With an estimated 11.7 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. today, immigration reform has been a volatile issue that hasn’t been adequately addressed throughout the 21st century. With the last major overhaul occurring in 1986, when over 3 million immigrants were granted U.S. citizenship, politicians are saying another major overhaul is needed to address the newer generation of illegal immigrants. Legislations including the Border Protection, Anti-terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, and the DREAM act of 2012 have all tried to address the depressing need for immigration reform but have failed due to lack of bipartisan support. Still, political leaders urge for immigration reform that is unlikely to pass with such divided political parties. Luckily, the solution was already passed in 1986 but hasn’t been sufficiently enforced for the past twenty years. In order to stop the flood of illegals crossing U.S. borders, the U.S. should enforce the law against hiring illegal immigrants. 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... ... middle of paper ... ...rrent. In total, the Obama administration has only collected $31.2 million in fines from 2009-2012, much better than the pathetic $1.5 million collected by the Bush administration from 2003-2008. Still, the Obama administration was supposed to put more of an emphasis on going after employers. This is partly caused by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement doing a terrible job of applying sanctions on businesses. For example, “many offices gave out far more warnings and far fewer fines than other offices and some do not take it seriously and are just going through the motions. Their goal is to rack up enough audits so that the administration can use the numbers to claim that it is vigorously enforcing the law.” As Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for immigration Studies puts it, “Mr. Obama has talked a good game but hasn’t followed through.”
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Show More...l immigrants from working in the US they want to reduce the amount of documents accepted to verify the employees identity and if they were permitted to work in the US, increase fines for hiring illegal workers, increase investigation of employers who hire illegal workers, and all Federal contractors would be required to use the Federal Electronic Employment Verification System to verify each employee. If the United States wants to decrease the amount of illegal immigrants from entering the United States they would need to increase the use of E-Verify to other industries. E-Verify is an Internet-based system that allows businesses to determine if an employees in legal to work in the United States. Making E-Verify integrated with DMV’s (Department of Motor Vehicle) round the country to avoid illegal workers from obtaining jobs by showing a fake driver’s license.
The U.S. govemment has faced the struggle for various decades to put an end to unauthorized immigration from Mexico and into the United States. Immigration as a whole has increased from 71,877,120 in 1960 to 213,316,418 in 2010 according to the data created and also reported by the World Bank. The government has made multiple attempts to stop the immigration process by implementing harsher measures along the U.S. and Mexico border and at work sites across the entire country. These measures however, have failed to end unauthorized immigration as a whole as immigrants still find a way to sneak by, settle, and make a living.. Americans who have a reason to oppose immigration argue that the safety and the strength of the nation’s economy are greatly threatened. However, strong supporters argue that instead of damaging and putting the economy at risk they provide a more stable environment.
A major issue that is always brought up at political debates is the issue of immigration. “Many Americans think the U.S. immigration system is urgently in need of reform” (Lee). The current immigration policy has started to decrease the number of illegals in America. As of right now, we currently have 20,000 Border Patrol Agents deployed along the borders (Lee). Although the number of illegals being deported is at an all-time high, Americans are still very concer...
The actions of these executive orders are not overreaching. President Obama aimed to allow hardworking immigrants such as the recipients of the DREAM Act and their parents to begin the journey down the pathway to citizenship. These immigration orders were intended for families, not all immigrants. Criminals would be deported, and strict background checks would be enforced in order to be eligible. A person has to have been in the country for at least five years, they must register with the government, and border security would have also increased. The same “high moral standing required of DREAM Act students” would have “been required for all immigrants in order to fall within the parameters of these executive orders” (Transcript). This is not overreaching, it is a compromise for both democrats and republicans. Increased deportations and border security appeal to the Republican Party, while Democratic planks such as the legalization of immigrants are met. These are the people who have been in the country for half a decade, enough time to put down roots, make friends, and become a part of life here in America. The country would not be what it is today without immigrants, and treating them poorly gets the nation nowhere. Unfortunately, the president’s immigration reforms are tied up in the Supreme Court, as politicians in Washington cannot remove themselves from the gridlock long enough to observe what is best for the nation. Claims of illegality will keep the executive orders paused, and “Washington would have to pour even more resources into already dysfunctional immigration bureaucracies”
The entire issue about immigration is a complete mess. I do understand that people our coming into the country “illegally”, but the real issue here is the security and not the “threat” these immigrants bring to us. Globalization is what’s challenging America in both migration and terrorism because it’s honestly making it much easier to happen. In my understanding, Immigration Reform is just a term used to state that there are new and/or better changes made to the immigration issue by itself. As I read the articles I realized that there is more to the issue than I thought. Some people want border security to be increased to minimize the opportunity to have immigrants come into our country and others want to help them because in reality, that’s
Population what makes a country special, all the cultures and the history combines a society within the borders of a country. The United States has the most unique and diverse population in the world. But unfortunately, the topic of immigration creates tension throughout the US. Today, immigration is one of the most popular topic of debate especially in politics. For many years the United States has been trying to come with a solution for this particular issue, but unfortunately, they haven’t found a permanent solution to fix the problem. Immigration helps a country to improve its potential by diversifying its power. Therefore, it should be encouraged by the government by providing programs that will benefit the immigrants.
