National Immigration Policy and Illegal Immigration - Term Paper Example

 National Immigration Policy and Illegal Immigration Essay Outline I. Introduction A. Rise in the number of illegal immigrants B. Opinions about illegal immigrants 1. An asset 2. A nuisance C. Economic contribution made by illegal immigrants 1. Consonance with market trends 2. Tax contributions II. Immigration to the US A. US as an immigration friendly nation B. Hardships faced by illegal immigrants C. Need to analyze economic contribution of illegal immigrants III. Illegal immigration to the US A. Magnitude, composition and dispersal B. Conflicting public views about illegal immigrants C. Economic views about illegal immigrants IV. Illegal immigrants and the American Economy A. Type of immigrants required by the US 1. Immigrants with low schooling 2. Highly skilled immigrants B. How illegal immigrants serve the interests of the national economy V. Recommended Policy Proposal A. Provisions for immigrants with varied terms of stay in the US B. How to evaluate the recommended policy proposal VI. Expected outcomes and benefits of the recommended policy proposal VII. Conclusion National Immigration Policy and Illegal Immigration Introduction Illegal immigration in the United States of America is an issue that has evolved into a source of prime concern for the policy makers throughout the nation. Varied monitoring agencies and concerned institutions are of the opinion that in the last three decades there has been a gargantuan rise in the number and proportion of illegal immigrants in the country (Haerens 11). In 2006, the Congress authorized and put in place several measures with the intention to tighten the enforcement mechanisms and procedures on the US borders, and especially along the US-Mexico border (Haerens 36). There is a broad consensus in the country pertaining to the benefits and advantages of legal immigration. However, there exists also a gradually building up opinion amongst the varied strata of the American political and civic life that the nation could enhance its economic welfare and growth by controlling and reducing the number of illegal immigrants sneaking in through its borders. However, nobody has ever bothered to pragmatically analyze and weigh the relative benefits and disadvantages associated with legal and illegal immigration. In an economic context, it would be beneficial for the country to allow for immigrants whose skills are in a short supply and whose contribution in terms of taxes to the national exchequer is considerable. This would not only include the highly educated and skilled professionals like IT experts and technology related engineers, but would also include low skilled workers that could serve the labor starved economic sectors like food processing, construction industry and cleaning services. It would be surprising to realize that the flow of illegal immigration is more in consonance with the nation’s market trends and economic cycles (Mills 42). Common sense has proven time and again that the levels of illegal immigration in the US do always rise during the boom times and the flow of illegal immigrants is mostly directed at the places where there is a strong demand for labor (Mills 34). In contrast, legal immigration is determined and controlled by varied time consuming bureaucratic and legal hassles, which to a great extent dissociate the flow and composition of the legal immigration from the national markets trends and requirements. Besides, the selection of more than half of the legal immigrants is linked to the fact that they already have close relatives residing in the US. So irrespective of the need for coordination between the US economic requirements and the national immigration policy, there exist grave discrepancies between the education and skill composition of the legal immigrants and the needs of the local employment trends and preferences (Mills 53). Even those legal immigrants who come to the US on the invitation of some specific employer are subject to time consuming visa procedures. Also, such immigrants are practically not free to move to different jobs and job markets, as per the trends prevailing in the national markets. This puts constraints on the benefits from such legal immigrants to the country. Hence, illegal immigration definitely has some propitious economic linkages with the national employment trends. Thus, illegal immigrants do deserve special and customized policy measures. If steps are taken to make their entrance possibilities more stringent at the US borders, this will drastically shrink a labor pool that is easily accessible as per the needs and expectations of the local economy. However, subjecting illegal immigrants to an immigration policy that is the same as that applied to legal immigrants will demolish their economic relevance and purpose. Immigration to the US May sound hackneyed, but yes, the United States of American is a country that has been built by immigrants. Over the years, nation’s immigration friendly policy has not only expanded its population count, but has given way to many complex and comprehensive social and cultural changes. It would not be wrong to say that the US extends permanent resident status to more legal immigrants as compared to any other developed country in the world. The abolition of the procedure for ethnic quotas in the national immigration policy in 1965 has further added to the number of legal immigrants in the country (Haerens 68). A large chunk of the legal immigrants in the US is affiliated to China, India, Mexico and Phillipines (Camarota & Jensenius: Online)). Though, the US is a country easily accessible through modern