Illegal Immigration
For thousands of years
mankind has been known to immigrate from one place to another seeking better
living conditions, be it weather, farming, hunting, trading, or more recently,
for better quality of life, work and education opportunities. Today, millions of people are immigrating to
the United States (US) seeking the same opportunities that mankind has pursued
for years. Among those immigrants, however, is a large percentage that crosses
our borders illegally from the neighboring country of Mexico.
With the annual
increase in the Hispanic population, the US has now become a two-language
speaking country namely, English and Spanish. In the US, illegal immigration
has become a leading national problem. Illegal immigration, by definition, is
the act of living in a country without government permission, thus violating
the immigration laws of that country.
The main problem with illegal
immigration is that it makes it impossible to know precisely who is living and
working in the United States since they are undocumented. This presents a major security issue in light
of the recent terrorists’ attacks, most notably, the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks.
In the US, this problem
has resulted in a division of thought as regards to how it should be addressed.
Like any contested issue, there are those who believe that illegal immigration
is beneficial to the overall economy of the US, and there are those who believe
that illegal immigration is a detriment to the economy of the US. The problem is further compounded by
politicians who seek personal gains rather than solve a problem of national
concern. There is no more evidence of
the division in opinion, solution strategies and approaches than what is
currently taking place between the two governing entities in the US namely, the
Senate and the House of Representatives.
So why is illegal immigration a difficult problem to tackle? Below are a
few of the reasons for, and against, finding a practical solution for illegal
immigration.
Those who are for
illegal immigration claim that these immigrants are positively contributing to
the economy of the US. Facts (through newspapers, TV, internet and government
studies) however indicate that illegal immigrants do the jobs in the US that citizens/residents
are not willing to do, primarily due to low pay. For example, in the farming
industry, it has been known for years that illegal immigrants form the backbone
in this industry. While an undocumented worker may be willing to accept a $7.00
hourly rate to assist in picking fruits and vegetables, a US citizen will most
likely frown at this low pay. Not only
are those immigrants accepting a low pay rate and substandard housing, but they
come to the US with experience that they have learned for many years from their
parents and grandparents in their native land.
From this stand point, illegal immigrants do contribute immensely to the
economy of the US. Unfortunately, this also gives rise to a few individuals who
take advantage of those workers thus raising the potential for human abuse.
Those who are against
illegal immigration, on the other hand, claim that these immigrants are taking
jobs away from US citizens and residents.
While this is partially correct, there are more important aspects of how
they do have a negative impact on the US economy. Limited resources in the educational and
health fields are two areas where this problem is debated. By law, hospitals and school provide services
to all those who seek them irrespective of color, ethnic origin, religion,
etc. For example, an illegal immigrant
who requires prenatal care and hospitalization for delivery of a child may cost
tax payers and the hospital thousands of dollars. With limited funds nowadays available to
hospitals it was no surprise that a few of them closed their doors filing for
bankruptcy due to their inability to cover their own expenses.
Starting a life by breaking
the law is not the ideal way to advance economically, educationally or
politically. Crossing the country’s borders illegally is also not the best way
to accomplish these goals. However,
those immigrants are now, and have been, for many years active participants in
the development of their communities. They work, raise successful children,
born in the US, who are by law, US citizens.
Extreme public opinion on how to handle this issue calls for deporting
ALL those who are illegal regardless of any existing family ties , thus
breaking bonds that have lasted for many years and forcing those individuals to
start experiencing living conditions that they originally fled from in earlier
years.
A reform for this
immigration problem will require not only a clear path for legalization but
also consideration of worldwide human rights. Is granting amnesty the
solution? In today’s environment, all
indications in the media (TV, newspapers, internet, etc.) point to one thing –
namely, amnesty is not the solution or even part of the solution. This is primarily because amnesty represents
a process where all legal steps have been bypassed. Those against amnesty, such
as vocal politicians in the Senate, view amnesty as "welfare" in
disguise where limited resources are being stretched to their limits. Opposing
views from a democratic-dominated House on the other hand, say that amnesty
should be a part of the solution especially, for those few immigrants who have
been productive members of society for many years.
Certainly there are
more things to consider with illegal immigration. For example, is a major liberal immigration
policy needed or, is there one where the president of the US, together, with politicians
from the Republican and Democratic parties can arrive at without their futile
in-fighting? If so, then how can this
plan satisfy those who are pro amnesty and human rights? How can this plan also address the legalization
of those who are in the US, not to mention, the many which will follow asking
for legal status?
To further learn about
the illegal immigration problem and answer the above questions, I plan to;
expand my knowledge through accessing up to-date information on the world-wide
web, access conference proceedings that summarize national opinion, attend open
hall meetings held by vocal politicians, and follow up with national and international
TV and News media reports covering this problem.
