The Effects Of Illegal Immigrants On The United States

The United States of America, being a country founded by immigrants, is known all over the world as the land of great opportunities. People from all walks of life travelled across the globe, taking a chance to find a better life for them and their family. Over the years, the population of immigrants has grown immensely, resulting in the currently controversial issue of illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants are the people who have overstayed the time granted on their US, visa or those who have broken the federal law by crossing the border illegally. Matt O’Brien stated in his article “The government thinks that 10.8 million illegal immigrants lived in the country in January 2009, down from a peak of nearly 12 million in 2007.”(Para, 2)

There are many vulnerable populations within the United States. One of the many vulnerable populations are undocumented immigrants. Undocumented immigrants also known as illegal immigrants according to Wikipedia (2016) is defined as “the migration of people across national boarders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country” (para 1). The United States of America has one of the largest population of immigrants. In this paper, I will be discussing the multiple stressors related to undocumented immigrants as well as the programs that can be used to help alleviate those stressors.

Undocumented immigrants refer to “people who presently possess no proof of any right to be present in the United States, whether or not they have been declared deportable by the US government (and the vast majority have not)” (Lyon, 2004, p581). According to the United States Census Bureau there are approximately eight to eleven million undocumented immigrants residing in the United States (Porter, 2006). Each year, approximately 500,000 more arrive without legal documentation. The number of undocumented immigrants now exceeds the number of documented immigrant arrivals. The majority of the undocumented immigrants arrive from Mexico (57 to 70%) and Latin America (23 to 24%), with a smaller number from Europe and Canada (5 to 6 %

Florida has historically had one of the highest uninsured rates in the country (Born 2017). Despite the fact that Florida has not expanded its Medicaid program, Floridians have gained insurance coverage at greater rates than many other states. One estimate is that prior to the enactment of the ACA, approximately 21% of Florida residents lacked health insurance, and this has dropped to 13% after the ACA took effect. (Williams, 2016). Other estimates have suggested a smaller decrease of 20% to 15% (Born, 2017). Florida experienced the highest enrollment in ACA plans of any state with 1.5 million enrollees in 2016 (Williams, 2016). Increased health insurance coverage appears to have translated to increased access to medical care. Shortly

Imagine putting yourself in the shoes of an illegal immigrant. You have to feed your family, get money to pay the rent, and prevent getting caught from immigration authorities. The consequences for getting caught could include deportation or serving time in jail. 11 million undocumented immigrants currently live in the United States and have a family to take care of. Families caught under pressure in their own country might not have a choice but to enter a country illegally. Others would say that immigration laws should not let illegal immigrants into the US regardless of the circumstances, but these Immigration laws are unorganized and broken because millions of undocumented

Although he did have to take part in unlawful acts to build a life, career and thrive in America, he still was able to contribute to the economy. Jose Vargas states, “I was paying state and federal taxes, but I was using an invalid Social Security card and writing false information on my employment forms. I convinced myself all would be O.K. if I lived up to the qualities of a “citizen”: hard work, self-reliance, love of country” (Vargas 760). According to Robert Rector and Jason Richwine, the government spends nine-hundred billion dollars a year on welfare benefits for over one-hundred million low income Americans (Rector, Richwine). Of this amount, many believe undocumented immigrants are the majority of people abusing the system. Typically, their reasoning for believing undocumented immigrants misuse the system is because of America’s current economic status. The last decade has not been exceptionally prosperous for the United States and many need someone to blame. The blame, in this situation, is government, not the illegal immigrants because the government has created policies to keep illegal immigrants at low waged jobs and do not allow them ample opportunity to move up in social status. This creates a challenge for many families and in some cases, they have no other option but welfare. Many people also do not realize

As the issue of undocumented immigrants once again dominates the news headlines, our politicians are faced with the difficult task of enforcing the laws of our land, yet humanely and ethically tending to those who illegally reside within America 's borders. As the political parties face off with differing ideologies, the undocumented, who are seen as victims from one side and criminals from the other, are caught in this citizenship purgatory until a political compromise can be achieved. Until such a compromise occurs, the nation is left dealing with the fallout of this population’s existence. Not belonging, they are left to fend for themselves while living in the shadows. Surviving through government assistance or using a stolen identity as a means to gain employment, the undocumented struggle to survive in a nation that is aware of their existence yet chooses to do nothing about it. To address the illegal immigration epidemic in the United States, its leaders must hold all lawbreakers accountable while compassionately and ethically addressing the issue through a balanced approach of amnesty and deportation.

