The Outdated United States Immigration System

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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one factor in regards to immigration in which the majority of society can agree is the Nation’s system is currently outdated.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... ... middle of paper ... ...m as an emergency political problem and citizens should become aware of the negatives that have been an inhumane result of racial profiling and anti-immigration laws in recent years. It is also necessary for the nation to become informed and concerned on the positives of immigration reform. The necessary facets to begin with,which can be backed by sociological and statistical data, include the application of a pathway to citizenship for nearly 12 million undocumented immigrants, execute family reunification in various situations, and provide a safe haven for victims of international human trafficking. After all, is it not the nation’s utmost desire to be capable of building and providing The American Dream? If so, building a foundation of these ingredients is absolutely necessary in order to maintain great opportunity beyond any either country.

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