Illegal Immigration - Essay Example

Illegal Immigration Illegal Immigration LeMay (2007) defines illegal immigration as the act of moving into or living in a country, other than the country of origin, without government permission. In other words, the lack of documentation is basically what makes illegal immigration unlawful. In the contemporary society, the subject of illegal immigration is highly debated due to the challenges it poses. The primary intention of the typical illegal aliens is the search for greener pastures and in the process they end up adding value to the economy of host country.

However, not all immigrants end up benefiting the host economy. Some of them take away some value by arousing insecurity within the host country. As Marie (2004) indicates, when many people are undocumented, there is a profound problem of insecurity. Although, many of them do not pose direct threat to security, their presence distracts available resources, distorts the law and may end up creating a fertile ground for criminals and terrorists (Kenney, 2008). The challenge to security stands out as the main problem caused by illegal immigration.

Other problems associated with illegal immigration and which contribute to the problem of insecurity are increased cases of organized gangs, drug peddling, identity theft and increased cases of prostitution. In most countries, there have been efforts to curtail influx immigrants. However, such efforts have only served to worsen the problem as they drive aliens underground, thereby promoting the culture of lawlessness (Levy, 2010). Therefore, if something is not done to solve this problem, illegal immigration will increase, thereby increasing pressure on the available resources an aspect that is likely to trigger civil war and eventual international insecurity.

Solutions There are many concerted efforts by different countries to contain the issue of illegal immigration. However, some of these efforts stand out better than others. Adopting efficient process to curb illegal immigration and enhance compliance with immigration laws. According to Bascio (2009) existing unlawful migrants should be deported and then allowed to enter host countries legally via checkpoints with enhanced screening process to enhance compliance with the laws of the host country.

Haugen and Musser (2011) stress that the adopted mechanisms to the problem of illegal immigration should not involve protracted screening process as such a process is likely to attract less attention from existing migrant workers thereby evading compliance (Dougherty, 2004). In other words, an efficient program of legal entry specifically for migrants who present themselves for biometric identification is not likely to discourage compliance and is likely to encourage migrants to make use of formal channels and processes of entry.

As my personal opinion, micromanaging of migrant labor by Government organizations should be stopped. This is because it is not a good thing when governments assume the role of licensing migrant workers as such as process is analogous to micromanaging the migrant labor market. In order words, a part from being a riskier precedent, the process is likely to fail. In a free market economy, socialized planning is meaningless and its execution is risky on varied levels (Palda, 2001). The bottom line is that when a government is allowed to manage the migrant labor market, it would be setting or creating loopholes for intrusion at later stages.

This is because such a process would be open to maltreatment, susceptible to corruption, and unproductive. CASE STUDY As per the 2012 estimates by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), the population of illegal immigrants in the US stood at about eleven million. According to a CIS report, in the same year, about 55 percent of illegal immigrants came from Mexico; about 20 percent came from other countries in Latin America; about 10 percent came from Asia; about 5 percent were from Canada and Europe; and close to 3 percent came from Africa.

Most of the US immigrants are attracted by better employment opportunities, running away from political oppression, to reunite with their family members, for the prospect of earning a good living, and for the medical and educational reasons. Even though, most illegal immigrants to the US are people who are looking for opportunities that they can exploit to better their lives, some of them have been found to engage in illegal activities. According to the department of Justice, illegal immigrants commit crimes such as gang violence, drug trafficking and identity theft just to mention by a few.

When spread across the country, such acts of criminality are likely to put the security of the country in a delicate situation. At the moment, the federal government has been deporting those who are found to have crossed into the country illegally. However, for the future, the federal government has been setting up screening centers at boarder points on top of drafting policies that will allow immigrants who are young and talented to be issued with legal documents instead of being deported. References Bascio, P. (2009). On the immorality of illegal immigration.

Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse. Dougherty, J. (2004). Illegals: The Imminent Threat Posed by Our Unsecured U.S.-Mexico Border. New York: Thomas Nelson Inc. Haugen, D., & Musser, S. (2011). Illegal immigration. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press. Kenney, K. (2008). Illegal immigration. Edina, Minn.: ABDO Pub. Co. LeMay, M. (2007). Illegal immigration: a reference handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO. Levy, J. (2010). Illegal immigration and amnesty: open borders and national security. New York : Rosen Pub. Marie, C.-V. (2004). Preventing illegal immigration: juggling economic imperatives, political risks and individual rights.

Strasbourg: Council of Europe Pub. Palda, F. (2001). Tax evasion and firm survival in competitive markets. Cheltenham: Elgar.