Immigration Reforms in the United States of America - Essay Example

s Immigration Reforms in the United s of America The issue of immigration reforms is quite a controversial topic to debate on. It is premised on so many factors such that there is no argument without a counterargument. There have been proposals from all fonts on how to go about reforming the immigration sector. The much needed reforms have been informed by the current state of the economy as well as global security. Immigration is important and has numerous benefits, but there needs to be better policies to streamline this area. The level of crime in America has gone up, and there are pointers to immigration. The United States of America needs to be more careful about the reforms in this area. The reforms should be fair enough for the immigrants while at the same time they should not give the leeway for cases of illegal immigrations. The aim of the immigration reforms is to monitor illegal migration and increase legal migrations in the United States. This debate is not new in the United States. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 made it illegal for any employer to hire any person residing in America illegally. This act, however, opened up America to many immigrants especially from Mexico. There were subsequent attempts to come up with laws in 2005, and 2006 to regulate the sector of migration and security in the United States. This was informed by the global threat of terrorism that was on the rise. However, due to the differences in the conference committees the bills that were meant to introduce the reforms did not become law. I would adeptly state that it is the congress that is being used to continue allowing the illegal migrations by barring legislation. When assessing the reforms, there are major areas that should be considered in order to make comprehensive reform policies that I shall discuss below. Securing the Boarders of the Country When immigration poses a threat to the security of the citizens, it is then time to rethink our policies. There are those who argue that reforming the immigration sector is painting a negative image of the immigrants already in the united states, and that we should look at immigration from the perspective of the immigrant1.this argument however valid it is, is based on emotions and we cannot work with emotions as a state that is ready to secure its future and ensure that all its citizens are safe. With the presidency of Barrack Obama, if his speech in 2013 is anything to go by, the administration is keen on reforms2. The justification for this position is that America is a country for the immigrants as well as a country that is guided by law. In order to secure our country, we have to first start with our borders. The Obama administration has increased the funding for agents to patrol the boarders. When increasing the task force to manage our boarders, it is not to block immigrants from coming to America, but it is meant to protect the country against cases of illegal immigrations. Employers Hiring Undocumented Workers As stated, the reforms are meant to reduce the number of illegal immigrations. The employers too are supposed to cooperate with the government in ensuring that the employees under their payroll are documented. This is the responsibility of the employers to assist the state in rolling out the reforms. These reforms aim at legalizing the stay of the immigrants whereby, the undocumented immigrants should register for the provisional immigrant program as an initial step towards verifying their stay in America. They can then apply for permanent lawful residence with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that they do not pose a threat to the security of the state. Employers can verify the status of their employees through the E-Verify system that is among other systems of verification. The government should ensure that this system is secure and that it cannot be tampered with to protect against fraud. The accountability of the employers should be monitored to ensure that they do not hinder the implementation of the reforms. Whenever an employee who is an illegal immigrant commits a crime involving gross misconduct, there should be systems to allow for deportation. Also, the people who overstay their visas and pose a challenge to the security of the citizens should also be deported. The immigration courts should be empowered to carry out their functions of dealing with cases of illegal migration including the prosecution of any officer who allows for a case of illegal migration. The legal framework on migration As stated, since 1986, there have been attempts to establish comprehensive immigration reforms. These have not been successful, and there are those who feel that even if they would be established, it would not solve the problem of illegal immigration cases nor prevent more people from coming into the country illegally. The proponents of this opinion feel that it would just lead to the ill treatment of the immigrants. In my opinion, the argument is based on a misjudgment. I appreciate the fact the immigrations contribute greatly towards improving the economy of the state by providing labor in the market. However, the legal framework should be more stringent. It should allow for a speedy process of granting citizenship to those who can show that they have lived in America with a clean record. This procedure should put into consideration the children born in America by illegal immigrants. So long as a person does not pose a security threat to the country, then ordering for deportation of such persons would be an ill-informed decision that would go against the humanitarian policies of the United States. After the reforms, the registration system should not make it nearly impossible to acquire citizenship, and this would only be for those who did not use the right channels while migrating into the United States. Immigration and the Economy Legalizing the stay of the illegal immigrants would be a boost to the economy of the state. The country would gain revenue in form of taxation. What would be unfair for the immigrants is introducing a policy on taxation for the immigrants, but at the same time blocking them from accessing welfare benefits. This action would amount to the exploitation of the immigrants; it would only be a show that the state is only concerned with the state of the economy, but not mindful of the people who contribute towards its growth. States should cooperate with the federal government in these reforms. A workable solution would only be one that compromises on the both ends. One that while safeguarding the interests of the state against illegal immigrations is mindful of the rights of immigrants as human beings. This decision should not be reached at emotionally, the compromise should not aim at hurting one side at the expense of the other, but it is always important to remember the state interest comes first. The interest of the state is to grow its labor base, and the immigrations can be a great boost to this too. As a country, with good reform policies, we shall protect the interests of both the states and the immigrants. As president Obama stated, there are those students who have come to study in the country, and after the completion of their courses, they take back the skills acquired to their mother countries3. With good immigration policies, such expertise shall remain in America especially in the fields of science and math that will greatly contribute to the growth of the economy. If America is able to completely phase out any chances for subsequent illegal migrations, then there will be a good balance in the employment sector for both the citizens and the immigrants already present in the country. There are those who differ with this opinion and feel that an economic policy is important in the development of the country’s economy4. To a great extent, with controlled immigration there would be better employment terms for the citizens. On the extreme side, there are those who argue that a reform in the immigration sector should include limitations on the green card programs. While this may be a viable solution, it will affect the labor market. The criteria to determine who gets into America thus should be based on the skills that the immigrant will bring to America. Conclusion The immigration reforms in America are long overdue. Delaying in the making and implementation of viable immigration policies continues to put the state into jeopardy with the exposure to dangers of illegal immigrations, an unbalanced economic status, as well as a threat to the national security. The reforms do not aim at separating the families, but ensuring that the family cohesion system is maintained. It goes into the provision for due-process in the protection of all people residing in America notwithstanding their means of entry. The red line in this case will be crossed if the immigrant turns to be a threat to the security. In this era of global terrorism, most countries are keen on who enters their countries through the boarders and who resides in their countries. The reforms will not push away immigrants or bar them from getting into this land of opportunities, but what there will be more stringent measures to monitor these entries to ensure that there are no illegal entries. There will also be a framework to protect the rights of undocumented workers to ensure that they have the necessary protection for their jobs. This is important especially for the sake of the economy of the country, and the need for the services of the undocumented workers. The bottom line is that, every person should understand that for the economy to grow there should be a certain future with policies that clearly point at something. Without the immigration reforms, it is not possible to predict the future which makes the future of business uncertain, with proper reforms, America can now reap the benefits which in turn leads to the growth of the economy. Works Cited BROWN, GREG. "Immigration Reforms Vital For National Security, Economy." Fairfield County Business Journal 49.14 (2013): 4. Regional Business News. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. GOMEZ, JOSÉ H. "Immigration And The Next America." Vital Speeches Of The Day 80.4 (2014): 120-122. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. Nevins, Joseph. "Security First: The Obama Administration And Immigration Reform." NACLA Report On The Americas 43.1 (2010): 32-36. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. Orrenius, Pia M., and Madeline Zavodny. "Credible Immigration Policy Reform: A Response To Briggs." Journal Of Policy Analysis & Management 31.4 (2012): 963-966. Business Source Complete. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. Read More