Illegal Immigration and the Environment
One of the most controversial political issues of today is illegal immigration. Illegal immigration describes the long-term shift of populations across national borders without complying with the legal requirements. Many people are crossing the United States borders illegally to find better jobs, escape political persecution, and to help out families back home. Some Americans are against this movement of immigrants. One problem is because of the damaging effects to the United States environment, another is the amount of money needed to clean up the waste that is being left behind. Illegal immigration not only hurts the economy, it is also taking its toll on the environment. Illegal immigration damages the environment when the illegal immigrants build fires, litter, pollute our natural water sources, and abandon their automobiles.
Illegal immigration damages the environment when the immigrants set up camp and build fires. In the Coronado National Forest, wildfires have been started due to campfires set by illegal immigrants because they do not properly put out the campfires. (Clarren, 2006) The forest has lost many trees including douglas firs and oaks that will take countless years to be replenished. Wildfires have also destroyed 68,413 acres of natural land and cost American tax payers $5.1 million to fight. (Associated Press, 2002) The campfires are also started with brush and vegetation that is harmful to breathe. (Clarren, 2006) Small children and the elderly get respiratory infections as a result of the smoke from these illegal campfires. Jesse Juen field representative of the Bureau of Land Management of Tuscan, Arizona states "Over the past two years wildfires have destroy...
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The United States was formed by the immigration of many people from all over the world. Americans take pride in knowing that we are a people of vast ethnic backgrounds and culture. However, at the present time, the flow of illegal immigration, as well as a large influx of other legal immigrants is placing a strain on our land of "huddled masses." Legal immigration to the United States can easily be handled and is welcomed by most Americans. However, the flow of illegal immigrants, especially from Mexico, must be stemmed, due to the strain it is placing on the government, (at the local, state and federal level), as well as the general population. Illegal immigrants are costing the United States over 24 billion dollars a year in taxpayers money (National Review 12.13.93). Something must be done to reduce the flow of illegal immigration into the United States. The focus of this paper will be the problems caused by and possible solutions to the problem of illegal immigration.
Home Land security statistics on immigration verifies that there are approximately 11 million illegal immigrants who reside in the United States. In Arizona, there is an estimate of 460,000 unauthorized immigrants in 2009. (United States). Arizona borders with Mexico and it is implied that the majority of the illegal immigrants are of a Mexican background. These figures are understandable disturbing to Arizona’s local government primarily and the nation as a whole. The large influx of illegal immigrants is causing severe economic and social problems. Prisons, schools, and hospitals are the institutions that receive the direct blows of the state’s immigration problems. For these reasons, law makers in the State of Arizona justify their new “suspicious” immigration law (Matthews Mark K).
One of the most recent outbreaks in America, is illegal immigration. An illegal immigrant is a foreigner who enters the U.S. without an entry or immigrant visa, especially a person who crosses the border by avoiding inspection or who overstays the period of time allowed as a visitor, tourist, or businessperson; a foreigner who has entered or resides in a country unlawfully or without the country's authorization.(dictionary.com). The effect from illegal immigration impacts America directly dealing with: environmental ordinance, social and political concepts, and economic pursuits. "Illegal immigration generates insecurity about America’s borders, carries economic and fiscal costs, and risks the creation of an isolated underclass. The prevalence
Balancing Border Enforcement and Environmental Protection (sidebar)." (2001, July 27). Issues & Controversies On File. Retrieved May 2, 2012, from Issues & Controversies database
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.
Most of the United States (U.S) is comprised of immigrants—including those who have migrated to the States from another country and those whose ancestors freely travelled to the States in search of a fresh start. Every year, the U.S. grants a limited number of people around the world the opportunity to immigrate to the States each year. As a result of the restriction, citizens from neighboring countries cross the border illegally. According to an article by Jens Manuel Krogstad, 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants reside in the U.S. in 2014. This whopping number has stirred controversy both politically and economically for America’s government officials. As a result, many people argue whether illegal immigrants should or should not be aided
Allergens in the air also affect pollution, as carbon dioxide levels cause plants to produce more pollen (Climate Change, 2007). Smoke pollution from wildfires worsens the air quality and is harmful to breathe in. Wildfire smoke contains ozone-forming pollutants, particulates, and air toxics (California’s drought, 2015). The drought increases dry, hot, and windy weather, which intensifies the severity of wildfires. According to the CDC, the drought also increases the risk of catching fungal infections, or valley fever (Live Science Staff, 2012).
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Illegal immigrants hold over 14 million jobs in the U.S. These jobs should belong to some of the 17 million unemployed Americans. If U.S. citizens would take these jobs unemployment would be at around 2% which is considered full employment. Not only do illegal immigrants take jobs, but they also receive more benefits compared to the taxes they pay. Another negative effect is that many industries pay illegal immigrants a lower wage saving money on the higher wages a native would earn. Even though illegal immigrants bring some rewards the overall negative effects of lower wages, tax burdens, and less available jobs is why illegal immigration should be stopped.
Illegal immigration has been a source of mounting concern in the United States since the 1970’s. Statistics indicate that the past ten years have witnessed an increase in the number of illegal immigrants with the number estimated to increase in the future. “The percentage of illegal immigrant population from Mexico was 59% (or 6.8 million) as of January 2013. Other countries with large amounts are El Salvador (660,000) Guatemala (52000), Hondorous (380,000) and China (280,000)” (Infoplease 1). The rising number of illegal immigrants over the past ten years has led to an increasing concern about the effects of illegal immigrants on wages, national security, and public finances. Evidently, illegal immigration has been a source of economic stress, increased insecurity, low healthcare services, and reduced education standards. To delve deep in understanding the negative impact of illegal immigration, this paper critically explores how unauthorized immigration negatively impacts various social economic aspects.
Burning and mining coal for fuel is harmful to the environment, but because of how cheap and easy it is to find, many people are unwilling to give it up as a fuel source. One of the problems with coal is that they are limited and are non-renewable, so once it has been used we won’t be able to use it again. When coal gets burned, they start to release harmful, dangerous toxins such as mercury, lead and arsenic that will then escape into the air. It also releases large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. These emissions increase the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere and lead to global warming.
Human Impact on the Environment Introduction = == == == ==
Pollution can have an impact on our health, not only affecting people with impaired respiratory systems such as asthmatics, but very healthy adults and children too. Plants can be a benefit for pollution in the air, trees, bushes and other greenery growing in the concrete-and-glass canyons of cities can reduce levels of two of the most worrisome air pollutants by eight times more than previously believed. The more trees we can plant the less pollution we get and more air than just having a huge land and having abandoned buildings taking up space. To solve water pollution is to conserve soil, the best way to combat soil erosion is to keep the banks of waterways well-covered with soil-retaining plants.
Anderson, Oliver C: Illegal Immigration: Causes, Methods, and Effects. New York: Nova Science Publishers. 2010. EBook. , Database: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost).