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Immigration Policy

In: Social Issues

Submitted By wr0ngm0ve
Words 1535
Pages 7
Note: this paper was graded Excellent in all respects.
Immigration Policy

The issue of Illegal immigration policy and undocumented workers is extremely controversial in this country. Our individual opinions vary greatly; so many politicians have used it as a wedge issue while campaigning. The Free Dictionary.com defines a wedge issue as a sharply divisive political issue, especially one that is raised by a candidate or party in hopes of attracting or disaffecting a portion of an opponent's customary supporters. I have taken a particular interest in this subject since I began to study the Spanish language. Unfortunately, this issue often has a “Mexican or Latino face.” The recent backlash that Latino illegal aliens have received, the outpouring of racist campaign ads that have been airing and discriminatory legislature that has been passed has caused me to have great concern. The climate surrounding this debate has turned so “ugly” lately and I felt compelled to turn the microscope onto this issue for myself. Whether you support amnesty for illegal aliens or whether you believe that our current policy is too relaxed, there are a few facts that cannot be ignored. Several big businesses, construction companies, agriculturists, and employers in many service industries contend that the absence of immigrant workers would cause a major catastrophe in the U.S. economy. These groups, specifically, refer to the absence of the unauthorized workforce (Caulfield, 2006). Undocumented workers are estimated to fill 25% of all agricultural, 17% of office and house cleaning, 14% of construction, and 12% of food preparation jobs. Estimates suggest that about 850,000 unauthorized immigrants enter the U.S. annually, and have done so since 1990, for a total of close to 12 million (Passel, 2006) or even 2b0 million (Knickerbocker, 2006). These undocumented workers would not have

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