Illegal Immigration in the United States

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.

Immigration is an issue that many people see as small and insignificant. Many believe that it doesn’t concern or affect them in any shape or form. Truth is, it doesn’t matter if you're African American, Caucasian, Asian, Mexican, or another race, immigration is an issue that affects everyone. Immigration affects the economy, the workforce, families, and the individual’s themselves whose main goal and dream is the “American Dream” that they come to the US looking for.

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

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.

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

On the 23rd of April 2010, Governor Jan Brewer signed the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, also known as, the Arizona SB 1070. The law is aimed at addressing the essential problem of illegal immigration within the United States, particularly within Arizona. The legislative act sparked much national controversy before, as well as after the act’s signing. The law Arizona law added on to preexisting U.S. federal law that requires all aliens over the age of 14, who remain in the United States more than thirty days to register with the US government, and to carry registered documents with them at all times (“8 U.S. Code § 1304” 2010). Violations of either requirement would result as a federal misdemeanor crime. The act further made it a state misdemeanor crime for an alien to be within Arizona

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) is viewed as one of the most important policy implementations in U.S. immigration history. As drafted, IRCA proposed to be a policy to control and deter all illegal immigration into the U.S., but the policy was truly directed at stopping the flow of Mexican immigrants that continues to be the largest immigration flow in the world. Daniel Tichenor writes in Dividing Lines that, “Originally designed as a restrictive enforcement measure, IRCA proved to be surprisingly expansive in both design and effect.” By identifying the unintended consequences of the law, this paper explores why the policy failed. Ultimately, this paper shows that IRCA

One of the most controversial topics today in politics is what to do about illegal immigration in the United States. Should we consider all of the illegal immigrants felons? Should we give them full citizenship rights? These are all important questions related to illegal immigration. In 1986, the Immigration Reform and Control Act made it illegal for employers to knowingly hire undocumented workers and imposed fines of up to $11,000 for each violation. Recently, the United States House of Representatives passed a bill, entitled H.R. 4437 (The Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005). Just recently, due to massive overpopulation, the problem of illegal immigration is really starting to be taken

For the past few decades, illegal immigration has been one of the most controversial topics in American politics. Everyone seems to have something to say on the matter. Consequently, it is no surprise that with the upcoming Presidential election, illegal immigration, particularly as it relates to illegal Mexican immigrants, is at the forefront. The simple truth is, America is a nation of immigrants. It always has been. Admittedly, the U.S. has the right and duty to control entry to and exit from its borders. However, mass deportations and immigration bans are not the answer. The United States must strike a balance between deterring illegal activities and the draining of social resources and remaining true to fabric of this nation and the continued

In the United States illegal immigration is a major problem. this problem has led to other issues in this country and has existed for decades . Although it is a problem, it is a source of business for farmers in the United States and drug dealers. It is a controversial issue with many opinions on it. There is not one solution to this problem, politicians including the president have proposed various solutions, but are not supported by the general public. In this research paper I will be discussing the various reasons many illegal immigrants are motivated to cross to the U.S illegally.

In the past year, there has been a lot of coverage in the media about illegal immigrants coming into the United States. Illegal immigrants crossing the border into the United States became one of the topics mentioned in the recent presidential campaign. President Trump told his supporters that Mexico is dumping thousands of “bad people” into the US because they are drug dealers, rapists, and murderers (Walker, 2015). President Trump cited a recent murder of a young woman living in California as evidence that all illegal immigrants are bad. The woman was murdered by a man who was deported five times because he had a criminal record. Trump told his supporters that Mexico sent the man back into the United States

Illegal immigration and the deployment of these undocumented inhabitants of America has been a disputed issue for decades. It is debated whether to return the illegal immigrants to their country of origin, or to let them stay in the United States. Factual evidence and statistics has proven that although the immigrants may not be authorized as citizens or inhabitants of America, they do contribute to the diversity of the country. With such a large population of foreigners, the immigrants also influence America’s economy and the workforce. Immigration has been a prevalent aspect of civilization in the United States for centuries, and it is clear that allowing these illegal aliens to remain in the country will keep the economy and workforce secure. Since the immigrants have immensely escalated since the 1920s, it would drastically affect the nation to deploy all of these people. The deployment of illegal immigrants would negatively impact the economy, diversity, workforce, and stability of the United States, and undocumented immigrants should therefore be allowed to stay in America.

“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.

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.