become naturalized?

Or do I have to look a certain way?

(Yroc whooshes) Or be a certain size?

- It's complicated.

- What do you mean complicated?

It's a yes or no question, how come you hesitated?

- Does everyone from Bebop rhyme like that?

- Ooh, what's a rhyme?

I talk like this all the time.

- I like that.

(Yroc zoops) It's complicated, because immigration laws are constantly changing.

The first law (transition whooshes) only allowed for free white people to become naturalized.

This law also established Jus Sanguinis, meaning the right of blood.

Basically, children of parents who are American citizens should also be American citizens.

But again, only if they were white.

- Well, that's pretty tragic, don't you all share this planet?

Or have you not reached the evolution to see that prejudice is not the solution?

What do looks have to do with who's here on the books?

- Citizens have certain rights that non-citizens don't, like the right to vote, (eagle screeches) and run for office.

And many early American colonists who were white Anglo-Saxon Protestant feared the influence of other cultures and ideas that weren't like their own.

But not everyone was afraid.

(graphic hums) President Thomas Jefferson, for example, believed that America should embrace anyone who wants to live here, (graphic hums) and wishes our country well.

- That makes sense, now cut the suspense.

Did things ever change to embrace the full human range of unique names and mind frames?

- Congress, our elected leaders began shifting (text whooshes) with the Immigration Act of 1864, also known as the Act to Encourage Immigration.

It was passed just as slavery was being abolished.

Coincidence?

Nope.

This was the industrial era.

And because immigrants don't have the same rights as citizens, corporations pushed for open immigration to hire underpaid labor to work the farms, mines, railroads, steel plants, and factories.

- So there's a major association between labor and immigration?

- Ah, you're getting it.

But people migrate for all kinds of reasons, not just work.

Think about it.

Some folks are pushed out of their homes due to wars, famine, (tense guitar music) oppression, and other disasters.

(engine growling) Or they can be pulled here (text whooshes) in pursuit of opportunities, education, and the promise of freedom.

Now, knowing these push and pull factors can help you understand why immigration patterns change over time.

- I appreciate the suggestion.

Will you please answer my question?

Will your country accept me (upbeat funky music) (transition whooshes) coming from a different galaxy?

I'm down to work first, I'll give you my shirt.

I'll get a job (transition whooshes) grilling kebabs, (tires screech) corn on the cob.

(tires screech) I could be a heartthrob.

(camera click and beep) (crowd screaming) - Nowadays, you could, but it's tough.

Back in the day, it was even worse.

For instance, (downbeat guitar music) the 14th Amendment, right?

(text whooshes) Finally established that all people born in the States have the right to the soil.

Also, (text whooshes) the Naturalization Act of 1870 finally gave citizenship rights to the folks of African descent.

But laws like (text whooshes) the Chinese Exclusion Act were also passed, banning Chinese immigrants from coming here.

Folks born in Asia and other non-white ethnicities were blocked from naturalization, no matter how long they lived and worked here.

Laws establishing quotas, (text whooshes) limits on how many people from certain countries could immigrate to America were also passed based on the ideas that people from non-European backgrounds might damage our country's character.

- Your country's character?

So, does your country have a face?

Is it a person, or a place?

- Yroc, That is one of the key questions behind how open our border should be.

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 ultimately decided that the US shouldn't ban immigrants simply because they were born in Asia.

(Earth whooshes) President Lyndon Johnson (graphic hums) said that this law corrects a cruel and enduring wrong- - [President Johnson] In the conduct of the American nation.

- It shifted our priorities for immigration (graphic hums) from race (text whooshing) to skill, reuniting families, and giving refuge to people escaping war and tragedy.

- Whew, you all flip-flop a lot.

Is this where it stops?

Or was there another plan to pass another ban on folks coming to this land?

- (laughs) Yeah, well, let's take it back to chopped cheese for a second, and how it got here.

(chill rock music) (transition hums) Western New York was once an industrial powerhouse with access to the Great Lakes, Niagara Falls, hydroelectric energy.

Cities like Lackawanna and Buffalo were leaders in manufacturing steel, and shipping grain.

