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Effects of immigration on our economy and who is affected the most
Immigration effect on the economy
Immigration effect on the economy
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Immigration as a whole can be split into two main parts, legal and illegal immigration. According to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Service, legal immigrants are people who were born outside of the US but do poses a permission to live inside of it (n.d). Nonetheless, this does not hold only for the United States. Legal immigration, in general, refers to all the foreigners who do have a legal right to remain in a certain country, which is not their home. Illegal immigrants, also known as illegal aliens, are the ones who violate the law by either entering the country illegally or enter legally, but remain longer than it is permitted (see Federation for American Immigration Reform n.d.). . While, on the one hand, a country provides legal immigrants with medical care, social security and other types of aid, illegal aliens are deprived of it (see Richwine and Reclor 2013). Legal immigrants do enjoy the same benefits as natives since they were legally accepted and …show more content…
In the 1980’s, Central American countries were hit by civil wars, pushing large numbers of Salvadorians to the US, mainly Texas and California (see Terrazas 2010). Furthermore, a crash of the dictatorship under Jean-Claude Duvalier caused uncontrollable events in Haiti forcing thousands of Haitians to leave their homes during 1980’s and 1990’s and seek for a better life in the US (see Nwosu and Batalova 2014). Maybe one of the most controversial immigration waves to hit the US was the Mariel Boatlift. It is assumed it began as a response of the premier Fidel Castro to the US restrictions on the immigration from Cuba and, during the 6 months, more than 125,000 people arrived to Southern Florida (see Global Security n.d.).
The 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act grants Cubans a unique place in U.S. Immigration Law and Policy by declaring that all those who arrive in the United States are accepted as political refugees, and are eligible to become legal permanent residents after one year (Marc R.). It was created to offer protection to Cubans escaping oppression from their Communist government. As might be expected, this law is always the debate of Cubans who think about coming to America seeking freedom and a better life. For many Cubans to reach American territory is all a dream, mostly because of the chances of attaining a better economic situation for themselves and their families. A lot of them also pursue to reunite with their families in the United States after many years of separation. Some others are opponents of the Castro regime. Because they don’t have freedom of speech and can see their lives threatened if they speak out against the government, seek for more political freedom and a democratic form of government, in a land of capitalism where there are fewer restrictions and more opportunities.
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.
Some viewpoints assert that if a person is in the United States illegally, he should have no rights and no benefits. Proponents justify this position by blaming illegal immigration for economic hardships, such as increasing health care costs, for the American people. This attitude is simply inaccurate. Many undocumented immigrants do contribute to the economies of the federal, state and local governments through taxes and can stimulate job growth. However, the cost of providing healthcare impacts federal, state, and local governments differently.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of immigrants, legal and illegal, from around the world, come to the United States. These immigrants come because they want a chance at a better life; others are refugees, escaping persecution and civil wars in their home country. Many people believe the United States is the best place to go. There is more freedom, protection, and benefits, which seems like a good deal to immigrants. But the large number of immigration is affecting the current citizens of the United States. Taxpayers are forced to pay for the welfare and schooling for many of these immigrants, some who are illegal aliens. Some citizens believe that immigration can be hazardous to the environment. Others blame crime, poverty, and overpopulation on immigration. About sixty-eight million immigrants have been added to the United States since 1970, and it is estimated that 130 million people will be added over the next fifty years. The government has tried somewhat to restrict immigration but the laws are still too lenient. Nearly every other advanced country in the world is moving quickly towards stabilized population or has already achieved it. The United States is moving towards it very slowly. This country would have to reduce immigration down to 255,000 a year to do this (Beck 1). If nothing is done to stabilize the immigration to this country, what will become of population in the next decade? The population will continue to grow even faster - not due to births, but to massive immigration to this country. Immigration can become a serious problem to this country if the government does not produce stricter laws.
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).
Putting some thought in this subject, illegal immigrants have some of the hardest jobs, that require so much labor, and don’t get paid as well, while a legal person would think it is not worth getting exhausted over.
“Immigration is the term utilized to describe the action and process by which a citizen of one country relocates to another country after petitioning for residency into that country.” (Martinez). An immigrant, also known as an alien, is person or people who come from a foreign country. Aliens are broken down into two main categories: the legal aliens and the illegal aliens. But what are the differences between the two? Legal aliens owe allegiance to the country. In America, aliens have the opportunity of becoming legal by either having a green card or becoming an American citizen and having dual citizenship. Green cards holders are permanent residents who have been authorized to live and work in the U.S. legally but they are not American citizens. To become a citizen, you must be legal, know fluent English, have a clean record, and go th...