Every year a lot of illegal immigrants pass the border, 10 million illegal immigrants live in the U.S and more than 1,400 arrive every day and it is just impossible to keep track of them. “ Willing to work for low wages, the migrants are creating a backlash among some residents of the new states, which have seen a nearly tenfold increase in illegal immigration since 1990 .” ( Katel, Peter “Illegal immigration”). These illegal immigrants just want to live in this country, they are mostly working for cash, and they provide cheap labor. Illegal immigrants willing to work on low-paying jobs just to live in this country, as it is stated in the article “ While illegal immigrants only make up about 5 percent of the U.S. workforce, critics of the nation 's immigration policies say illegal immigrants take Americans ' jobs, threaten national security and even change the nation 's culture by
America is one of the most diverse country who has almost every single race in the world. Even though they came from varieties of backgrounds, ethnicities, and races, they can work and help together as one as they live in the same country, America. However, as the time goes by, there is more and more people who come to the United States with the intention of becoming an American citizen. A lot of people came to the Unites States have a holiday here, yet as the limited time goes by, they did not go back to their country because they still want to live in the United States. As a result, nowadays, there are a lot of illegal immigrant who do not have a legal permit to stay in the United States. They are being treated the same as an American citizen, however, they do not do the same to the country. Moreover, they do not have to be responsible for America as they do not have to pay tax, yet they can make a living by working illegally without paying
The United States of America was founded by and for immigrants who were searching for freedom. It has become the land of opportunity, the home of the free, and a place where you can experience the American dream. Moreover, each year whether it is voluntary or not, thousands of people will immigrate to the U.S in hope of a better tomorrow, leaving behind their families, homes and identities. Nevertheless, the journey is not always easy, most of the time these immigrants have to face many obstacles in order to come into the United States. Many will die before they even reach their destination and even if they do make it, they are looking into a future filled with struggles due to being undocumented, and are forced to live each day with the fear of being caught. Moreover, if the U.S can provide amnesty to undocumented people and regulate the laws in regards to immigration we can
Immigration is a top political issue in the United States. There are various differences of opinion that society has toward this issue. However, one factor in regards to immigration in which the majority of society can agree is the Nation’s system is currently outdated. Such an agreement is based upon the foundation that we actually “[h]ave more than 10 million undocumented workers in the country” (Gutierrez, 2013). General public concern is foremost driven by the focus on an extreme increase in immigration of undocumented immigrants in recent decades. There is also intereste in whether the impact of the rapid increase has a negative influence on the economy and contributes negatively to our fiscal situation. Pia M. Orrenius,Assistant Vice President and Senior Economist of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas states in The Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, “The undocumented population rose from a few hundred thousand, primarily in agricultural workers, in the late 1960s to two to four million, mainly living in urban areas in 1980. The undocumented population rose further to 8.4 million in 2000 and 11.2 million in 2010” (Orrenius,2012). With this rapid increase, the question often in conflict with members of society is;what is the best step for the United States to take towards such an increase? Since the federal government appeared to not be taking any steps towards finding a solution this issue, state legislatures have in some cases decided to take matters into their own hands. One example is when in “April 2010, the Arizona state legislature passed a law ‘to discourage and deter the unlawful entry and presence of aliens and economic activity by persons unlawfully present in the United States’” (Loftus, 2013). There is su...
These immigrants could have these jobs back in their native country which requires very high intense labor and could be paid what is considered 100 dollars here. They come here because they know that wages here are much better than what is earned back home. Being in a land in which most of them do not speak English but are still out there getting jobs. Immigrants do not come here to commit crimes. They do everything to have a better life, even if that means working two jobs to sustain a middle class life in America.This drive is key in understanding why America needs immigrants in order to be great again. The current immigration policy also locks out high-skilled workers such as engineers, doctors, and entrepreneurs. The United States invests
Illegal immigration has become a controversial topic in politics within the US. Some believe that undocumented immigrants are vital to the U.S. economy because they take the jobs Americans do not want. Others however, have the opinion that undocumented immigrants should be punished for doing things illegally, arguing that undocumented immigrants are taking the jobs of the American people and taking abusing it by not paying taxes. Although there are speculations that support the claim that immigrants should be punished, there are several counterarguments that state why they should be allowed to stay. Undocumented immigrants are an important factor to the development of the United States of America, immigrants have supplied a widespread example
First off, let’s just start by saying within the confines of the United States illegal immigration is not really illegal due to many different factors. Currently in the United States illegal immigrants receive healthcare, social security, unemployment and other forms of benefits provided by the US government “for its people”, which are funded by the citizens of the United States through their tax dollars but illegal immigrants do not pay taxes, they simply collect and piggyback off the rest of us. Not only that though with the increase of illegal immigrants comes an increase in the unemployment rate, the amount of illegal immigrants coming over each year, and taxes as we must pay for people that don’t belong here. If you were to trespass in a foreign country for instance let’s say Russia as soon as you step foot on their soil you’re “banned from the country for 10 years and you can receive up to a six month prison
Immigration is the greatest part of American history. In the beginning, Immigrants brought a vast variety of cultures and beliefs and turned America in to the beauty it is today. Immigrants are still doing this. However, the issue with immigration can be it 's illegal status. Many undocumented immigrants are entering this country causing questions among the American citizens. Rather than asking if this is right or wrong, a solution can be found. Illegal immigrants come here for a purpose and can be helped with this purpose. Most come fleeing persecution, although some come here for more demented reasons. Those, illegal immigrants will be done away with. However, Those immigrants who come here for pure reasons need to be taken Care of in proper
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.