Immigration Issues in the US - Essay Example

?Immigration Without question, illegal immigration is a hot topic; some believe that it threatens life in the United s, while others feel that our government should make it easier for Immigrants to live and work here legally. The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical discussion on the issue of immigration and ultimately provide an objective view of the issue from both perspectives. The format that this paper will utilize is to first provide a history of immigration, arguments against immigration, arguments for immigration and a conclusion. The history of immigration is far reaching. According to the BBC (2002) immigration goes back to the dawn of time. In the British context there have been waves of immigrants everywhere from the ancient Romans trying to colonize the island right through to modern waves of people from various countries coming to the nation. Immigration has fundamentally changed in the modern era. According to a Gallup poll (2009) typically people get pushed or pulled for a variety of different reasons into countries other than their home nation. Moreover it is the case that currently most migrants move from one developed nation to another developed nation yet it is also the case that many people in developing nations would like to move to developed nations, and only a limited percentage of people in developed countries would like to move to developing countries. From this perspective one could argue that the desire to migrate is not always reflected in reality. Immigration as it stands today is massive. According to the Gallup Poll (2009) there are roughly 700 million adults who would like to relocate to a different country. Building on this point it is the case that 165 million of these people list the United States as their top destination with an additional 45 million listing Canada as their most desired region of relocation. Other major destinations include Australia, New Zealand, Western Europe, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. Although it is the case that many people immigrate legally either through normal channels or through asylum seeking, however a large number of people immigrate through illegal channels. This later form of immigration is accomplished through finding alternative entry channels (To avoid customs controllers), through human trafficking, forged documents and a host of other means. As immigration is a ‘Hot’ hot issue there are a number of arguments that stand against immigration based on several government institutions. In the American context it could be argued that being a citizen carries responsibilities but also guarantees some rewards. It is the case that any person that enters into a nation illegally may under some circumstances take advantage of government institutions that are paid for by law abiding & tax paying American citizens. Illegal immigrants could theoretically be living ‘off the grid’ insofar as they would typically not be contributing to the tax base, and may earn a living in the black market. It is upon this foundation that Preston (2009) voiced a major concern for voters which is the fact that many people worry those health care charges for illegal immigrants will be paid for by tax payers and as such diminish the amount of healthcare available for citizens. Building on this previous point, it has been argued by Porter (2006) that the influx of illegal immigrants from Latin American countries has flooded the market with unskilled labor ultimately brought down the wages of high-school dropouts by approximately 15% from 1980-2004. Another major concern is the impact of illegal immigration on public schools. The children of illegal immigrants (Who may themselves be in the country illegally) have a number of unique needs. For example, young people from developing countries may not come from a home life that encourages learning, or may have a weak educational foundation when entering the American school system. Moreover many illegal immigrants may not have a command of the English language. From this perspective one could argue that this places a burden on the school system insofar as special accommodation must be made to accelerate the learning of young illegal immigrants. It is also the case that additional accommodation must be made to either ensure that the students become proficient in English (To a level for academic study) or provide special education in their home language. Once again this issue is problematic for citizens because these immigrants in many circumstances are from families that are not paying taxes (To ultimately play for these schools) so in a way it can be argued that they are taking away from the community but not giving back. A final argument against illegal immigration is the way in which it affects the crime levels in a nation. Although natural born citizens obviously engage in crime it remains the case that due to the sheer number of immigrants that there will be a degree of crime as well. Immigrants tat enter the country legally may or may not commit a number of crimes however by the nature of illegal immigrants being in a country they are indeed already breaking the law. There are a number of costs associated with border patrols and immigration enforcement. Moreover, because many people who enter the country illegally are under educated, come from poor backgrounds and often use the services of organized crime (To enter the country illegally) they may be privy to a hightened lever of street crime. Having said all of this it is important to keep in consideration that although data may suggest certain benefits for illegal immigrants, how the issue is viewed by people may be based on raw prejudices and not on statistics. However it remains the case that there are a number of people that enter a country legally (Through proper immigration channels). In this circumstance I postulate that the individual is entitled to all the same rights and privileges as any other natural born citizen It is upon this foundation that one could argue that there are a number of advantages for immigration. According to Pear (1997) it is the case that there are substantial economic benefits to the United States because of immigration. In 1997 it was estimated that immigration brings $10billion in economic output. Although poorer immigrants typically crowd out the market for low skilled labor it is the cast that the vast majority of immigrants finish school (Or better yet come to the country well educated), start working in skilled labor positions and pay income & payroll taxes. Moreover many immigrants are skilled entrepreneurs that bring a special skill-set that may provide new job opportunities for domestically born citizens. The presence of immigrants in major organizations helps reflect the diverse society that we now live in and ultimately could make large organizations function efficiently. Moreover many immigrants come to the country with a number of strong economic ties to their host country. This circumstance may bring with it the opportunity for trade or help develop markets for American made goods in the international marketplace. In many areas of the United States there is an ageing population. This brings with it a number of problems such as there may be an increased strain on social security. The influx of young immigrants would help supplement the domestic workforce and help provide a large tax base to supplement the services for the elderly. Moralistically there is a strong case for immigration. Many people coming to the United States do so because they are fleeing oppressive or inhumane conditions in their home country. By being welcoming to these people the United States may help serve as a beacon of freedom and an example for reform in other countries. It may be the case that immigration controls are ineffective or costly insofar as it requires the collaboration of a number of cumbersome government department, however even with this point in consideration it is still the case that there remain a number of positive benefits to immigration. In conclusion, immigration is a complicated issue. On the one hand, immigration brings with it a number of drawbacks such as increased strain on domestic services, it crowds out the market for low skilled labor and it may bring an elevated crime rate. Having said that, there are a number of benefits to immigration insofar as it helps generate References BBC (2002) Short History of Immigration. [online] Available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/uk/2002/race/short_history_of_immigration.stm Accessed on February 15th 2011 Gallup Poll (November 2nd 2009) 700 Million Worldwide Desire to migrate Permanently. [online] Available at http://www.gallup.com/poll/124028/700-Million-Worldwide-Desire-Migrate-Permanently.aspx Accessed on February 15th 2011. Pear, R. (May 18th 1997) Academy’s Report Says Immigration Benefits The U.S. New York Times [online] Available at http://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/18/us/academy-s-report-says-immigration-benefits-the-us.html Accessed on February 16th 2011. Porter, E. (April 16th 2006) Cost of Illegal Immigration May be Less Than Meets the Eye. New York Times [online] Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/16/business/yourmoney/16view.html Accessed on February 15th 2011. Preston, J. (September 5th 2009) Health Care Debate Revives Immigration Battle. [online] Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/health/policy/06immighealth.html Accessed on February 15th 2011. Read More