Stronger Southern Border Control
The lure of jobs and a better way of life for their families is why most people immigrate. So much that the reward for illegal immigrants exceeds the consequences they may face. Thousands of people enter The U.S. southern border each year with plans of staying for without going through the legal system. If America continues to leave the gates open and allow people to cross illegally without consequence; it personifies the injustice towards the ones that have made the effort to be here legally. The 2010 Census was protested by some Latino advocates for the lack of immigration reform (Billitteri 24). The Latino communities want the reform to help protect them from deportation
People have their own reasons for leaving their home country. Perhaps it’s abuse, protection from someone stalking, but leaving for a better life and in search of money and employment are the top reasons. In Harry Binswanger’s essay “Immigration quotas Versus Individual Rights: The Moral and Practical Case for Open Immigration” he says that no matter how you get here, whether it’s “freedom or force, reason or compulsion” people wanting to come here “recognize the value of freedom”(251). Everyone that isn’t a terrorist or criminal has the right to come to America to seek their dream. Although it is mainly the southern border-crossers that are here illegally, there are also tourists and people here on work visa that never leave. The United States suffers great losses and problems by not cracking down more on the illegal immigrant problem. What action can the U.S. take? Better southern border U.S. border control will help cut the volume of illegal immigrants crossing the border and lessen the burden and increase p...
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...lly, they have the right to ask proper identification proving their citizenship. The law is aimed to find, prosecute, and deport anyone here illegally.
The pursuit of happiness is a right to every human being. However, becoming a citizen is a privilege not a right. Physically controlling the southern U.S. border and taking action on the illegal immigrants in the U.S. will help our social system, our workforce, and our problem of too many people entering uncontrolled. Strengthening the sloppy laid back approach to border control, the U.S. can better combat criminal activity and protect the citizens of this great Country. (1082)
Works Cited
Billitteri, Thomas J. "Census Controversy." CQ Researcher 20.19 (2010): 1-36.
Binswanger, Harry. "Immigration Quotas Versus Individual Rights: The Moral and Practical Case for Open Immigration." (2010): 247-254.
There are over twelve million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Many came to America to work, go to school, or be reunited with family members who are already residing here. Most migrants want to work and pursue the “American dream”. There are many barriers for residents to achieving success at the work and life balance. The immigrants fall back on public assistance to support them.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” That statement holds strong for immigrants in America. Equal access to opportunities allows immigrants to achieve the American dream. Their success correlates with America’s success because of the contributions immigrants provide to America. Unfortunately, the current immigration policy in America denies many immigrants the American dream. It is crucial to understand the historical context of immigration in America. Initially, most immigrants were from Europe and were not restricted by any immigration laws. Now, most immigrants come from Latin America but are restricted to severe immigration laws. The Latino/a community is one of the most severely affected groups because the current immigration system disproportionally affects Latino/as. Recognizing how the experience of Latino/a immigrants have been both similar and different in the past from other immigrant groups and dispelling common misconceptions about Latino/as today bring an awareness how Latino/as are affected.
Lemay C. M. and Barkan R. E., 1999, ‘US immigration and naturalization laws and issues’, Greenwood Publishing Group
“What makes someone American isn’t just blood or birth but allegiance to our founding principles and faith in the idea that anyone from anywhere can write the next chapter of our story.” - President Barack Obama. The United States is the melting pot of the world. The great country of American was built on immigration. Look around, so many people have ancestor that risked everything to come to the United States to make something of their lives, and the lives of their children. If it weren’t for immigration, we may not be where we are today. Immigration reform is the term used in political discussion regarding changes to current immigration policy of a country (Immigration Reform, para. 2). In 2013 the Senate passed the immigration reform bill that would give a path to citizenship to the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. If the government passed Immigration Reform there would be many benefits to our economy, and to the individuals looking for a better future. For example, immigration increases the efficiency of the U.S. economy, it enables entrepreneurs to come to America, it brings increased national security, and immigration reform can reduce the deficit (Furchtgott-Roth, 4
Immigrating to the United States in not a simple process. Millions immigrate to America but many millions more are denied a visa or forced to cross the border illegally because of the limited number of applicants that the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, now a department of Homeland Security, provides as well as the extremely stringent process that is imposed upon migrating applicants. Even getting a simple tourist visa can be a tiring ordeal and beyond reach of most foreign citizens who are not wealthy. This results in numbers of people who are forced to look for other means such as resorting to coyotes, people who smuggle people into America, or corporate coyotes, "executives who would sanction the smuggling of illegal immigrants" (Talton). In the last decade the attitude towards migration, especially in the Southwest, has worsened as many Americans blame illegal immigrants for causing economic hardships and fear diversification to American culture. "Immigrants, particularly so-called 'illegal' immigrants and their children, were represented as depleting both California's fiscal and natural resources" (Lindsley p. 176). The downside is that many Americans have required that fewer immigrants be admitted as well as imposing a more stringent application process and a return to a quota system based on one's national origins. The current system, after the Immigration Reform Act of 1965, created a process where visas are issued on a first come, first served basis that promotes allowing the immigration of family members (Small p. 52).
