Immigration Reform : Legal Or Illegal

Back in 2007 there were several concerns over immigration as a whole and exploding proportions of illegal immigrants crossing the border in the Arizona area. Arizona attempted to resolve the influx of people across the border by imposing heavy fines on employers hiring illegal immigrants. At that time in Arizona there was a democratic governor Janet Napolitano that continually vetoed the Arizona’s legislature attempt to reduce illegal immigration. In 2009 the state replaced the Democratic governor with a Republican governor Jan Brewer who was supportive of reforms for immigration in Arizona. In 2010 the immigration problem was so sever that Arizona passed legislation allowing the state to enforce federal law for identification of legal immigration into the United States. This sparked a nation wide discussion on illegal immigration and immigration reform.

This paper explores the United States, Immigration Policy from an historical, fair and factual perspective. The Immigration Act of 1990 States limited “unskilled workers to 10,000 a year. Skilled labor requirements and immediate family reunification were major goals. The Act continued to promote the nuclear family model, foreign-born in the US was 7%”. This paper will also explore the demographics and diversity, of immigrants, throughout the U.S. This paper includes an article form the website of the Washington, D.C., Immigration Policy Center, and American Immigration Council. This paper will examines significant research data from the Pew Research web site on Hispanic trends and immigration, around the United States. This paper will also cover numbers, facts and trends which shape the immigration policy. This paper will also include five different books written by authors concerning the immigration policy and public issues which most concern Americans. This paper will cover topics of history of social problems and the policies that address immigration, special interest groups advocacy groups, political party and supporters, social justice and ethical issues, policy outcomes of illegal immigrants and how other countries compare to the United States when dealing with immigration.

Immigration is both a domestic issue and global concern. It involves economics, politics, and culture. Unlike other current issues, it has been at the center of the American experience for hundreds of years (Tirman, John). Every year, hundreds of thousands of immigrants from around the world, come to the United States. These immigrants have many different motivations as to why they leave their home country; but as currents events indicate, it is injustice, poverty, and violence in their own country that generally make people move to save themselves and to ensure a better future for their families. Many of these people believe the United States is the best place to go, because there is more freedom, protection, and benefits,

The topic of Mexican immigration recently made headlines again when republican presidential candidate Donald Trump released a 3 page statement detailing his blunt beliefs on Mexican immigrants. Trump’s blunt statements against Mexican immigration have led many to join the discussion of Mexican immigration. The views on the issue vary, some believe that Mexicans are the route to all of America’s unemployment trouble while others believe Mexican’s simply take jobs American’s refuse to take. Either way, there are nearly twenty four million people of Mexican decent living in the United States that have started their own communities which contribute to American society. Many American’s however, refuse to accept this and are still prosecuting Mexican’s. This can be seen in the media, public schools, and in the work place.

Whether with a cold shoulder welcome or a open arm embrace, the United States has constantly received a range of global immigrants, over half whom originate from Latin America (migrationpolicy.org). Largely driven by the prospect of the “American Dream,” the Latino immigration movement began in the 1840s and has fluctuated with new policies, including the bracero program, an oppressive operation for temporary migrant workers, during World War II, and the Immigration Act of 1965, which created the first immigration limit for the Western Hemisphere (Gutiérrez, Ewing). Since 1960, the Latino population in America has grown from 3.24% of the U.S. population to 16%, and recent estimates proclaim an approximate 11 million undocumented Hispanics, revealing the growing need for for a political reassessment of immigration policy (Gutiérrez, whitehouse.gov). Today, immigration policy, particularly pertaining to Hispanics, has become a controversial subject in the United States, bearing opposing views and proposals, accompanied by diverse impacts that could reverberate throughout the Americas.

Nevertheless, it is not only imperative to outline that between 2009 and 2014 the number of illegal immigrants decreased in Kansas, Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, South Carolina, California as well as Nevada, but also vital to note that these reductions are alleged to the reduced number of unauthorized Mexican immigrants. As opposed to the small number (41 percent) of immigrants who had lived in America for more than ten years in the US by 2005, the figure had risen significantly to a wobbling 66 percent by 2014. Nevertheless, those who have lived in the country illegally for less than five years are declining in number steadily, having been estimated at barely 14 percent in 2014 (Krogstad and Passel 17). While the illegal immigrants could be considered as both credible and dependable because of the benefits they bring to the US, on the contrary, it is critical to comprehend the unintended consequences that translate into tangible problems like increased competition for the limited unskilled job opportunities, increased pressure on the economy by using free social services including healthcare, social security, and education as well as the growing crime rate perpetuated by unauthorized citizens in the