Illegal immigration has almost always been a part of the United States. There seems to be a neverending amount of people who believe in the “land of opportunity”, the home of the free and the brave. However, it seems that some may be more opportune than others. Illegal immigrants come to America with hopes and dreams of living a better lifestyle than the one that they currently possess. Currently, the American citizenship process is antiquated and not suited to fit a modern United States of America. Consequently, due to several constraints within the system, many are unable to achieve their dreams legally, and are treated like common crooks. Although many believe that illegal immigrants are criminals who should be deported, undocumented immigrants are victims of a broken system and are crucial to the sustainability of the modern-day American economy.

Illegal immigrants in the United States (US) have long been a topic of debate for policy makers and the public. The rationale about them is that they do not pay taxes; they add to the costs of taxpayers and use up funds in resources meant for assisting citizens and legal immigrants (the legal citizens). Therefore, they are perceived as a threat to the US economy. The true impacts of illegal immigrants on the US economy are discussed by debating over the economic benefits as well as economic costs of these immigrants. The negative impacts, discussed first, presented the decreases in low skilled jobs’ wage rates for legal immigrants and citizens instigated by illegal immigrants, the social services such as educations and healthcare that they utilize and add to taxpayers. Then contrary to the negative impacts, the positive impacts reveal benefits of low production costs, increases in the local market sales, undocumented tax generation, impact on growth and employment brought forth by illegal immigrants. These impacts, both negative and positive, are independently analyzed and weighed against each other. The discussion does show a slight net positive impact on the US economy in contrast to the normal belief about illegal immigrants.

They usually enter the U.S. without legal permission, or through the use of falsified documents. Some may visit with the right document but with the intention of not leaving and their documents eventually expire. This adds up to the growing population of illegal immigrants. According to CNN Wire (2013), “Immigrants from Mexico are the largest group within the undocumented population –52% as of 2012.” The remaining populations are from Central America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. These groups of people work menial jobs to support themselves and their families. They live with the fear of being deported all the time, but it doesn’t stop them from going out to find work. They hope that one day they may finally get the chance to apply for citizenship and become legal residents in America. Although that is the dream for most undocumented immigrants, it is not something is easily

“Somewhere in this world there are parents lying awake at night afraid of a knock on the door that could tear their families apart, people who love this country, work hard, and want nothing more than a chance to contribute to the community and build better lives for themselves and their children.” (Clinton). The first deportation law in the United States was the Alien Act of Illegal immigration has long been a problem in the United States, especially since the latter half of the twentieth century. In recent discussions immigration has been the subject of heated congressional debates. Deportation along with the subject of immigration, has recently become an immense issue in the United States. On one of the hand, some argue that millions of undocumented immigrants should not be allowed to live in the United States, and should most likely exemplify fear of getting deported. From this perspective, it is said that if they are undocumented, then these immigrants have broken the law and therefore have a criminal record (Sandy). On the other hand, others argue that millions of undocumented immigrants should be allowed to live in the U.S. without any fear of getting deported. My own view is that, and I specifically state, that millions of undocumented immigrants should be allowed to live in the U.S. without any fear of getting deported.

Deportation of illegal immigrants is a hot topic in the U.S. today. Deportees are complaining about separation of families. Furthermore, illegal immigrants are breaking the law crossing the border, in that case there is no reason to argue, the law is the law.

The number of immigrants, legal or illegal, living in the United States has fluctuated over the years, but it does not hide the fact that the American Dream still acts as a beacon to foreigners. People believe coming to America is the key to a better life. With the overflow of our new neighbors, we transform from a single society into a mixture of several cultures. Immigration is causing America to become a tossed salad society (a society in which ethnic and racial groups maintain separate identities, with no dominant culture) which Americans should acknowledge, because it is our own unyielding nature that deprives us of a symbiotic melting pot .

New York, in its own right, is a melting pot within the melting pot that is the United States. It is a plethora of cultural variation and ethical treasure as well as a place that gives great opportunities to attain wealth. Waves of immigrants came crashing down upon the United States in search of this wealth, all seeking the American Dream that they heard of from their respective homelands. Even still, the quest to realize this dream draws in many from afar and as a result; immigrants are still drawn to the United States. Entwined with the topic of immigration is the continuing process of industrialization around the world. The wonder that this combination was brought up to be was the key to financial success as well as freedom from the past. However, it rapidly revealed itself to be a double sided coin. Reality came crashing down quickly for many individuals as in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, immigration had put people back into the same hardships they had sought to escape.

Illegal Immigration is causing the U.S to be an unsafe country, more illegal immigration means there are more opportunities for terrorist, drug dealers, and other criminals to enter the country. In 9/11 it is stated that many of the terrorist involved in the tragic were illegal. According to authorities on September 11, at least three of them had fallen out of status and were, therefore, in the United States illegally. (Pg 1) According to a D EA officials most illegal drugs