Migration for “a better life” or to be with one’s family shaped the history of the United States since the beginning. In the US today there are 40 million immigrants and the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there is around 11 million illegal aliens already living right here and are not authorized to live and work in the United States. It makes it hard to protect their right because they are in this country illegal. Immigrant are living in the US are in constant fear of being deported so they live in quiet hiding so that they go undetected by US officials. They are so fearful of deportation that they don’t report crimes against them or employers that take advantage of them or do not pay them for work.
The United State’s immigration policy has undergone great change since the turn of the 20th century. Many things have contributed to this change, such as political problems, poverty, lack of jobs, and in fact our changing policy. The countries affected by these problems may have changed but the problems themselves have not. No matter what the location or time period, people have been driven from their homeland as result of political disputes. There will always be poor, 3rd world countries that can not create a prosperous environment for their people. As a result of general poverty, few jobs are available, which forces citizens to look beyond the borders for work. Our changing immigration policy is motivation for some immigrants to come to America. If the U.S. is accepting a high number of one country’s immigrants, than many of their citizens will emigrate for America, some legally and others illegally. The United State’s has changed its immigration policy many times in the last 100 years but the reasons for resettlement have remained generally the same.
In his address to a joint session of Congress on January 8, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson declared freedom of the seas in times of peace and war. Looking back, it seems ridiculous to think that anyone could challenge the right of individuals to navigate the oceans freely. However, fast-forward to the twenty-first century and we can see an analogous debate over the issue of immigration rights, with territorial borders being the main topic of discussion. The system of immigration in the United States is complex and oftentimes restrictive, and while revisions to the system usually include increasing quotas or other solutions to let in certain groups of people who deserve special consideration (such as those whose skills are needed in a particular field), they are still very limited solutions. The obvious question that arises from letting in some people but not others is that of fairness. Is the accident of birth or luck of being in the right place at the right time enough to justify restrictive citizenship to a select few? I would argue not. I intend to argue that a commitment to human rights entails the position that borders ought to be open in order to guarantee other human rights, especially the right to migrate.
Lamm, Richard D. "The U.S. Should Limit Immigration." Bender, David L. Immigration: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven Press. Inc. 1990 pp.105-112
Wellman, Christopher, and Phillip Cole. Debating the Ethics of Immigration is There a Right ti Exclude?. New York : Oxford University Press, 2011. Print.
Currently around 52%, or around 6 million, of the illegal immigrants in the U.S are from Mexico. With the peak number of illegal immigrants occurring in 2007 with 12.2 million, the Pew Research center predicts the number to be increasing again from the steep decline in 2008 and 2009. Although the true cause of the decline is unknown, Jefferey S. Passel, a senior demographer at Pew’s Hispanic Trends Project noted, “The dates of decrease matched the deepest years of the economic slowdown, with its high unemployment. We don’t know what caused the decline, but it certainly coincides with the recession.” As the recession slows to a stop, illegal immigration is expected to grow despite a reco...
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) While some argue that illegal immigrants burden the United States of America and its economy, others believe that they have become essential and are an important part of the US, economy.
Packing up and leaving one's home is one of the hardest things a person can experience. Unfortunately, there are many instances when people are forced to do so. Alejandro Portes, author of Immigrant America: A Portrait , mentions in his book that although loving and cherishing the homeland, people are sometimes forced to leave because of its disadvantages. The "desperate poverty, squalor, and unemployment" are among the most common reasons that cause immigration out of a country. Hundreds of families in third world countries literally struggle to put bread on the table. There are many people who can't find jobs and therefore aren't able to provide enough food and other everyday necessities for their families. These miserable conditions bring thoughts of moving to other places where a family can survive.
How complicated can it be to secure the borderland? Nearly 2,000 miles and five states form the Southern border of the United States. Although the nation puts a lot of effort and resources on trying to secure the border, the Southern border remains as one of the most conflictive, active and violent borders in the world. The U.S.-Mexican border is very problematic: Thousands of people try to cross it everyday, violence is generated by the Mexican cartels, and there is an increase on human trafficking. The Border Patrol and the U.S. government face many great challenges, as the cartels become more powerful and corruption increases.
Williamson, Chilton. "The ideology of unrestricted immigration." Modern Age 58.3 (2016): 19+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Oct.