Political Science; Democracy- Immigration - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... I have at times in the past felt that no illegal immigrant had any right to complain if they were caught and deported. They know they are entering a country illegally and that they should obey the law and take their punishment if they are caught. From the discussion on the video, I can see that it just isn’t this cut and dried. Almost all illegal immigrants have family back home depending on the income they make in America. That income is a lifeline and a deportation means an abrupt stoppage of that remittance income. Arresting and deporting illegal immigrants affects many more people than just the illegal immigrant.
The video also made me aware of the economic impacts of illegal immigrants. I know that economics drives immigration. There is no other reason for people to leave their friends and family than seeking a better life. I have always heard about the costs of illegal immigrants. Many people are quick to point out that illegal immigrants fill up schools with their kids, show up at the emergency room without health insurance and pay no taxes for government services. But illegal immigrants also provide cheap labor for various industries and segments of the national economy.
The overall feeling I got from the video is the need for comprehensive immigration reform from the federal government. It is not an issue that the states should be able to address because this will just leave us with the patchwork of immigration laws that we currently have. States are going to step in to the void created by the federal government that seems unable to deal with the current situation in any comprehensive way. Advocates for illegal immigrants are very convincing in the video, but I feel that they may actually be doing more harm than good. Compromise needs to be made on all sides if a workable immigration reform is to be made. Some illegal immigrants may need to come out of hiding or may even need to return home. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More