...Jim Arnold Dr. Block English 101 December 12, 2013 Illegal Immigration The United States Government is faced with a number of challenges to try and keep this country safe and a major issue they must deal with is illegal immigration. Immigration in the United States dates all the way back to the early 17th century where as few as 400,000 immigrants crossed the Atlantic in search for a better life. During this time period the United States was very open to taking in immigrants as long as they were legally documented, which is still the case but we are seeing a lot more immigrants trying to stay in the United States illegally which is causing for a major problem. In January of 2010 the Department of Homeland Security estimated that 10,800,000 illegal aliens are living in the United States. Being an unregistered immigrant is against the law because your residency in the country is not official they are able to get around paying the government for expenses of living in the United States. Not having a record of a person is a cause for concern due to the high amount of illegal immigrants that become criminals. There are many different reasons why people try going to a foreign land and leave their homes and family behind, such as a political or economical reasons. Individuals generally choose to reside in countries that are more technologically advanced have greater resources and offer more opportunities. Some immigrants also move to a foreign country to give their children...
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...Illegal Immigration Reform Proposal The United States has gone from being a nation of one race (Native Americans), to being a country of many nations. This country has increasingly become responsible for immigrants that have decided that the state of their own nation has become unbearable and have decided to make a change in their life from day to day as well as the life of their entire family. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimated in 2010 that there were 11,900,000 illegal immigrants in the United States at the cost of approximately $83,665,408,222. The impact of illegal immigrants on the United States has become an issue that has stirred the emotions of all American citizens for many decades. With the population of illegal immigrants believed to be having a negative impact on the rising cost of healthcare, the contribution to a nationwide problem of unemployment, and citizens and immigrants’ alike calling for fairness to all, a complete immigration reform is something that needs to be addressed on a national level. President Barack Obama has a “commonsense immigration reform proposal.” His proposal consists of four parts that will hold accountable not just the illegal workers, but the employers who hire them as well. There are four parts to President Obama’s proposed reform: 1) continue to strengthen the borders to the United States; by doing so would strengthen our ability to remove criminals and apprehend and prosecute national security threats;...
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...llegal immigrants in the United States (US) have long been a topic of debate for policymakers and the public. The rationale about them is that they do not pay taxes; they add to the costs of taxpayers and use up funds in resources meant for assisting citizens and legal immigrants (the legal citizens). Therefore, they are perceived as a threat to the US economy. The true impacts of illegal immigrants on the US economy are discussed by debating over the economic benefits as well as economic costs of these immigrants. The negative impacts, discussed first, presented the decreases in low skilled jobs’ wage rates for legal immigrants and citizens instigated by illegal immigrants, the social services such as educations and healthcare that they utilize and add to taxpayers. Then contrary to the negative impacts, the positive impacts reveal benefits of low production costs, increases in the local market sales, undocumented tax generation, impact on growth and employment brought forth by illegal immigrants. These impacts, both negative and positive, are independently analyzed and weighed against each other. The discussion does show a slight net positive impact on the US economy in contrast to the normal belief about illegal immigrants. There was a time when people came freely and settled within the land, but as societies became more civilized and community laws established, immigration became a point of concern for the advanced societies. They did not just want any person to enter the...
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...Illegal Immigrants in the Workplace In the United States of America it is illegal for an employer to have any person without proper documentation of citizenship work for pay. Many laws and acts have been created to prevent the work of illegal immigrants in the workplace. Many immigration reforms and acts over the years have helped guide the way to crack down on employers that are abusing the law. In recent years, the federal government has increased the number of audits on companies having illegal employees working resulting in fines, civil charges and criminal charges. In order to better understand the laws and acts established by government, it is helpful to begin by understanding how a person can receive an immigrant status. A person can receive this status under one of four categories, “as an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, by other kinship criteria, by occupation (skill), and through refugee status” (Chiswick 23). Immediate relatives of citizens include spouses, minor children, and parents of adults. The U.S. government caps the number of visas given to those relatives of U.S. citizens as well as those with other kinship criteria. The last two categories are, “for persons who can demonstrate a U.S. labor market “need” for their services” (Chiswick 26). These categories include people who are “professionals of exceptional ability”, and “skilled workers in occupations with a scarce U.S. labor supply” (Chiswick 26). For occupational preference visas, people must complete...