In the 1940s, Lackawanna Steel was taken over by Bethlehem Steel Company, which went on to build over 1,000 ships for World War II, the skeletons for most of Manhattan's skylines, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Peace Bridge, I mean, all of this right here.

(transition hums) - 'Akhi, please, what's this got to do with chopped cheese?

- Oh, (laughs) stay with me.

(graphic hums) This was the golden age for Buffalo.

Attracting workers from the Americas, Amsterdam, (zoom whooshes) to Yemen, and beyond!

But Yemen is in Asia, (map whooshes) and as I mentioned earlier, Asians weren't allowed to become citizens, and the quota only accepted 100 Yemenis each year until- - The Immigration Act (graphic hums) of 1965 allowed Yemenis to bring their families here and thrive.

See?

I'm slick and I catch on quick.

- That's right.

But sadly, Bethlehem Steel shut down in the '80s.

Across America, the manufacturing decline forced people to find new avenues for work.

(transition whooshes) As newcomers, Yemenis faced discrimination, which kept them out of the labor unions, and made it difficult to find jobs.

So, they stuck together, pooling their resources, and buying up small stores in major cities in order to employ themselves, (transition whooshes) and take charge of their own lives.

(hopeful chill music) - My name is Abraham Ajji, and I'm originally from Yemen.

My grandparents came here, and they wanted to have a better life.

My grandfather, he was a steel worker for quite some time, and then, later on, he was able to save enough money to buy a store for his family.

And then was able to pass it on to his children.

Now, it wasn't easy, he had to go through a lot of struggles, and language definitely was a barrier, but we managed to make it through, and I'm thankful.

Now, we're able to go to school, and persevere, and reach our goals.

But I do come back from time to time to help out if I can.

I don't forget where I came from, 'cause that's what made me who I am today.

(transition hums) - Ah!

I'm beginning to understand.

And as I scan New York, (rhythmic folk music) and the thousands of corner stores, I see around half of the owners are Yemeni.

- It's incredible.

(warm upbeat music) From folks like Nagi Daifullah, a labor organizer killed for leading a fight for workers' rights in California, to Yemenis today, maintaining grocery stores in food deserts, feeding their neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The influence of the Yemeni community far outweigh their size.

But in 2017, a man with a plan passed a ban.

Executive order 13679 (paper rustles) prevented Yemenis (stamp taps) from immigrating here, along with six other predominantly Muslim nationalities.

- Oh, no, bro, whoa!

- The ban was protested heavily, contested in court!

(paper rustles) And fortunately, it was reversed in 2021 (paper rustles) by another executive order.

But it goes to show how delicate immigration is, between concerns about undocumented migrants crossing our southern border, to the fear of international conflict, Americans lately depend on presidents to decide how welcoming we are.

People who dream of becoming American, many of whom have been on wait lists for years, are at the mercy of these laws.

- So, one person in the White House can decide if I'm in or out?

Even if I open up a store?

Open up my heart, and gave them some more?

Somebody can shut that door, and keep my family away from these shores.

You know, I like it here a lot, but for now, I'm heading back to Bebop.

(Yroc whooshing) Get it together!

(Yroc zoops) - Well, it's actually up to you.

(warm thumping music) One day, you'll be able to vote for what you believe in.

Are you concerned about immigrants taking jobs, or changing America?

Or do you like sharing our country with folks from around the world?

While these are questions up for debate, but one thing is for certain: Immigrants don't just have the potential to assimilate, they can integrate, fusing the best parts of their culture with our own.

Whether it's chopped cheese, or pizza, (graphics whooshing) video games, karaoke, Pad Thai, music, burritos, anime, even cafes.

Many of the things we enjoy most trace their origins beyond our borders.

(graphics whoosh) And having neighbors from all over the world makes us stronger, smarter, (chill upbeat music) and much more of a loving place.

So remember, (graphic whooshes) history surrounds you, and includes you.

So, go ahead, make history, (transition hums) and maybe someday, I'll be telling your story right here on "Compact History."

(graphic hums)