means of transport like air travel, there is no denying the fact that in case of the illegal immigrants, the process and procedure of migration to the US is fraught with many exorbitant and dangerous risks and challenges. It would be very practical to conclude that a big proportion of the illegal immigrants do perish on their way to the US, considering the lawless mafia and risky modes of transport they have to resort to. It is also a fact that a great many of these illegal immigrants do have the education and skills that are utterly relevant to the national economy. In contrast, more than two thirds of legal immigrants to the US owe it to the family reunion provision in the national immigration policy (Mills 23). Compared to these people, the proportion of legal immigrants strictly allowed on the basis of their employment skills is very small (Mills 23). Seldom, has the nation looked at the illegal immigrants as a potential source of talent and wealth creation. It is true that the US needs to take into consideration varied humanistic aspects like family values, politics, law and order, etc while determining its immigration policy. However, the US is also the Mecca of capitalism, and hence the national economy and employment situation should be the prime factor associated with the determination of the national immigration policy. Thus the determination of the status of any immigrant is it legal or illegal should also rest on one’s utility to and potential for making a significant contribution to the national economy. Illegal immigrants will always be there, no matter how stringent and harsh are the control and enforcement policies and mechanisms. So the approach of the country towards illegal immigrants needs to be revised and reinvented on the basis of sound economic facts and possibilities. Illegal Immigration to the US The total number of illegal immigrants in the US stands at 11.9 million (Camarota & Jensenius: Online). This figure comprises almost 4 percent of the total US population. Most of the 8.3 million people, who have illegally immigrated to the US, constitute roughly 5.4 percent of the nation’s collective labor force (Camarota & Jensenius: Online). It is a surprise that such a large section of the national population and work force never got the attention of the policy makers in the context of their contribution to the national economy and growth. The irony is that a majority of these illegal immigrants are mostly confined to low paying and low skill jobs, irrespective of their education and expertise. Of the net US illegal immigrant population, 76 percent are Hispanics, with Mexicans constituting the largest sub group (Camarota & Jensenius: Online). Next are the Asians and Central Americans (Camarota & Jensenius: Online). As per the information provided by the US Census Bureau, the illegal immigrants which were earlier confined to certain specific states like California, Florida, Texas, Illinois and New Jersey, are today evenly spread across the US (Camarota & Jensenius: Online). This corroborates the earlier premise that the illegal immigrants are more mobile in their response to national economic and employment trends. It goes without saying the Americans are very concerned about the rising problem of illegal immigrants. Many of the Americans are of the opinion that the illegal immigrants are a big botheration for the country. Illegal immigrants not only aggravate the local employment and housing situation, but also burden the national health and education system. Not to mention, the cultural impact of these illegal immigrants on the American society is cited as one other cause to worry about. Also, there is no dearth of people who support and recognize the contributions made by the illegal immigrants. Many believe that the illegal immigrants not only strengthen the national economy, but also invigorate the American society by challenging its stereotypical ways of thinking about things and people. People also tend to retain different views regarding the resolution of the problem of illegal immigrants. Some say that the illegal immigrants must be made to go back home, while there are others who are in the favor of legalizing their status by offering to them permanent residency. Many economists are of the view that the illegal immigrants jeopardize the employment situation in the US. Since these immigrants constitute a hidden workforce that is more than often vulnerable to exploitation, large illegal immigrant concentration in any industry my drive down the wages. However, there exist very few methodical and systematic studies to validate this premise. There is one another school of thought that holds that illegal immigrants’ contribution to the taxes is much more as compared to the expenditure made on extending social services to them (Yoshida 17). This view also sounds logical in the sense that since illegal immigrants are not the recognized American citizens, none can expect them to be as assertive and vociferous about their share in social services, as are the recognized American citizens. Though the problem of illegal immigrants needs to be analyzed in diverse contexts as it has social, political, and cultural and legal dimensions, this paper intends to dissect this issue in a predominantly economic context, and aims to extend the relevant policy changes. Illegal Immigration and American Economics The contribution of a legal immigrant to the national economy tends to be optimal when the skills possessed by that immigrant are scarce in the US. The value of the skill of an illegal immigrant is of value to the US either because the supply of the workforce with that specific skill within the US is