The Problem Of Illegal Immigration

Immigration has been a major topic since the beginning of the United States of America. This phenomenon is what helped the establishment of this country; and even today it continues to have an impact in in most aspects of the lives of North American’s. The subject has also brought much criticism and created divided opinions about its immediate and long term impact. Migration itself it’s not a problem, but the modern dilemma of who is allowed to migrate and reside permanently in a country “legally.” It is interesting to explore this subject under three basic theories that Sociology deals with: symbolic interactionism, conflict theory and social functionalism. Each theory brings us closer to understand some of the reasons why “illegal immigration” is controversial today. The purpose of this paper is not to persuade but to explore and expose some ideas on a recurrent social issue.

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.

Many of the undocumented immigrants have both successfully and unsuccessfully tried to find different ways to migrate into the United States. They have traveled by swimming across borders, driving, trafficking, from many underdeveloped countries around the world like Mexico, Cuba, Africa, and many others. Many have become part of such a vulnerable population because they have come to the United States to seek a better life for their families, the healthcare, job opportunities, as well as having been in the united states and staying past the time allowed on their visa.

Immigration is an issue that many people see as small and insignificant. Many believe that it doesn’t concern or affect them in any shape or form. Truth is, it doesn’t matter if you're African American, Caucasian, Asian, Mexican, or another race, immigration is an issue that affects everyone. Immigration affects the economy, the workforce, families, and the individual’s themselves whose main goal and dream is the “American Dream” that they come to the US looking for.

America is deemed the land of the free and the home of the brave. The very fabric of this great nation was built upon immigrants from the Pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock to the millions of immigrants landing at Ellis Island. America is known as a melting pot of many different cultures and ethnic groups with roughly 11.7 million illegal immigrants living here. There has been a long standing love/hate relationship with the issue of immigration. It has long been debated as to whether or not we should continue to allow immigrant into our country so freely.

In the United States of America, there is a big problem with illegal immigration. Illegal immigration is an enormous issue that during the 2016 presidential primary debates. It was a problem when President Obama took office eight years ago, and it is an even greater problem now that he is getting ready to leave office. Most Americans want the border closed, but that will only solve half the problem. The other half of the problem can be solved by deporting the illegal immigrants that are already in the United States. Illegal immigrants are taking American jobs. Therefore, negatively affecting the economy. Furthermore, they have a higher crime rate than the average U.S. citizen. Yet, supporters view illegal immigrants as a good thing because it helps grow the economy by doing jobs nobody else will do. Besides helping the economy, supporters believe that illegal immigrants are not criminals and will not do any more harm than coming into the country illegally. Most U.S. citizen believe that the U.S. immigration policy needs to be reformed. Illegal immigrants should not be allowed to stay in the United States because they take away U.S. jobs, they negatively affect the economy, and contribute to crime.

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

The illegal immigration problem in the United States is a social as well political issue.

On February 28th in 2000, Luis Alberto Jimenez an immigrant living in the U.S was coming back home from work when he was involved in an accident in which he was hit by a stolen vehicle near Palm Beaches Gardens in Florida. Jimenez was rushed to Martin Memorial Hospital Center, where he was attended to and stabilized, but this was after he had suffered acute brain damage and other injuries. Jimenez was speechless and immobile according to his cousin, Montejo Gasper, who was also his guardian. This tragic event started a major debate in the public where some others supporting the hospitals decision to repatriate undocumented and uninsured immigrants and others against the repatriation. Jimenez finally came out of his inactive state though many supported Martin Memorials decision to send him back to Guatemala, which was his home country. The main issue was the uncertainty that Jimenez would receive better care back in Guatemala. Many physicians realized that the repatriation could possibly lead to his death.

Although many Americans think of immigration as illegal border hopping, there are people who actually do come here legally to improve their lifestyle or to be reunited with loved ones.

Fellow Americans, The United States faces many complications. I believe that our country is failing at doing its job and that compared to America years ago, we are worse off than before. Our country as a whole isn't the only thing that is failing, our educational system has been a problem since 2009. Illegal immigrants are also a problem. They contribute to another issue the US faces, this issue is the National Debt.That being said, I do believe that every problem our country faces can be solved or at least prevented.

Immigration is one hot topic in today’s conversation and society. Many think that immigrants coming to America are taking many jobs away from who need them. Some also think that there are jobs being taken away are not ones that Americans would not perform due to the horrible working conditions, low pay, and lack of important medical coverage. The immigration issue has come to a point where the United States must make a decision to spend a lot of money to curtail the amount of immigrants coming here.

Every year, around one million people are immigrating into the United States both legally and illegally. As of now nearly 40 million immigrants live in the United States; 11.5 million of which came to the country illegally (CNN). That is nearly thirteen percent of the total United States population. The role the United States government plays in the handling of immigration from foreign countries both legal and illegal, plays a vital role in the security of the people of the United States and

This paper will examine the problem of Immigration and Immigration Law. I will first discuss what Immigration Law is and how it works, then I will define the number one problem of immigration laws, “illegal immigration” and why it’s so important to follow procedures. It will also address the consequences after violating the laws. Next the paper discusses three policy solutions to the problems of illegal immigration: Legalization of Immigrants, Strengthen Border Security, and Immigration Amnesty. The paper will first explain each policy solution. Then it will analyze the pros and cons, and potential strengths and weakness of each solution. Last this paper will offer some personal observations on the problem of immigration.

In spite of the recent drop and the continuous serious attempts to limit and stop illegal immigration, the number of illegal immigrants is still high and increasing. According to Udall center for studies in public policy (2007) "the number of unauthorized immigrants entering the United States is estimated to have increased from approximately 180,000 per year in the 1980s to 850,000 since 2000". In addition, the public policy institute of California (2009) stated that 28% of the foreign-born United States residents are illegal immigrants. The numbers are huge and surprising which will lead to the fact that illegal immigration will logically have a negative effect on the target countries. Trials have been made to determine the characteristics