Illegal Immigration In America

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.

The immigration patterns of the United States have fluctuated over the years, some years having little while others see a rising amount of immigrants, both legal and illegal, looking for opportunities to improve their lives. The amount of illegal immigration is a problem since many take advantage of the social services provided by the government without contributing towards the country since they are not citizens and many people see these illegal immigrants as a threat to their employment. Illegal immigrants do affect the U.S negatively in a number of ways, but if those illegal immigrants were to have a safe passageway towards gaining citizenship, the immigrants would contribute greatly towards the

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 problem with immigration is that the federal government has failed to control immigrants coming into the U.S. illegally. This has caused a substantial increase in illegal immigration that threatens the U.S. economy.

Immigration has played an important role throughout American history. What fundamentally sets America apart from other nations is the foundation that it was created by immigrants seeking a better life for themselves and their children (Camarota & Zeigler, 2016). During times of economic growth, laborers have been imported, and deported during recessions (Flores, 2016). An average of 1.1 million immigrants relocate to the United States annually (Storesletten, 2000). US Customs and Border Control officials, have witnessed a significant increase in the number of “unaccompanied alien minors” from Latin America, anticipating 75,000 minors (if not more) from 2016 to 2017 (Rush, 2016). The average age for “unaccompanied alien minors” is 11 years

“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.

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

The illegal immigration problem in the United States is a social as well political issue.

Mexican illegal immigration into the U.S. has been prominent since the 1940s. Originally about 4.6 million Mexican immigrants came to the U.S. legally through the Bracero Program between 1942-1946(Planas, 2014). The program gave Mexican laborers worker visas to come into the U.S. and work as farm hands. This created circular migration patterns from Mexico to the U.S. that still exist today(Planas, 2014). However, the Bracero program was terminated due to an influx of illegal immigrants flooding into the U.S., who too wanted the great pay, but could not manage to get into the program(Planas, 2014). Today, the Bracero Program is the reason why most of the undocumented immigrants in the U.S. are from Mexico(Planas, 2014). Later, the Immigration

“I will build a great wall- and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me- and I’ll build them very inexpensively on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words”-Donald Trump. Whether the United States builds a wall, deports hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, or does nothing about it, the so called “uncontrollable problem” of immigration is still present today. America, for the past 100 years, has been faced with this dilemma that immigrants come and pursue the American dream but some doing it illegally. Not only has that been an added contribution to the issue of America’s economic stability but also how America is seen as a nation. Immigration, now more than ever, has become a national crisis that needs to be taken care of immediately.

The total amount of American citizens that are of the working age are unemployed is around 54.7 million people. It's hard enough for American born citizens to get a job already, but now you have illegal immigrants coming here and taking even more jobs. Some Americans only have a high school degree, which means that they are incapable of getting a higher level job because in today's society employers want more educated employees. Also a research done by CIS found that 74 percent of illegal immigrants have no more than a high school education, which means that they are directly competing for jobs with lesser educated American citizens. This a problem and it's unfair because they are taking away opportunities from born American citizens and

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.

Due to the millions of illegal Mexican immigrants living in the United States, the U.S. should help develop Mexico’s economy, to be able to better to support their people, thus less of them will migrate to the U.S. According to the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, “There are 10.3 million illegal immigrants in the United States today—57% from Mexico. This massive influx of Mexicans has overpopulated American cities, put a serious drain on our social services, and have created a growing tension not only with US citizens, but also the other Mexican immigrants that have persisted through the system and reside in the United States legally.” Illegal immigration is a serious problem in the United States, and the only way to be able to protect both

Illegal immigration, according to an online dictionary is, “an alien (non-citizen) who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa” (thefreedictionary.com). This issue has been a controversial and divisive topic throughout the world. Illegal immigration is a serious threat to national security. Lack of proper immigration can cause harmful consequences, and while there is much debate over what to do with the many illegal immigrants in the country, it is evident that it is a burden and very damaging.

The problem with immigration is that the process to receive a visa takes too long. This is a problem because many people wait along time to find out if they actually become citizens or if they are able to go to work , and most don't, and then have to wait even longer. According to Introduction to Immigration in the U.S. today by Noel Moreno, this process takes too long because it “includes proving that they are not criminals and do not have an infectious disease”, and also “not all applications are treated equally” (Merino 1). They look for stuff like that because no one wants problems in the United States and they want people who have someone already living their. For instance, “preference is given to family members of current U.S. citizens” (Merino 1). Which then has immigrants set on a certain mindset that they won't never be able to enter. For they are all “unwilling to or feel they are unable to wait to immigrate legally” (Merino 2). Many people decide to cross the border without a visa since they wait to long and people hate waiting. Which then leads to the two lasting effect of immigrants wanting to come into the United States illegally, and causing a major economic problem by hurting it.