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...Villa Toca Gina Perkins English 1301 Co.7 7 April 2014 Illegal Immigration with Mexico If you were in a situation where migrating to another country would be the best thing to do, what would you do? A lot of issues surge when dealing with immigration in the United States. We all are considered immigrants because a long time ago back when Columbus discovered this land in 1942 Europeans came in and took over the land where Native Americans had been living for many years. In other words every white in America is descendant from immigrants of some other country but yet there are people in USA that say Mexicans don’t have the right to immigrate. It’s very ironic that such people say that, it’s like saying, there are two immigrants and one says to another “You don’t have the right to immigrate, only I do.” There is a range of positive and negative aspects of immigration. Weather one should take a side for either against it or not, it’s up to oneself to decide. The definition of an immigrant or illegal alien is best summarized as a person coming in to a different country and settling without the countries permission to stay. ------------------------------------------------- The question, should amnesty be given to illegal immigrants?, Brings up a lot of controversy in all of USA. Mexican immigrants are willing to work out in fields picking crops, cleaning houses, bus tables, etc. all these jobs are jobs that immigrants are very eager to do so, even at minimum wage pay. A lot...
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...Erick M Hudtwalcker Illegal Immigration English 102- Katema Lee Due Date: 04/14/08 Illegal Immigration The United States of America is a country made up of millions of people. Its society has many different cultures and religions. These blends of diversity make up America. The United State’s way of life is based on how people’s ancestors grew up and by the different traditions passed down from generation to generation. America is unique from most other countries in that she was founded by immigrants from numerous other countries. From Plymouth Rock in the seventeenth century to Ellis Island in the twentieth, people from every where came to America some were fleeing religious persecution and political chaos. Most of them came for economic reasons and were part of extensive migratory systems that responded to changing demands in labor markets; others, came here by choice and all eventually were integrated into the “American society” to become a homogenous people. These immigrants had a vision, work ethic, values, fortitude, imagination, and pioneering spirit which enabled her to become the greatest nation on earth. While it took longer for some than others, they and their descendents ultimately became "One nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all." Many, but not all, modern immigrants to the United States are not much different. However, unlike the distant past, immigration now consists of two components:...
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...Immigration | The Impact of Legal and Illegal Immigration in The United States | Sandra Jakobsen | The United States is a combination of people from the whole world. Every year millions of immigrants enter the borders in hope of a better life living the ‘’American Dream’’. The opportunities and freedom the nation can provide motivates these people to leave everything they have and do all it takes to start a new life. The majority of ethnicities that are highest of the country’s immigration status are Europeans, Asians and Latin’s, but the people behind the border to Mexico dominate these statistics. Legal or illegal these people have a huge impact on the American society and many reforms have been proposed and experimented to solve the problem of illegal immigration, unfortunately not many seems to work. As John O'Sullivan once said; “More people want to come to America, and if we don’t allow them to do so legally, they will do so illegally.” Today there are approximately 11.1 million illegal immigrants in the country and this controversial issue has become a great burden for the American people and American society. There are however solutions to this problem. New immigration laws must be implemented in order to establish equality, justice and opportunities in which American citizens and immigrants both benefit. Legal Immigration 12.5 percent (2010) of the US population is considered legal immigrants (US Census). The people that are considered legal are divided into two categories:...