very low as in case of food processing or cleaning services, or that the demand of the people with certain skills is very high within the US as compared to the other economies, as in the case of IT and technical professionals (Lee 29). Due to a high rise in the number of students within the US who complete their schooling, the supply of labor with low schooling within the US is very low (Lee 58). Yet, the US economy simply cannot do without workers with low schooling. In contrast the illegal immigrants coming to the US from the developing nations like Mexico tend to have a high proportion of individuals with low schooling (Lee 58). In their native countries these immigrants have to resort to jobs that have low productivity and low wages. While in the US, due to the scarcity of the workers having their profile, they get an opportunity to earn higher wages. It gives way to a win-win situation for both these illegal immigrants and the US economy. On the other side, in the US there is a high demand for high skilled labor. However, owing to the visa hassles and other administrative processes the supply of legal highly skilled immigrants often fails to keep pace with the actual requirements of the job market. Even if the illegal immigration pushes down the wages, it allows for the optimal exploitation of the national resources like land and capital. For example a huge quantity of fruits and vegetables produced in the US perish owing to scarcity of labor. The use of illegal immigrants in this sector certainly increases the yield per acre. Also the increase in the number of laborers in an industry certainly increases the productivity and output. Thus, any proposed changes in the national immigration policy must take into consideration the possible contribution made to the national economy by the illegal immigrants. It needs to calculate the contribution made by the illegal immigrants to the national GDP. It also needs to assess the popular premises raised against the illegal immigrants that they are a burden on the US economy in the light of the existing and available economic facts, data and information. Any reactionary and intolerant approach towards the national immigration policy will only turn out to be counterproductive in the long run. Recommended Policy Proposal – The New Guest Worker Program The proposed policy proposal is the initiation of a guest worker provision in the national immigration policy. Guest worker program is not something new to the US immigration policy. The United States already had a guest worker program for the Mexican workers in place in the period 1942-1964. This guest worker program will be holistic in its framework and will be applicable to all the shades of illegal immigrants residing in the US. As per the guest worker policy, all the illegal immigrants residing in the US with their families for the last 4 years will be required to register with the local immigration authority. These illegal immigrants on their registration as guest workers will be automatically extended all the social, economic and legal rights that are accessible to an American citizen, barring the right to vote and applying for a valid American passport. These guest workers will be allowed to work in the American private businesses and government jobs managed by private contractors. After a due period required for the verification of their background, academic qualification and other details, say 2 years, the guest worker will be extended permanent residency, provided the immigration authorities do not find one guilty of a criminal act and other such discrepancies, committed in the US or any other friendly nation. During this period, the US authorities and state institutions will extend to this guest worker all the necessary help and aid required for seeking academic enhancement and skill augmentation. In case of illegal immigrants residing in the US for a period of less than 4 years as calculated from the date of announcement of the proposed policy, they could also register with the local immigration authority. On doing so, they will be granted a permit, allowing them to work in the US for 3 years. This permit will not only make them eligible for the minimum wage policy as applicable in the US, but will also get them the necessary health, educational and the requisite legal rights they require to work as a guest worker. In the future, their permit could be further extended on the expiry of the three year term or they could be granted a permanent residency, depending on the needs and requirements of the US economy. In case this is not done, the guest worker will have to return to one’s country on the expiry of the 3 year permit. However, if in future, the US government feels the need for inviting more immigrants to support its economy, first preference will be given to those people and their families who have already served in the US as a guest worker. The renewal of the permit 3 times, whether in succession or otherwise will automatically lead to a permanent residency status. The Federal Government will set up an entire new department dedicated to the well being and protection of guest workers. So far, very few detailed and systematic studies have been undertaken to assess the impact of and contribution made by the illegal immigrants to the US economy. Once a pool of visible guest workers is created, the Federal Government will propose, initiate and fund varied economic and sociological studies to study the cultural and economic impact of these former illegal immigrants on the US economic and social life. Further evaluation and alterations in the Guest Worker policy will be undertaken in the light of the information