The Debate Over Illegal Immigration

Immigration issues have been a problem throughout history. This Society holds different perceptions on the topic. Some people favor the flow of immigrants while others oppose it. Immigration is a social problem that must constantly be reviewed due to the complexity of the problems. In this situation, different factors such as the quality of life for immigrants, how they impact the economy, how the implementation of policies would benefit them, have to be taken into consideration. Immigration policies affect all aspects of today’s society. The key figures in the immigration issue are immigrants, documented/undocumented, political figures.

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.

Since the 1700’s the U.S. has been working on and has implemented policies try to restrict and govern the immigrants entering this country. Many immigrants come to America looking for a better way of life than what was destined for them in their native lands.

The Democratic Party has fiercely advocated for the enactment of the DREAM Act. Republicans however have strongly opposed it and have left little hope for any reform for illegal immigrants. However not passing the DREAM Act and stalling on reform for illegal immigrants is doing an injustice to these immigrants and most importantly to American citizens. Today many US citizens suffer from a depleting economy and anything that can help revive it should and must be done. I see the DREAM Act as a great opportunity to aid and provide relief to the economy.

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.

“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.

I am very familiar with the ethics of border security, having grown up in El Paso, Texas. The city sits right next to Juarez, Mexico with a population of over 2 million. As stated in the Debate.org article, “Border Fence”, El Paso, San Diego, and McAllen are the epicenter for cartel violence, hub for drug trafficking, and illegal immigration. There is a border fence that stretches over 30 miles in and around the El Paso area, with a border patrol agent stationed every 300 yards over the same span. With a population of close to 800,000 with over 80% of that being Hispanic, it is a very controversial subject along the border region. (Debate.org Article)

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

Illegal immigration is a “hot” topic in our country. There is controversy between the state and federal governments over who has authority, and our elected officials in Washington are addressing the issue, with limited success. The majority of us have some opinion on the subject, and our opinions tend to be based on how the issue will impact us. We question if illegal immigration is good for us. What are the costs to us? Is it in the best interest of our country? As nearly twelve million people have secretly slipped across the border to invade our space, our concerns have increased. While our concerns are important, we should not limit ourselves to a one-sided view. Only by understanding both sides of the issue, will we be inspired

Although the issue of immigration policy has been at the center of political debates, largely discussed in the media and newspapers, no one has yet found a solution to this ill-defined problem, that would comply with the America’s core values. While I think the immigration policy does need a reform, the solution to this problem certainly is not a deportation of all undocumented residents.

On November 20, 2014, Former President of United States of America, Barack Obama gave a speech on immigration at the White House. This topic concerned ample families in the United States of America, as a lot of them are not legally residing in the states and the other families who are citizens and documented are threatened by the increasing number of illegal immigrants because they might become their competition in employment, education and business opportunities. Barack Obama Addressed these concerns in a unique perception that enlightened the audience and gave examples and ideas that led them to view this problem under a different light that isn’t necessarily negative. The president’s connection with the audience was not only logical and

The reforming of America?s immigration policy is something that can no longer be avoided and must be dealt with as soon as possible. Years of neglect by governmental agencies and policies makers have now made this issue one of the biggest in American politics. First of it must be understood that immigration does no only effect curtain areas of the country and curtain aspect of public life but rather all of American life. Both legal and illegal immigration affect major issues such as jobs availability for all citizens, wages, education in public schools system and in general, health care issues, and the homeland security.

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.

According to Riley, job-displacement, which fuels the national immigration debate, is a myth, as this empirical evidence shows: In 2006, for example, of the 146 million workers in the United States, 21 million were foreign born. If immigrants are stealing jobs, 21 million U.S.-born Americans should have been out of work, but the real number was only 7 million. Riley concludes that the majority of immigrants must be doing jobs that would not have existed had the immigrants not been here.

This research paper explores the political issue of Immigration in the present day (2016) United States. The paper is meant to give an understanding of the issue, the importance of immigration reform, as well as a thorough analysis of the role the three branches of The United States Government: Judicial, Legislative, and Executive; and their role in the matter. By using several different peer reviewed journals, and articles the paper will give a well analysed view on the situation of reform currently in America by touching on the case of DAPA and DACA plans proposed by President Obama. The essay will also cover the positions of presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump to show a future America could be heading towards.