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...Hollie Ballard MGT 201-Z1 Professor Lau 6 Aug 2011 Changes Need to Be Made Illegal immigrants go through a rigid journey to cross the border into the United States of America. Crossing the border successfully does not mean the journey is over for these illegal immigrants, their life of living in the shadows is just beginning. In the article “America’s Divide,” it discusses the debated immigration reform legislation, which has been projected in the U.S. Senate, and well as the U.S. House of Representatives. This article tells the story of Irma Palacios’ story of her family and their legal status. It is not uncommon for legal immigrants to have family that have diverse statuses for legality. In Irma’s family she has members that are legal through birth, permanent residents, naturalized citizens, and some, like her brother-in-law Raymundo, undocumented immigrants. Raymundo, among others, are burdened with the stress of living a life unseen. He cannot achieve his full potential because he is stuck doing the work that citizens of the United States do not want to do, such a working in the fields and hard labored factory working. With the status of being undocumented, if he was to lose his job he does not get unemployment, and when he has a job his wages a lower than they should be. Raymundo stresses about is immigration status to a point where he will get a rash on his body. He has a wife and a child who are citizens of the United States, and if he gets caught, he will be sent...
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...POLSCI 200 Why Can’t the Government Pass the New Immigration Reform? Our nation is currently faced with many problems and the one that still seems to stand out is an immigration reform. Many of those who reside in the U.S may not see it as a big issue, but in reality it really is. Even though many presidents including Obama tried to adopt the immigration reform, the policy has been murky since Naturalization Act of 1790. The federal government developed a cohesive procedure for naturalization. Immigrants at that time were granted citizenship after living in the U.S. for at least 2 years without criminal records. Every President since Dwight D. Eisenhower has taken executive action at some point regarding to immigration reform. With the last immigration reform act passed in 1986, the time to fix a broken immigration system is long overdue. Since the United States has been highly populated with diverse population including documented or undocumented immigrants, the government could have considered adopting the immigration reform specifically and permanently. Apparently, there are some reasons that take many years to process an immigration reform in Congress such as polarization in Congress, Federalism, courts’ decision, media impaction, and interest groups. It is hard to believe that why the government is not fully paying enough attention to immigration reform bill that is one of the most important not only for country itself but also for its economy. Now, we have estimated...
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...Pot Stopped Melting WGU – LAT1 Donna Vaughn May 17, 2010 In recent years the number of illegal aliens in this country has grown. The social and economic impact of this has given rise to the current debate on what to do. American citizens are demanding their government take action; the problem lies in what action to take. Everything from mass deportation to total amnesty is being argued. While it is not American policy to allow foreigners the status of legal residents or even citizenship when they enter illegally, extremes such as total amnesty or mass deportation may not be the answer either. America is a melting pot in which many cultures have peacefully come to make their lives as American citizens. The issue of illegal aliens has divided this nation which is in need of unity and consistency in law enforcement. Research shows that in order to reduce illegal immigration, the American government must enforce the current laws, secure the American Mexican border, eliminate the magnets that attract illegal aliens (such as: employment, anchor babies, social services) and offer no tolerance for criminal activity. Understanding the Problem Many people enter this country through the American Mexican border and usually can do so unchallenged. By not securing the southern border, America has left an opening that anyone can come through. It is not just illegal aliens that cross that border. America is exposed to entry by terrorists, drug smugglers and human trafficking...
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...Time for a Change With over 12 million illegal immigrants in this country, most Americans can agree that our immigration system is definitely broken. The problem is that we cannot agree on how this system should be fixed. On April 23, 2010, the Governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, decided that she would attempt a solution to the problem. She signed into law one of the nation’s toughest bills focused on illegal immigration in her state. This law re-ignited the immigration debate all across the United States and brought out many protestors from both sides. Some of the issues at hand are amnesty, healthcare costs, and the increasing crime that illegal immigrants bring into our country. To begin with, does amnesty encourage illegal immigration? Secondly, what does it do to our already fragile health care system? Thirdly, what kinds of crimes are being committed by some illegal immigrants? In my opinion we need to do whatever we can to secure our borders and only allow those who come in legally into our country. Amnesty, in the case of illegal immigrants, is to grant legal status to those who have entered our country illegally. It forgives the fact that they have entered the country illegally, and forgives other illegal acts such as driving and working using false documents. In 1986 under President Ronald Reagan, our country granted what was supposed to be a “one time only” amnesty for approximately 2.7 million illegal aliens. At that time, Congress also enacted a new set of...