Illegal immigration was an issue in the past and is a pressing problem in the present. The U.S. Government has been trying to find a resolution to this issue for years. The United States approved the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986, which allowed the American Government to punish American companies that consciously employed illegal immigrants (Nadadur 1037-1052). The United States’ Government Immigration Reform and Control Act has been unsuccessful in controlling illegal immigration. It is estimated that illegal immigration into the U.S. has a yearly interval of three hundred fifty thousand people (Rousmaniere 24-25). It is apparent that the 1986 act was not able to keep a handle on illegal immigration. Illegal immigration continues due to the fact that immigrants only take the jobs available to them, which in turn helps support the United States’ economy, so measures should not be taken to halt immigration.
Though the United States is home to many immigrants, controversy surrounds the issue of immigrants in the United States. The United States in a melting pot of various backgrounds and cultures, yet it is hard for all to merge into acceptance of one another. The first chapter of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and class covers stratification, prejudice and discrimination, and inequality.
Over the years it seems as though our country has become more populated and unsafe from the illegal immigrants and smuggled goods, such as drugs and weapons, which make it into the United States. Although there are many illegal immigrants and contraband that are able to make it into the U.S undetected, there are a significant amount of people and contraband that are caught by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The CBP is a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and was formed in 2003. “It is one of the world’s largest law enforcement organizations and is charged with keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S” (CBP). One of the departments of the CBP is border security, which is a team of individuals that work together to protect our country from “illegal immigrants, narcotics smuggling, and illegal importation” (CBP). Border patrol was established in 1924 and has changed dramatically over the decades. The one aspect that has not changed is “the overall mission to detect and prevent the illegal entry of aliens into the U.S” (CBP). The border patrol is responsible for patrolling the 6,000 miles of Mexican and Canadian land borders and 2,000 miles of coastal waters. According to CBP, “In 2013 420,789 nationwide illegal aliens were apprehended and 2.9 million pounds of drugs were seized.” As one could tell, there is a significant amount of illegal immigrants and smuggled goods coming into the U.S. However, the number of illegal immigrants that have been seized is lower than it has been in the past, but I still believe that having a strong border security is necessary in continuing to keep immigrants from trying to come into the U.S illegally and transporting illegal goods. “The primary goal of bo...
Immigrants take multiple risk like human traffickers are people who act like they will help multiple immigrants but end up really selling them for sex or even killing them or raping them. There are many immigrants like them who are in drug cartels will kill other immigrants who know to much about them. There are prisons for immigrants which are brutal it is no room because how many are caught by US border patrol. These are only just some risk immigrants take.Many adults and kids would love to be in America so they take multiple risks to come to here. They can get hurt or even raped or killed. An American is someone who serves the country in some kind of way. Undocumented people work jobs that many people do not want, many pay taxes, and serve in many different ways.Or just help somebody everyday. I feel if you are born here or if you want to live here for at least 3 years
However, an illegal is an illegal, they do not get the benefits of being a citizen. Take a look at Canada, a country that is well known for giving its citizens free health care. Illegal immigrants would not receive free healthcare, meaning that they would have to pay for all medical bills they receive. By paying for medical bills, they give the government/hospital more funds to spend, which is never a bad thing.
What really is an illegal immigrant? It is defined as “an alien (non-citizen) who has entered a country without government authorization or remained beyond the expiration date of a visa”.
Who is an immigrant? An immigrant is a person who has a citizenship in one country but enters another country to set up as a permanent resident. Sometimes countries are suffering greatly from lack of leadership, internal strife or war, and a collapsed economy. This is the case in Somalia, as well as in Syria, Libya, and Yemen. Syrian people are moving to Europe in order to find a peaceful home. Mexican immigrants come to the US looking for jobs. The people then move to new countries where they don’t speak the national language. In America, when the immigrants come, there are many difficulties: cultural differences regarding time and scheduling, transportation issues, and language difficulties.
Illegal immigration is a major problem which most of developed countries face in current economy. It has been major political issue for the political parties (republicans and democrats in America) and over years each party has different agenda to address the issue. Illegal immigration can be defined as movement of people from a source country to a destination country without any legal documents and violates destination countries immigration laws. People have moved across lands over years to escape a war situation or to get better facilities in different country. Countries have defined immigration laws to restrict people to enter their land without proper documentation as illegal immigration social and time constraint issues is areas such as social welfare, health care , voting rights , economy and human rights. A person can be termed as illegal immigrant in a country if heshe is not a national of resident country and has entered into the country without any legal documents or residing with expired documents.