America 's Illegal Immigration Problem

Illegal immigration has plagued the United States since immigration laws were created, and has worsened in recent history. Since Ronald Reagan’s Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 provided amnesty for 3 million illegal aliens in exchange for increased border security, millions of people have entered the country illegally. Over the past 30 years, the illegal immigrant population of the country has more than doubled from 5 million in 1986 to over 11.5 million in 2015. It has become one of the most controversial political issues in America. While not every undocumented alien is a bad or dangerous person, illegal immigrants in general are a national security threat, harmful to the economy, and a burden on the social welfare system. The best solution to the illegal alien problem is to secure and enforce the border, purge American territory of every person unlawfully trespassing upon it, and reform the immigration system to make it easier for foreigners to enter the United States legally like people have done for centuries.

The debate of who should be allowed to enter the United States has been an issue for many years, with the large number of people entering and living here illegally this has become a significant talking point amongst the candidates in this presidential election. But are their views something that should be shared and supported by Christians today? There are definitely two opposing views from Christians on this topic. I will present both views regarding illegal immigrants in the United States and then I will present my own opinion on this topic.

Birthright citizenship is a principle stating that people born within the country should be recognized as U.S.

America is deemed the land of the free and the home of the brave. The very fabric of this great nation was built upon immigrants from the Pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock to the millions of immigrants landing at Ellis Island. America is known as a melting pot of many different cultures and ethnic groups with roughly 11.7 million illegal immigrants living here. There has been a long standing love/hate relationship with the issue of immigration. It has long been debated as to whether or not we should continue to allow immigrant into our country so freely.

“More than any other nation on Earth, America has constantly drawn strength and spirit from wave after wave of immigrants. In each generation, they have proved to be the most restless, the most adventurous, the most innovative, the most industrious of people. Bearing different memories honoring different heritages, they have strengthened our economy, enriched our culture, renewed our promise of freedom and opportunity for all” (Clinton 146). Those are some wise words from a former president who explains the importance of immigrants and has the mentality of a person who has reason. For many, or everybody, walking through a hot, dry desert with no water or even through a cold, windy and rainy desert would not be an activity that they would like to engage. Even though this dangerous and severe weather goes on, several people still immigrate illegally because they want what is going to be best for them. Some make it all the way and unfortunately some we do not hear about ever again.

In the United States of America, there is a big problem with illegal immigration. Illegal immigration is an enormous issue that during the 2016 presidential primary debates. It was a problem when President Obama took office eight years ago, and it is an even greater problem now that he is getting ready to leave office. Most Americans want the border closed, but that will only solve half the problem. The other half of the problem can be solved by deporting the illegal immigrants that are already in the United States. Illegal immigrants are taking American jobs. Therefore, negatively affecting the economy. Furthermore, they have a higher crime rate than the average U.S. citizen. Yet, supporters view illegal immigrants as a good thing because it helps grow the economy by doing jobs nobody else will do. Besides helping the economy, supporters believe that illegal immigrants are not criminals and will not do any more harm than coming into the country illegally. Most U.S. citizen believe that the U.S. immigration policy needs to be reformed. Illegal immigrants should not be allowed to stay in the United States because they take away U.S. jobs, they negatively affect the economy, and contribute to crime.

No issue in any immigration policy kindles more dispute than the issue of illegal immigration. Unfortunately, some people confuse legal and illegal immigration. Legal immigrants are here legally. They have the proper, legal documents that allow them to live and work in the U.S. without complications. Illegal immigrants are defined as anyone who was born in a country other than the U.S. to parents who are not official U.S. citizens; they enter the U.S. without legal documents to prove their legal citizenship. Yet before the twentieth century, many individuals and families immigrated to the U.S. without restriction, and illegal immigration was not a problem at that time. Restrictive immigration quotas were presented, but even with limitations, citizens of the Western Hemisphere countries continued to immigrate outside of the quotas. Not until the 70th Congress did the Senate Committee pass an amendment to remove Mexico from the list of countries where families and individuals could immigrate without a quota. However, World War II began to require more and more troops, and the U.S. government looked toward Mexico because of the lack of manpower rather than issues regarding illegal immigration. The U.S. and Mexico endorsed an agreement that permitted Mexicans to work in America as a method to attend to the concerns of food processing in the U.S. during the war (Anderson, 91-93). In more recent years, President Obama, in an executive action, announced changes to DACA (Deferred