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...Arthur 1 Morgan Arthur April 23, 2009 Final Essay Prof. Medlin English 1020 United States-Mexican Border Wall Immigrants founded the United States of America and ever since then there have been people from all over the world coming to America for a chance at a better life for themselves and their families. Immigrants from all over the world come, some legally and some illegally. A majority of these immigrants come from southern-border country Mexico. Everyday, the United States has hundreds of illegal immigrants come into the country. They cross over from the Rio Grande into Texas; they cross over into Arizona, New Mexico, and California. With all of the problems that the United States is facing from illegal immigration, maybe it is time that the American government should have a stronger form of border control. For years there has been talk of a stronger border and in some cases there has been action. However, with the opinions in favor of a stronger border security, such as a border wall, there are also strong opinions against the idea. A border wall would help the United States with security issues; it might also slow down the number of immigrants coming across the border every year. The fact is that something must be done to slow down illegal immigration before this country becomes over populated. Illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from American citizens, who at this moment during the recession need those jobs more than ever. The United States government...
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...Cohen POLSC 110 02 December 2013 Our government regularly passes laws that affect everyone in our society, supposedly protecting our rights and taking into account the views of all of its citizens. Citizens express their views by voting for representatives to speak on their behalf or by joining interest groups. In our current voting system however, many groups of people are barred from voting, yet they are forced to abide to the laws passed by our government. Whether it is because they are undocumented immigrants, felons, or even because their state requires tests that they are incapable of passing, these people are being unfairly represented in our government. Although our constitution provides the framework for our voting system, it leaves the right to the states to establish who is able to vote and who isn’t. In order to prevent this inequality in the voting process, states should be required to share the same voting requirements and it should be easier for immigrants to gain their citizenship so they as well can have a say in government. The American constitution established the framework of the voting system that we use today in our modern society. Voting first started in 1776, during the time of the colonies and the revolution and only white male Protestants were able to vote. At the time when George Washington was elected President, only 6% of the current population was eligible to vote, so voting was very restricted. In 1866 the Civil Rights Act granted citizenship...
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...THE RIGHTS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN KENYA: LESSONS FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. GODWIN KIPKIRUI LANGAT LAW/M/0985/09/12 ABSTRACT Many perspectives have been offered in the academic literature to explain the phenomenon of illegal immigration across the world. Unfortunately, most studies fail to adequately account for the rights of immigrants and how they are being violated. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT CHAPTER ONE 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of Study The purpose of this research is to show all the rights of illegal immigrants and the extent to which they are violated and/or respected in Kenya’s legal system by use of vital lessons from the American legal system. Respecting their rights is important because it shows that we are respecting the rule of law. It is important to note that all people are equal and therefore they should be treated equally without discrimination. People should also be allowed the freedom of movement and also that it should be ensured that the same freedom of movement should be regulated so that it ensures that one single country or state do not suffer the outcomes of immigration. Migration is a fact of life whereby people move to new countries to improve themselves economically and maybe to pursue their educations. Others leave to escape armed conflicts or other violations of human rights. Several statutory laws in Kenya provide means by which certain aliens/illegal immigrants can become naturalized citizens. Immigration law determines who...
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...As of December 2016, the United States has a population of 325,000,000 people, and out of those 325 million people, 11 million are undocumented immigrants. The term “undocumented immigrant” refers to foreign-born people who do not have the legal right to work and reside in the United States. Undocumented immigrants do not typically have the time to wait for a permanent legal status, for they may be facing impending or ongoing economical, political, educational, or religious hardships in their own countries. Moreover, those who choose to wait for a green card face waiting several years in the country they desperately want to leave behind because, to be honest, those people leaving hope for a better life in America as soon as possible. Children...
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