Erica Prieto
ENGL 1302
Dr. Rechelle Christie
February 18, 2014
Legalizing Immigrants
It is recognized that illegal immigration has been a common problem to this country for many years now and has only gotten worse. There has been many “solutions” up in the air for quite some time now. Up until this point in time nothing has been done, other mentioning possible solutions. The government has made this topic very controversial and high priority over the years causing the public to be more aware and involved. The country can be safer due to increased security; decreased work force, and not to mention the national debt that has increased as a result to this issue. Many people are very interested in this issue because it seems the government has mixed opinions on this and the country is changing more as time goes by.
The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity (CIR ASAP) Act of 2013 has several titles under the proposition. One is the importance of secure borders. (Immigration Policy Center) This includes detention and enforcement centers to protect the people and punish the “smugglers” who put innocent people in danger when trying to enter this country illegally. Many immigrants travel for days trying to cross borders to get to this country, where many die as a result of dehydration, or starvation, and getting attacked by wild animals. Under this section it states that medical treatment is ensured for people who are in danger. It also increases protection for both immigrants and customs agents during any enforcement activities. This policy can also provide a temporary visa and work authorization for detained workers who have initiated labor claims against their employer and are being targeted. Additionally, it will increase the Custom and Border Officers at each entry making it safer for the country. At each border entry in the United States, there will be a bigger number of agents to be of better assistance to the public and for improved security. Under the border security proposal, employment verification is included. The system E-Verify has been implemented to ensure employers to check legal status on new applicants (Ku). Not only are land borders going to be more secure, they also included airport and seaports. This includes biometric entry and exit systems that are supposed to reduce up to half of the flow of illegals into the United States (Ku). Therefore the borders and the people in an out of this country can all be safe.
In President Obama’s State of the Union speech on January 2014, he made a statement on the immigration reform. He plans to “get it done this year” (Obama). According to President Obama, an immigration reform will increase new jobs and fix our “broken immigration system” (Obama). He goes on the say that the immigration reform will decrease the country’s deficit by one trillion in about 2 decades and therefore grow the economy (Obama). He reasons that “if people come here to contribute to our culture, they make our country a more attractive place to relocate and create jobs for everybody” (Obama). An article written by Dr. Sherrie A. Kossoudji compares the impact of legalization in the past and now, it informs us about the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). She has researched how the economy triumphed back then and how it is now suffering due to the legalization problem. In this report, she states that the IRCA benefited the country a great deal and it can happen again. After the IRCA, “a lot fewer immigrants sent money back to their home countries, and those who did, sent back less. More of those earning were spent here in the United States, in communities” (Kossoudji). It goes to say that once the people became legal residents, they became committed to America. They helped our country prosper. Once they had a chance to become legal they were able to apply for jobs with increased wages which in turn would now be reported to the IRS. Many of these people are already in the work force; a reform would only legalize their work status. Once this happens people can improve their work skills, seek better jobs or training and get an education. Dr. Kossoudji’s report reads that the “new legalization program would automatically transform more than one-in-twenty workers into recognized employees openly subject to labor laws. They would earn higher wages, spend more money in the United States, and pay regularly into the Social Security and tax system” (Kossoudji). Women gained a new found hope to be able to work under a safe environment and have their children safe. It was very dangerous for women because they feared deportation therefore would not speak up and report exploitation. Women want a better future for their children, better education. They will work to provide for them while the children go to school. Later in the future they will get better jobs than their parents did. Statistics say that there are currently about 94% of undocumented men and 58% undocumented women in the work force today (Kossoudji). Legalization can bring the country together in efforts to create more jobs and decrease unemployment rates. The United States debt has been an issue that is being talked about in the news, in government speeches for years. Possible solutions have been suggested to the people of this country yet the problem is still there. One of those solutions suggested from government is to legalize illegal immigrants to help the economy. As any proposal, it can have some advantages and disadvantages. The government themselves are very skeptical about the topic and are back and forth analyzing if it can benefit the country. Let’s take a look at different opinions and facts about the topic. It is well known that our nation’s President has stated this proposal is of high priority for this year. He believes it will very much benefit this country and its economy. According to Cecilia Munoz, she attended a conference in the White House where one of the topics was the immigration reform and the country’s debt (Munoz). She writes that as a result of the Senate’s bipartisan bill passed in 2013 the country can now get a glimpse of the slow outcome. It goes on to say in her article, that the government’s “federal deficit can be decreased by $850 billion within the next 20 years.”(Munoz). Without a doubt that would be decreasing the debt, slowly but surely. The article also reads, “There will be an increase of about $700 billion in 2023 and $1.4 trillion in today’s dollars and an annual $250 increase for today’s average household.” (Munoz). It is important to mention that something like this can affect anyone who is in this country or who has family from other countries. It will affect Hispanics, African, Asian, and Latinos including all women. Many of these illegals contribute to the country, the problem is that is it not documented. They don’t contribute to federal taxes or healthcare costs, many don’t even receive a pay check. The legalization of illegal immigrants will benefit the United States in many ways. It will help our economy dramatically, provided increased safety to our country, and increase our work force. I understand it will take time but now is the time to initiate a reform and test it out. This country is about better opportunity and I have no doubt that the people from other countries will be as committed to it as born natives are. We are all proud of this country and what it can provide, there is a reason why it is stamped as the freedom country. I believe the reform will work and benefit each and every one of us.

Work Cited
House of Representative. Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and
Prosperity (CIR ASAP) Act of 2013.2013.Print. <http://grijalva.house.gov/uploads/CIR ASAP 2013 - Summary.pdf>.

Kossoudji, Sherrie A.. "Back to the Future: The Impact of Legalization Then and Now."
Immigration Policy Center. University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 14 Feb 2014.

Leighton, Ku. "The Bipartisan Senate Immigration Bill: Implications for Health Coverage and
Health Access." Department of Health Policy. The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, 8 Aug 2013. Web. 14 Feb 2014. <http://sphhs.gwu.edu/departments/healthpolicy/publications/ImmigrationReform.pdf>.

Muñoz, Cecilia. "An Immigration Reform for a Nation of Immigrants." The White House Blog.
N.p., 30 Aug 2013. Web. 14 Feb. 2014. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/08/30/immigration-reform-nation-immigrants>.

State of the Union 2014. 2014. Video. YouTube. Web. 14 Feb 2014.
<http://youtu.be/Hz4w3E0E4sY>.