and data provided by these studies. Earlier, such studies were simply not possible because the illegal immigrants did not prefer to attract the attention of government officials or people who were close to such officials, for obvious reasons. The guest worker policy will encourage these illegal immigrants to cooperate with the researchers and state institutions. This will help the governments and independent organizations pragmatically calculate the cost of extending social services to the registered immigrants and the expenditure incurred by the state on them in comparison to the contribution made by the illegal immigrants to the national economy in terms of taxes and value addition. This will also allow for the evaluation and fine tuning of the level and quality of social services being extended to these registered guest workers. This will also help in conducting studies and surveys regarding the impact of illegal immigration on the American social, cultural and political life. Expected Outcomes of Guest Worker Program The proposed guest worker program will lead to varied benefits like: So far the existing figures about the total number of illegal immigrants residing in the US are not specific. Besides, the government also lacks the specific data pertaining to these illegal immigrants like their education levels, their contribution to the national GDP, the average wages they get, the nature of access they enjoy to the social and health services, etc. The guest worker program will immediately make the millions of invisible aliens residing in the US into visible assets that could be deployed, trained and managed in an organized and specialized way. This will also bring most of the illegal immigrants who are employed, within the tax net. The irony is that these illegal immigrants were already residing within the US borders. So the guest worker program will make it possible for the governments to deal with them in a more systematic, planned and humane manner. Even if some of the illegal immigrants fail to register as guest workers, the immigration authorities and the allied departments will be left with fewer illegal immigrants to focus their attention on. This will make their job more realistic and possible. The US government is already spending billions in the form of grants and aid to the poor nations. The problem is that many a times the regimes in the poor nations tend to be corrupt and the donated money is scarcely spent on the welfare of those who need it the most. In contrast, guest worker program is perhaps the best way to help the poor nations. It will help the people from these nations earn good wages while at the same time it will boost the US economy (Rodrik: Online). It is a commonly known fact that most of the illegal immigrants in the US are exploited by the employers and are not even given the statutory minimum wages. Not to mention, that these immigrants and their families enjoy a very constrained access to health, education and civic amenities. The recognition of these guest workers by the state backed by appropriate laws and provisions will go a long way in bettering the lot of them and their families. Guest Worker Program will definitely be an apt assertion of the American humanitarian and philanthropic values. The proposed will generate immense data and information regarding the contribution, employment patterns, educational achievements and social and civic life of the illegal immigrants. Perhaps, it will be for the first time that the US Government will have access to such hitherto coveted data, so vital to the nation’s economic, cultural and political life. It is commonsensical to assume that a great number of illegal immigrants with low schooling come to the US not attracted by its culture or values, but for the quality of life it offers. Given a chance to earn in the United States in a legal way and then to return back to their countries with their earnings, many will readily accept it. This will certainly dilute the magnitude of illegal immigration to the US. Conclusion It’s the high time that the US citizens and politicians should start seeing the illegal immigrants from a different vantage point. The people whom many of them consider to be a nuisance, are perhaps not only contributing to the national economy in a big way, but are in fact crucial to the sustenance of the US economy. Besides, these immigrants also enrich the national social and cultural life in many ways. It will be much more pragmatic if the future reforms in the national immigration policy are attempted by taking into consideration these important facts. The proposed Guest Worker Program is a step in the right direction. It will not only significantly solve the problem of illegal immigration, but will also go a long in improving the plight of illegal immigrants and their families. This proposal will also pave the way for the collection and generation of the much needed data pertaining to the illegal immigrants. It is primarily aimed at those immigrants who are already illegally residing in the US. So the US stands nothing to lose by recognizing and accepting them. Works Cited Camarota, Steven A & Jensenius, Karen. “A Shifting Tide: Recent Trends in the Illegal Immigration Policy”. Centre for Immigration Studies (CIS). July 2009. 29 May 2011 . Haerens, Margaret. Illegal Immigration. New York: Young Adult, 2006. Lee, Kathleen. Illegal Immigration. Westport, CT: Lucet Books, 1995. Mills, Nicolaus. Arguing Immigration. New York: Touchstone, 2007. Rodrik, Dani. “Be Our Guests”. The New York Times. 1 June 2007. 29 May 2011 . Yoshida, Chisato. Illegal Immigration and Economic Welfare. London: Physica-Verlag, 2000. Read More