The Devastating Impacts Of Illegal Immigration

Illegal immigration has become more of an important issue in the United States since Donald Trump’s campaign for president in 2016. Immigration can be known as the act of people crossing national borders to live permanently in other countries. It becomes illegal when they cross those borders without the legal right to be in those countries. The U.S. has been an immigrant country since the pilgrims in the 1600s and has ever since, been diverse. Most of the immigrants are Latinos that come from Central America, but they also come from all over the world. The current path to legal citizenship is flawed and needs to be reformed to allow rights to be upheld, equal and fair treatment of all applicants, and to facilitate the process altogether.

Brannon, Ike, and Logan Albright. Immigration’s Impact on the Texas Economy. Austin: Texas Public Policy Foundation, Mar. 2016. PDF.

The population in Texas is growing by leaps and bounds. According to The Texas Politics Project (2017), “the state’s population grew by 7.2 percent – over 1.8 million people – between 2010 and 2014” (p. 11.10). This growing population also brings with it great diversity, including a growing number of Hispanics. When discussing the population growth that is occurring in Texas, Long (2014) states that, “Hispanic populations have grown rapidly far from the U.S.-Mexico border,

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.

and Texas economies, according to Julian Castro, is that businesses in Texas greatly benefit from the hard work of undocumented immigrants. Saying that as long as there are jobs available, immigrants will find a way to make it to the United States despite any border securities. While some cons of illegal immigration considering the U.S. and Texas economies, according to Dan Patrick, is that it will strain the state budget on education and health care. Some would even say that illegal immigrants are the reasons for job shortages, however some would also say that illegal immigrants would work harder to keep their jobs over

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

The United States as a nation has its share of population increases and Texas is no stranger to such growth. Being the second largest state, it boasts over 268 thousand square miles of land and according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau, the population of Texas was at 25.1 million people with the estimated total population around 27.5 million for 2015 which is an increase of over 2.4 million people just in Texas alone. Out of 25.1 million Texans, 37.6 percent noted themselves to be of the Hispanic or Latino race (Data Access). In 1970, the U.S. Census asked only 5 percent of the population if they were of Hispanic or Latino decent or origin, and on the 1980 census, 100 percent of the population was asked (Gauthier) and it became that the population of immigrants in this category have been expanding. Texas has gone from three million inhabitants in 1900 to over 18 million in almost one hundred years and though the trend has slowed slightly, Texas is still ranked as the fastest growing state in the U.S. The Lone Star State 's immigration population and high birthrates of its diverse citizenry have transformed the demographics of the 28th U.S. state and because of this, specifically the Hispanic immigration, future politics must be addressed and changed.

When analyzing data, one can’t ignore the growth of the Hispanic population. The majority of Hispanics in Texas are of Mexican decent, however, there are many Hispanics from all over Latin America living in the state. Texas’

The Texas legislature passed a law allowing school districts to deny enrollment to children without out legal paperwork proving U.S. citizenship. In addition to denying these undocumented students access to free public schools, school districts in Texas were permitted to charge students tuition for enrollment. Some districts were cited for charging nearly $1,000 for enrollment. The attorneys on behalf of “certain school-age children of Mexican origin in Smith County, who could not establish they had been legally admitted into the United States’ filed a class action suit in 1977” (Plyler v. Doe, 1982).

A study done by the Pew Hispanic Center in 2010 listed more 1.7 million undocumented residents living in the state of Texas. (Tannahill) The population growth rate, whether by legal or illegal means is only one of the issues that has been troubling state law makers and affecting the state’s water plan. The second issue that is affecting Texas’ water is the drought conditions that the state is currently suffering from.

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.

“An immigrant is a person who legally comes to a country to take up permanent residence. An “illegal” immigrant is a person who does so without following the established legal procedures of the destination country and who resides in that country without proper visas or other documents.” (source 1)Illegal immigration is changing the lives of many Americans today, and although all illegal immigrants are not bad and are not here by choice, or to hurt anyone, it still affects us each and every day. Illegal immigration has been a problem for many years, and it seems as if it is impossible to control, but according to former mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York it can be controlled. Giuliani stated

So far, attempts to bar undocumented children from public schools have failed. In the 1982 case of Plyler v. Doe, the Supreme Court ruled on the issue. In a 5-4 decision, it overturned a Texas law that allowed schools to deny education to illegal immigrants. Martha McCarthy reports that Texas had justified its law as a means of "preserving financial resources, protecting the state from an influx of illegal immigrants, and maintaining high quality education for resident children" (128). The Court considered these issues but concluded that in the long run the costs of educating immigrant children would pale in comparison to the costs--both to the children and to society--of not educating them.

Immigrants have been coming to America since the start of this country. However, there is a fine line between an illegal and legal immigrant. Although most immigrants come here in search of a better life for themselves, they do not think about the consequences the rest of the country must fac. Since they are not citizens, they do not receive some of the benefits that an American citizen has, including health care and public schooling. Although they do not have these benefits, they continue receive treatments at hospitals and attend schools, which Americans cannot afford. Illegal immigrants affect the United States’ economy, health care system, and education system in a negative way.