As previously confirmed, Mexican immigration into the United States of America is not unusual. The United States is the common destination for these southern foreigners for a variety of reasons. Location plays a major role in the contribution of Mexican immigrants to its Northern neighbor. The United States-Mexico border spans four US states, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and six Mexican states. The dividing line stretches 3,169 kilometers (1,969 miles) from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. (National Geographic Society, 2014). Security over this border is inconsistent. In some places, the border is no more than a loose wire or a stream of the Rio Grande. In others,
Throughout history of the United States and Mexican border there has been multiple depths of changes and immigration. From the area trading country ownership to population changes to having a fence line created on it. Seen in Figure1, the U.S.-
The border between the United States and Mexico consists of 1,952 miles of land border that divides a “first” world and “third” world nation. Any border is an environment of opportunity. People flock to borders around the world to exploit the regions’ resources and people. There are always plenty of people at the borders of nations to build large factories, or to traffic narcotics and weapons into neighboring nations.
In the United States, there are roughly eleven million people who can be classified as illegal immigrants, which is by far way too many. When it comes to the history of illegal immigrants, most United States citizens could be considered as an illegal immigrant. In the early years of American history, our ancestors fled into this country for better life styles and to start their own families. During this time there were not laws dealing with who could and could not enter this country illegally, so we cannot be classified as illegal immigrants. The United States of America needs to place more rigid laws regarding immigration by enforcing stricter border control policies and place a greater emphasis on becoming a legal citizen.
There was a time when people came freely and settled within the land, but as societies became more civilized and community laws established, immigration became a point of concern for the advanced societies. They did not just want any person to enter the country and get settled. For this, a certain designed protocol through which immigrants can be filtered, and those considered as safe, healthy, or valuable were preferred over the others. Hence, those immigrants who followed the procedure and were officially approved to enter the country were called legal immigrants, but the fences have always been vulnerable to some degree of penetration, and there has always been an issue of those immigrants who sneaked in illegally; thus, they are illegal immigrants.
Illegal immigration has been around ever since borders were created to divide the world. The reasons for illegal immigration, stretch from escaping unstable governments, seeking job opportunities, and making money. In the United States, most of the current illegal immigration comes from Mexico and Latin America because of poverty and the lack of jobs (Poroy)(Wilson, Armstrong). The United States provides many cheap labor positions in construction and farming where business owners are looking for immediate workers that will get the job done. Unfortunately, illegal immigrants cost the U.S. government around $11.4 billion to $20.2 billion each year due to the use of America’s goods without paying all their taxes(Amadeo). Fortunately, over the
In order to understand the use of the term illegal immigrant in this paper, it is necessary to understand the meaning of illegal immigration. Illegal immigration means: A foreigner who has either entered a country illegally (e.g. without inspection or proper documents) or who has violated the terms of legal admission to the country (e.g. by overstaying the duration of a tourist or student visa).
Looking at the current socio-political-economic issues of the world, the once self-sufficient jobs of Mexicans and Ecuadorians, such as farming, has become inadequately scarce to even provide food on the table for their family, much less send their children to school. As such, the need to provide the necessities for survival and a better life for their family has driven these individuals to illegally cross this vast terrain of land between Mexico and the United States, a
Juan Gonzalez argues that the Latino population in the United States continues to grow at an unprecedented rate. Americans have feel high levels or insecurity when it comes to the Latino populations and Gonzalez argues that it is due to the lack of knowledge in addition to the growing anti-immigrant rhetoric that is being created by the Republican party. The transformation of the United States is incredibly massive and by 2050 1 out of 3 will be of Latin American descent and if these numbers continue to grow by 2100 half of the population will be Latino. Juan Gonzales expresses that the central theme of his book is the huge Latino presence in the United States and the role of the United States in Latin America, therefore understanding the Latino presence in the American nation is completely due to the harvest of empire that the United States has create, which is a result of over a century of domination.
To what extent is the hardship for immigrants from Latin American countries to immigrate, both legally and illegally, to the United States given past and present immigration laws?
There are many phrases that dehumanize an individual. One of these phrases is illegal immigrant. The phrase has been used by media outlets, politicians, and the public for years in the United States. It diminishes the idea that diversity is substantially vast in our country (Chomsky, 2014). “Immigrants exhibit a large proportion of ingenious and valuable workmen,” said Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson. In 2013, more than 41.3 million of the United States population were immigrants. This made up 13 percent of the U.S. population at the time and the percentage has only increased since then (Zong and Batalova). On November 20th of 2014, President Barack Obama addressed the nation regarding his plans on immigration. The President said, “My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too” (The White House). An illegal immigrant is defined as a foreign-born, undocumented individual who migrates across the national borders in a way that infringes the immigration regulations and laws of the country (United States Department of Homeland Security). There are many reasons as to how and why this phrase receives adverse responses. Illegal immigrant is a phrase that labels and misrepresents the undocumented individuals of the United States who are an influential and dynamic part of the society.
Immigration. A controversial topic that continues to divide the nation. An undocumented immigrant is an individual who resides in the United States without the proper legal permission. Undocumented Immigration has been a staple in Republican political campaigns, who often use fear-mongering tactics to scare the public into fearing these people. The government even shut down as the Democrats and Republicans were unable to reach an agreement. However, providing a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants is favored by the majority of American Citizens and research shows that they help the American Economy, and lower the national crime rate well below the current statistics.
Throughout the history of the United States, immigration has become a part of our country’s issue which bean centuries ago. The issue of undocumented immigrates has become the primary focus in this year’s election. Undocumented immigrants are foreign born people who lack a right to be in the United States, having either entered without inspection or stayed beyond the expiration date of a visa or other status. Undocumented immigrants are seen as double edged sword. When people move into an area, legally or not, it can also mean that there will be more consumers and potential workers, but it can also mean fewer jobs for locals. Large numbers of immigrants and their families cannot help but have a significant impact on the cultural, political,
If they reached the land before they were caught by the authorities, they were granted political refugee status (9). This, as well as other circumstances helped cause the number of foreign-born migrants to increase eighty-one percent in the 1990s-2000s (3). More than half of the Hispanic population resides in the following states: California, Texas, and Florida, with California having the highest number of immigrants (2). One main component of California’s high number of Hispanic immigrants is due to the entrance of migrants illegally. The National Research Council claimed that in the 1990s, “more than 200,000 immigrants came into the United States illegally” (7). With eighty percent of Latin Americans becoming naturalized US citizens and nineteen percent not becoming US citizens before the 1970s, the numbers were reversed after the 1970s and the latter became predominant (12). Legal immigration as well as illegal immigration of Hispanics were both non-prevalent in early American history; nevertheless, with the progression of years and opportunities, many Latin Americans came to America seeking jobs and a better life for their family.
The question of immigration had been one of America’s biggest issues since the 1500s. Mass immigration began in the late 1600s and became uncontrollable for the native population to control. In fact, many began to move west where opportunity existed. After the ratification of the Constitution in 1789, the question of immigration died down until the Irish and German immigration wave in the mid-19th century. Today, immigration is no longer a major issue, but illegal immigration is. All through the late 20th and early 21st century, many Latin Americans began to come to the US, undocumented. Media and government address the issue of illegal immigration in many different ways. The government is usually strongly against illegal immigration and some politicians make it the issue of their campaigns. The media, on the other hand, may vary in their views on the issue. South Park and The Simpsons both satirize the issue of illegal immigration in their own different way.