Issue: The United States’ future is at a risk to miss an opportunity to increase the labor force due to political stalemate. Currently in the United States over 11 million undocumented immigrants are living in hiding. Most of them want to legally work. The reality is the current law is inefficient and weak to deter migrants who know the U.S. has a demand for skilled and unskilled labor. Likewise, the lack of U.S.-Mexico border security and relaxed law enforcement for overstayed visa traveler has rewarded bad behavior by luring illegal entry. This memorandum describes motives to adopt a major immigration policy change that promotes security, freedom, prosperity and conduit to citizenship for immigrants already in the U.S., and in the long run provide positive microeconomic impact. Background: In 2006 the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act was established to prevent illegal border crossing, improve law enforcement and provides legal immigrant status for the 11-million immigrants who already live in the U.S. Unfortunately, this and the Senate’s bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill passed in 2013 were not amended into law. The paralysis to adopt this policy change may be due to uncertain future cost and political polarization. Further, one could argue another reason is because the United States democratic system works hard to provide the best practical problem solving policy that benefits the greater good. But despite the U.S. democratic system analysis, it is long overdue to reform the law and now it’s time to change it. The Pew Research Center (Pew) estimated that between years 2000 to 2010 the number of undocumented immigrants increased from 8.4 to 11.2 million. That’s a 75% illegal entry increase in just one decade. Further,... ... middle of paper ... ...HAIRMAN COMMITTEES ON THE JUDICIARY, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE. (GAO PUBLICATION NO. GAO-04-82). RETRIEVED FROM U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: HTTP://WWW.GAO.GOV/PRODUCTS/GAO-04-82 12. U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE. (2006). ESTIMATING THE UNDOCUMENTED POPULATION: A “GROUND ANSWERS” APPROACH TO SURVEYING FOREIGN-BORN RESPONDENTS: REPORT TO SUBCOMMITTEES ON TERRORISM, TECHNOLOGY AND HOMELAND SECURITY, COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY U.S. SENATE. (GAO PUBLICATION NO. GAO-06.775). RETRIEVED FROM U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: HTTP://WWW.GAO.GOV/PRODUCTS/GAO-06-775 13. U.S. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE. (2006). COST ESTIMATE: S. 2611COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM ACT OF 2006: REPORT TO THE CHAIRMAN COMMITTEES FINANCE. (CBO COST ESTIMATE MAY 16, 2006). RETRIEVED FROM U.S. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE PUBLICATION WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.CBO.GOV/PUBLICATION/17779
Preston, Julia. "Number of Illegal Immigrants in U.S. May Be on Rise Again, Estimates Say." The New York Times 24 September 2013: A16.
United States. National Economic Council. Domestic Policy Council. President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Office of Management and Budget. (2013, July). The Economic Benefits of Fixing our Broken Immigration System by the Executive Office of the President. (Research in brief) Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov
Fox, Lauren. “Study: Immigration Reform Would Boost Tax Revenues,” US News. U.S.News & World Report, 10 July 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
The United States of America is the best place for immigration. The history proved that the United States was the dream land, the place of chances. That started when Europeans escaped form their countries because there were no jobs and no safe places to live. America became the best choice for people who were looking for political asylum, jobs, or freedom, but after a few generations something changed the Americans look to immigrants as strangers and they forgot where they are from because America is multicultural place and immigration movement should be understandable, but this is not the case. Governments should develop good laws for immigrants by giving rights to immigrants to stay in America, to protect them, and to allow people who deserve to come to America.
Immigration policies have been a hot-button issue for many years now, especially regarding emigration from Mexico. Politicians have started up campaigns promising to effectively end illegal immigration, claiming that it is the source of the United States’ unstable economy. However, similar plans have been enacted in a particularly vulnerable period, with little to no success, indicating that repetition would be a huge blow to both the economy and United States citizens.