Immigration is a controversial topic among many people in the United States today. A lot of people from different countries often settle in the United States in search of jobs, freedom or a better life in general. The United States has become a hot spot for immigrants because it has much to offer for people seeking a better life. The Immigration Reform Bill has been created in order to make illegal immigrant legal citizen of the United States. This Immigration Reform Bill provides a process for illegal immigrants to become citizens without any penalties. President Obama has come up with the bill that he believes will solve the immigration problem that been affecting the United Sates in the past years. Obama thinks that if illegal

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

Immigration is broadly considered a matter of national interest. During the early years of the United States of America, immigrants were embraced and provided them with a pathway to citizenship as they came in search of personal advancement (Martin, n.d.). Today, the US is home to over 40 million immigrants who represents one-fifth of the US population. As the US develops, immigration reform restricts immigrants resulting in an influx of unauthorized immigrants. According to Bailik & Lopez (2017), 11million or 3.4% of the immigrant population is unauthorized. Subsequently, there have been numerous debates highlighting economic, security and humanitarian concerns as these unauthorized immigrants, including children, continues to

Since the early 1990’s, the immigrant population in America has doubled to over 40 million. The population could be higher factoring in illegal immigrants with the number estimated to be over 11 million. Majority of these immigrants both legal and illegal are mainly from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Uncontrolled immigration has been blamed on loss of jobs, higher crime rates and housing problems in the US. While these immigrants play a unique role in the economy, the executive and the legislature have found it necessary to control the inflow of these immigrants for various reasons. A number of laws and immigration policies have been enacted to create order in this issue. How these laws are perceived by immigrants and the general American population has varied and has been a major topic for debate.

The 1965 Amendment to the Immigration Act was a defining moment that radically changed US immigration policy and provided the basis for all that we have witnessed today with its far reaching consequences. Before 1965, the national origins quotas, which heavily favored British, German, and Irish immigrants, was replaced with a less discriminatory system (Hatton, 2015). Many decades following the enactment of this law saw a dramatic rise in the total number of immigrants, and an equally dramatic switch in the source-country composition away from Europe, towards Asia and Latin America. Contemporary legislators may have anticipated some of these effects, but the changes in the scale and structure of immigration, and the speed with which they took place, were not foreseen. It might be correctly stated that the consequences were largely unintended. Among such consequences is the attendant rise in criminality among immigrant population.

The presidency of 44th US President Barak Obama has been marked with rather prominent and significant shifts in policy, reverberating throughout many areas of the country. One of the president’s most controversial proposals that has yet to be fully acted upon is providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States. Supporters of the legislation point to a variety of moral and economic reasons to justify their position while opponents retaliate with their own concerns about the “fairness” of this policy action. For many against this pathway, citizenship is a delicate conceptual idea that already has a clearly defined pathway within the United States. Citizenship is often a rather subjective

The people living in the United States of America are confronted with a debatable issue each and everyday. Illegal immigration into America and the immigration laws that follow make for an emotional topic. Often times people in the U.S argue whether the laws against illegal and legal immigration in America are the proper laws for the issues at hand. Many people think that illegal immigration should be stopped while others believe that the outbreak of newcomers can help America grow. There is a growing debate about immigration in the United States; some natives believe that the immigrants are adding to the country’s diverse background and providing more culture while others believe that the new coming immigrants are taking away opportunities for those already living in the United States. Despite the few beneficial changes immigrants bring to America upon entering, the negative aspects that affect the lives of many Americans each day, far outweigh the positives.

The United States of America has always been a refuge where poor and oppressed people from the far corners of the world can come to begin a new life. Much of the nation’s allure to prospective immigrants is in its promise of equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, or color. But the pressures of rising unemployment rates, congested cities, a crippled healthcare system, and national debt skyrocketing out of control have caused America to defend her borders against the influx of immigrants that threaten her already ailing economy. Still, despite all the heightened security measures incorporated in recent decades, a steady stream of immigrants continue to enter the country illegally. The Washington Times reports that there are

Immigration is a controversial topic that has impacted our society for decades perplexed by policies media coverage, perceptions based on one’s own lack of knowledge, personal experiences and a host of other factors that influence how our society views immigrants and immigration policies. The United States is a diverse population of people and filled with experiences that come from various walks of life that contribute to enhancing our social culture, economic development, and cultural acceptance.