Today the Society is split into three separately minded groups. In no specific ordering, the first is determined to believe that any one person born in the United States is a citizen and which means their parents should become citizens along with them. These are the ones whom obtain “birthright citizenship” (Raul). The second are firm believers in the only ones that should be citizens are the ones who go through the proper process of becoming a citizen and according to the article in “USA today,” it states that illegal immigrants are “having babies as a way to obtain citizenship,” which too many Americans “cheapens the whole idea of being American”. The last group is the “other” the ones whom are completely neutral or believe in the

Birthright citizenship is when citizenship is automatically granted to children who are born in the United States of America. Basically, all children born in the US receive automatic citizenship regardless if their parents are born in the US or from other countries.

For many years immigration has been a sensitive topic within the United States, and one could argue that within the last 5 years it has become a popular debate between both of its major political parties. Naturalization by birth has become something of a “heated” topic within the parameters of immigration in politics since the starting of the 2016 presidential debates. The first line of the opening statement in the Fourteenth amendment states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” It is the intent of this

“The economy consists of the free flow of money, goods and services as well as the production of such goods and services. Illegal immigration has a direct economic impact, though the details are a little more complicated than the storyline of they 're taking our jobs.” (Hirby). In discussions of illegal immigration strictly through only an economic perspective, a controversial issue is whether undocumented immigrants in the United States of America ultimately represent a taxation liability or prosperity. While some argue that undocumented immigrants take more out of government funded programs than they pay to the economic interests of America, specifically they don’t pay taxes that legal American citizens do and essentially are an economic burden. Others contend that undocumented immigrants consistently pay billions in taxes, and contribute much more than they are costing the government.

The purpose of this article was to inform other about birthright citizenship. The article further explains how illegal immigrants use their child “anchor baby” to gain citizenship through birthrights, also known as the 14th Amendment. This article also explains the misinterpretation of the 14th Amendment. There is no specific author but was published by Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). FAIR is known as a non-profit, non- partisan organization. Their mission is to acknowledge and aware the public of immigration issues, present solutions, give answers, and ensure the public’s voice is heard. Since their mission is to inform the public, this article is easy and useful for the general public. The article explains certain terms

When it comes to Enrique and Lourdes I believe that they do defy the stereotypes. This book gave me the knowledge of what really goes on with illegal immigrants. The trouble they go through to get to America is unbelievable. Some even have to the repeat the trip multiple times. Enrique himself had to eight times. The worst is the beatings he went through most times. How can one endure something like that multiple times? The police were nothing, literally nothing. The law is meant to protect people not join in. The emotions come from Lourde and her story leaving your children behind is something I cannot imagine. After reading this I do not think anyone judge immigrants the same.

Why is illegal immigration often viewed as a threat to the United States rather than being unscrupulous? With over 11.5 million illegal immigrants in the Unites States, opponents of illegal immigration dispute that concept of granting amnesty to these immigrants. These arguments include that certain jobs will be stolen, and an increase in crime rate would develop. Despite the fact that illegal immigration is controversial, recent studies and social trends have shown that granting amnesty to illegal immigrants would be beneficial to the country because illegal immigrants would strengthen our economy, illegal immigrant families wouldn’t be separated while having to live in the shadows, and illegal immigrants do work that Americans don’t want to do.

For ages, the United States has seemed to be the country where people seek to move to for a better life. The United States was built on immigrants. People have always migrated to the United States both legally and illegally. The main problem the country has face with immigrants is the amount that trespass the border illegally. Illegal immigration is the unlawful act of crossing a national border(Illegal Immigration Pros and Cons). The illegal immigrant population keeps growing at an annual average of about 300,000 people(Currie 10). In the recent year of 2014, there were about 11.3 million undocumented people living in the United States(Krogstad). Many have asked what harm they do to both the economy and the American citizen. Although there are many arguments as to how much harm they cause, there are as many arguments stating illegal immigration benefits the United States. Illegal immigration has a positive impact in the United States within the consumers, the working class, and the overall economy.