In 2013, nearly 1.7 million immigrants entered the United States -- a nation built with the blood and sweat of the millions of immigrants who came to it -- in search of a better life, one free from tyranny and oppression. However, only nine hundred thousand of these immigrants entered the country legally, vesting their time and resources into the legal residency “green card” program -- the very first step to full citizenship (Monger). The other seven hundred thousand immigrants entered the country illegally, exploiting security failures on the US southern border, and policy failures in Washington, DC (Morgan). While a large proportion of the undocumented population poses no immediate threat
...e private sector to find new growth opportunities and create new jobs. Furthermore, America always has been, and always will be a country of immigrants. Despite that rich tradition, Congress has not updated the country’s immigration policies in three decades. However, Congress now has an opportunity to fix the immigration system and improve the economic well-being of all Americans. Failure to address the issue will have severe consequences for America’s future and well-being, and that is why how America reforms the immigration system will determine its future. The current immigration system is outdated, broken, and reveals that Comprehensive Immigration Reform is urgently needed, and is good for America’s workers and the economy. Despite the claims, complaints and the resistance of many, Americans should welcome, accept and support Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
Illegal immigration is a “hot” topic in our country. There is controversy between the state and federal governments over who has authority, and our elected officials in Washington are addressing the issue, with limited success. The majority of us have some opinion on the subject, and our opinions tend to be based on how the issue will impact us. We question if illegal immigration is good for us. What are the costs to us? Is it in the best interest of our country? As nearly twelve million people have secretly slipped across the border to invade our space, our concerns have increased. While our concerns are important, we should not limit ourselves to a one-sided view. Only by understanding both sides of the issue, will we be inspired to work for an equitable solution
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.
"As Growth Stalls, Unauthorized Immigrant Population Becomes More Settled." Pew Research Centers Hispanic Trends Project RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.
The study also took a close look at how the courts deal with the issue, the administrative interpretation of the law, and the application of the reform to be very critical and increasingly impossible. The author discovered that immigration reform has chronic problems, citizens’ disinterest to participate in the political process, government inefficacy, and centralized decision making away from the very communities imparted. The lack of enforcement is mounting pressure on states’ budgets (appropriation and allocations) of resources as the number of beneficiaries for social services increased. On the other hand, Dorsey and Diaz-Barriza (2007) studied President Barack Obama stands on immigration when he was then senator and compared them to conservative and liberal position. In the research, the author lamented that then senator Obama called for a comprehensive immigration reform that would deal with the issues of border security, employers sanction for hiring illegal individuals and a path to earned citizenship. Both sides agreed in part, but disagreed with the issue of path to citizenship which created gray lack. Today, the debate continues between the both political parties and the states leading the president executive action on immigration in recent
In the United States, there are approximately 10 million illegal immigrants: 62% are Mexicans, 12% come from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, and 6% come from Philippines, India and South Korea (Richwine). There are many reasons why people cross the border each day, such as escaping violence, having a better life, or getting new opportunities, but there are also many reasons why illegal immigrants represent a problem for the country. Bill Armistead, Ala...
Illegal immigration, a central issue in the presidential campaign, peaked at 12.2million in 2007. It was 11.1 million in 2014, roughly the same as 11.3 million in 2009, according to the report. In 2007, there were 6.9 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. In 2014, Mexicans still represented the majority of the nation’s illegal immigrants, but their number had dropped to 5.8 million. In the states where the overall undocumented population slipped in the past five years, including California, Georgia and Illinois the decline in undocumented Mexicans was the main factor. We saw a continued drop in the Mexican unauthorized immigrant population. That’s in contrast to the late ’90s and early
The first major concern regarding the borders for the United States is illegal immigration. In January of 2000, the INS estimated that there were 7 million illegal immigrants in the United States with the number growing by about 500,000 a year. Under the Bush Administration, funding has increased along main entry points, displacing illegal immigrants points of entry into the country. Yet the increase has displaced immigration to rural immigration points, causing many every year to die from starvation and heat stroke. Despite the harsh conditions, immigration has grown rather th...
It is imperative that change is enacted: strengthening security around borders and easing the process of citizenship will not only benefit American citizens but also undocumented immigrants. Increasing security around the border will ensure that the cycle of illegal immigration will halt. Currently, obtaining U.S. citizenship is a lengthy process that can take multiple years-even decades. The unlikeliness of obtaining U.S. citizenship in countries with low socioeconomic statuses results in the citizens of these nations to resort to illegal immigration in order to provide for their family and fulfil their ‘American Dream’. A more accessible path to amnesty would generate about 12 billion USD and competition in labor markets. Due to increased competition or demand, minimum wages would increase while returning jobs to US citizens. Currently, deportation or incarceration is used to solve the problem of illegal immigration, however neither is a viable solution the national epidemic. At recent rates, it would take nearly seventy years to deport all of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants, with expenses partially covered by taxpayer money. The U.S. economy is very temperamental, thus deportation would be