How to Prevent Illegal Immigration - Essay Example

Illegal immigration has been one of the major problems faced in every nation all over the world. This problem has existed since time immemorial, and at present, citizens from impoverished countries choose to leave their land of origin hoping to seek salvation in a promised land. For most of these illegal immigrants, they choose to try their luck in the United States of America, which has been branded as the land of “milk and honey” throughout history. However, to this day, it is common knowledge that the USA is undergoing an economic recession, and even its people were left unsecured from this crisis which is evident by the increase in the number of unemployed and homeless citizens who suffered deep financial distress. 

How to Prevent Illegal Immigration According to Mae Ngai, in the 1920s, unauthorized entry has become the most common form of illegal immigration which has been condemned by both the state and society. These unauthorized immigrants may either be welcome or unwelcome by the US. They became in demand by the economic sector as their labor is cheap and replaceable. In the middle decades of the 20th century, they were only billeted in western and southwestern agriculture. But at present, illegal immigrants have evolved and can be found in almost every region in the United States (2).

One way to prevent illegal immigration is to expand the employment programs of agriculture and service workers. This will now have the effect of legal migration which allows them to enter the country with a work visa. The government can help these illegal immigrants by creating minimum wage programs, for these jobs with legal visas who are allowed under the law to work. These shall be known as the guest worker wage limit. Through this program, illegal immigration will be prevented because the illegal immigrants will not receive the minimum wage fixed by law, thus compelling them to apply for work visas.

Another factor that aggravates the number of illegal immigrants is the failure of the government to impose stricter penalties or sanctions on employers who engage in illegal hiring. These illegal immigrants are thus assured that they can find jobs even without proper documentation. The Udall Center Arizona Fact Sheet No. 3 on Immigration Policy (2007) reported that there are “three reasons why the employer sanctions are rendered futile. These are the following: (1.) There is a lack of a reliable mechanism to verify employment eligibility; (2.) There is insufficient funding for interior immigration enforcement; and (3.) Absence of political will due to the labor needs of America”.

Therefore, these illegal immigrants bravely enter these countries, such as the USA, without bringing any capital because they are assured that available jobs are waiting for them. The rampant proliferation of these non-documented immigrants continues to exist because of the failure to verify the authenticity and the genuineness of the documents presented before them. They merely rely on the strength of unverifiable data. The scant regard of the US immigration system on the worksite enforcement by not enforcing strict immigration policies allows these illegal immigrants to work in the country without getting apprehended.

Conclusion The unauthorized flow of illegal immigrants entering countries like America is caused by the incompetency of the immigration system of such countries and the failure of the government to enact stricter laws, policy programs, and imposition of penalties to deter illegal immigrants to enter without legal visas. Therefore, the key to solving this long-term problem lies in the hands of the country's legislative department, to formulate stricter laws on illegal migration to address the problem and put a stop to it.

Studies show that in the US alone, the number of illegal immigrants at present ballooned over the past nine (9) years. It only goes to show that the US government has been remiss of its duties to ensure that immigration laws and policy issues are properly implemented. For countries that are in experiencing the same problem, they must see to it that their immigration laws are being implemented in full force and effect so that sanctions and penalties are imposed on these illegal immigrants. The imposition of penalties is an effective means to deter illegal immigration.