The Legal Status Of Illegal Immigrants

Jamiel Shaw, Jr. was shot and killed March 2, 2008. His life, at the age of seventeen, was not taken by any ordinary individual, but by an unauthorized immigrant abiding in the United States. This was not his first offense either; he was on his third gun charge the day he murdered Shaw. Instead of being deported right away after his first offense, he was sent right back out onto the streets. Jamiel Shaw, Sr. claims that his “family’s peace and freedom were stolen by an illegal alien from Mexico” and also believes that Congress is “not securing the border” (“Illegal Immigrants and Crime”). Under the Dream Act, this criminal would have been rewarded with legalization. In what way does this illegal migrant deserve citizenship and legal status?

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.

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

As the number of illegal immigrants entering the United States begins to increase once more, the issue of allowing or prohibiting immigrants to gain temporary status in order to obtain work continues to create national problems. According to a report given by the Department of Homeland Security, it is estimated that the number of immigrants entering the U.S. is at about 1.1 million people per year. (Hanson Par. 1) These individuals come into the United States in search of better living conditions and opportunities. However, these immigrants face challenges when it comes to work and other types of living.

There are millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States, many of whom are Latinos. Americans today tend to believe that undocumented immigrants are: rapist, drug traffickers, live off the welfare and come to the United States to take American’s jobs. Indeed, American employers are hiring, so jobs are there, but the American people are not doing them. Therefore, someone must do the hard labor that no one wants. Many Latinos immigrate to the United States looking towards a better future for their families. They come with a positive perspective that their children are going to have a better life and are not going to experience any injustices. For many decades, white Americans have oppressed and marginalized undocumented immigrants because

Which makes a twisted kind of sense. The man captured the attention of an entire country when he started off his presidential campaign railing against undocumented immigrants, and has made a name for himself as a presidential candidate spouting off hateful drivel. It’s been a ratings boon for networks, a rallying cry for conservatives and self-congratulatory bonanza for liberals that have taken to Facebook to bash him.

Inherency: The current state of immigration policy in the United States is characterized by a reliance on surveillance technologies to track and deport undocumented immigrants. The federal government has been spending vast amounts of money on surveillance programs that lack any oversight or accountability. [Kalyan 2014] Federal expenditures on border and immigration control have grown fifteen - fold since 1986. These initiatives have yielded a staggering increase in the number of non citizens formally removed from the United States. Much less widely noted, however, has been that immigration control has rapidly become an information - centered and technology - driven enterprise. Both non citizens and U.S. citizens are now subject to collection

The Illegal immigrant population in the United States is a controversial and key immigration issue. Our Author John Savant (2009) talks about illegal immigrants in his article “Imaging the Immigrant: Why legality must give way to humanity”. He is a professor of English at Dominican University of California. Illegal immigrants immigrate in search of a better life. On the other side author Lamar Smith (2014) talks about legalization of illegal immigrant in his article “ Should illegal immigrants be legalized”? Rep. Lamar Smith is the former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and its Immigration Subcommittee. Illegal immigrants cause people of America to become the victim of unemployment. Illegal immigrants are a problem that affects all Americans, take away jobs from citizens, increase crime rate, and should not be legalized.

“Will I be next?” Is just one of the question every immigrant that gets to the United States will ask when they see a family member or friend get sent back home. Just like many, Jose Antonio Vargas, who wrote “Not Legal Not Leaving,” is an immigrant that got here illegally secretly and working here secretly fake identity, until he came out publicly. He believes that there isn’t much choice but live by a fake identity. One of the many issues that Vargas encounters is the comments and questions from people around him who believe he should be sent back. Likewise, many citizens are being taken away by ICE before they can be legalized or are by being found out. Next, the current legalization form makes it difficult to become a citizen. Also, unlike popular believe not all illegal immigrants are Latin Americans, people of different ethnicity come from all over the world looking for a better way of life. Since the legalization forms do not work, every illegal immigrant should be able to stay without the worry of being deported.

Illegal immigration is a subject that is literally splitting the country in half when considering the opposing opinions. While there are quite a few reasons backing up both sides of this controversial topic, I believe that illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay so long as they go through the proper procedures. I agree with those saying that it is unfair for those who are breaking the law to be allowed citizenship, but I also believe that there substantial reasons for allowing immigrants to stay. Illegal immigrants not only add to the mixed diversity of America, but they also offer their services for many different types of jobs leading to a higher economy. If immigrants get approved to be citizens and Americans begin to look at them like

Illegal immigration is a heated topic and the controversy recently escalated as one California town made history. Huntington Park, California is a small suburb of Los Angeles with an extensive Hispanic population. In August 2015, a local councilman appointed two illegal immigrants to serve on the city council of Huntington Park. The city mayor supported the appointment; however, many community residents were outraged. The debate has now spread nationwide as citizens debate illegal immigrants’ ability to serve in governing positions in the United States.

No matter what a person’s ethnicity or race may be, every person has thoughts, feelings, values, aspirations, needs, and desires. People are uncomfortable if someone else’s values and culture are different from their own. The term for a group or community fearing another person’s perspective and lifestyle is called ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the reason that American citizen’s highly debate and criticize illegal immigration, arguing that illegal immigrants are drug addicted thieves who thrive off of stealing American’s jobs and harming the United States labor force and the economy. As the immigration rate progressively rise’s it simultaneously concerns those who favor strict immigration laws and believe that illegal immigrants are harming the United States. However, these assumptions are hardly fact based and people fail to acknowledge that immigrants are human beings who only want to help and support their families. The reality is that without illegal immigrants, the United States would economically suffer.

Right when illegal immigrants are granted legal status, the fear, anxiety, and worries are all gone. It starts to open a lot of pathways to success, or at least to start leading a normal life. Just like everyone else, the get to attain a driver’s license, Identification Card, open business, and have a more flexible schedule for work and mobility. Most importantly, many unfortunate students see the dream of continuing their studies to rise above earning and stressing with low income. For example, approximately 65,000 undocumented students graduated from high school each year and due to the barriers of not willing to apply themselves for higher education, they continued to be part of the poverty population (Schmid). Having the opportunity to apply in society norms starts making life easier. The benefits start to come in just like for any other American citizen. Greatest outcomes are being able to access college, universities, and increased job earnings, obtaining new jobs, internships, bank accounts, health care, credit card, and any other organizations. The embarrassment of not being able to do any of this is completely taken away.

Hispanic/Latinos are occupying 13% of the US population regardless of their immigration status. Although immigration status is a predominant factor for receiving most of the benefits that has been offered by the federal/state government for the citizens, several findings reveal that both legal and illegal immigrants are facing discrimination where the difference is merely quantitative rather than