National Policy Issue - Immigration Reform - Research Paper Example

National Policy Issue: Immigration Reform I. Introduction The issue chosen for analysis is immigrationreform, which has been on the news lately owing to the effects that the midterm elections will have on it. Furthermore, a border patrol crisis has emanated owing to busloads of new underage immigrant arriving from South and Central American countries. Matters to do with discrimination against immigrants, the relatively high number of undocumented immigrants (11 million) and the unfeasibility of deporting millions of people have all compounded this debate. II. Background analysis of the issue Immigration reform in the US goes as far back as 1965 when the country passed the Naturalization Act. Previously, an immigrant could only be granted citizenship on the basis of their country of origin. After 1965, immigrants could enter the country on the basis of their skills. The new policy’s main objective was to unite immigrant families (Giovagnoli, 2013). III. The debate on immigration continued in the 1980s and 1990s A 1986 legislation called the Immigration Reform Act sought to legitimize many immigrants by providing alternatives to this effect. This law also allowed about 3 million aliens to gain citizenship owing to an amnesty clause (Giovagnoli, 2013). The government passed another law in 1990 called the Immigration Act whose intention was to modify the provisions of the 1965 Naturalization Act. The economic recession in the early 1990s led to the public developing a sentiment was against immigration-friendly policies. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Responsibility Act came into effect (Giovagnoli, 2013). IV. Many law makers realized that much had to be done in order to have a comprehensive immigration system. Their efforts culminated in a comprehensive Immigration Reform Act passed 2 years later (Giovagnoli, 2013). Barack Obama pledged to pursue immigration reform but was unsuccessful in his first term. V. In 2013, prospects for reform appear to be much higher with a draft legislation that has a number of contentious and non-contentious issues. The bill calls for higher border security in the form of greater border patrol agents. To meet the needs of the agricultural community, a seasonal workers program must be passed. The path to citizenship involves the payment of back taxes, legalization fees among others (Roberts, 2014). VI. Recently, a migration crisis has been looming at the border as a number of undocumented children have been arriving in the country. The president has called it a humanitarian crisis that requires immediate action from Congress (Partlow, 2014). These children have arrived in tens of thousands and sparked outrage among natives in border towns. Children withstand days of hunger, crime and other dangers in order to make it to the US. Many are from states like Honduras and other Central American nations and are giving more impetus for legislation in the Senate (Partlow, 2014). VII. The midterm elections have sparked off renewed interest in immigration reform The Republicans are starting to think twice about blatantly rejecting immigration reform. If non-white groups perceive Republicans as the primary impediment to immigration reform, they may not support the party in the next presidential elections (Clement & Balz, 2014). VIII. The key proponents of the 2013 bill include the President and some key democrat likes Jeb Bush and Eric Cantor. Opponents of the program include conservative Republicans as well as nativists like Steve King. Other Republicans like House Speaker Boehner and Senator Mitch McConnell also do not support the campaign. Members have stated that the Senate and the House are too segregated to come to terms with such a contentious issue. Because Republicans believe that the President’s approval is dwindling it makes sense for them to avoid controversial issues (Weisman, 2014). IX. Some independents and Republicans support the legislation They cite the perpetual need for agricultural unskilled labour in most of the agricultural states. A Republican candidate, Core Gardner in Colorado, happens to be a supporter of reform. Some lobbyists for the policy, like Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, have started picketing his place of work in order to compel him to do more on behalf of the immigrants (Roberts, 2014). Others like Republican Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina also support immigration legislation. X. Entrepreneurs are also supporting the policy because they believe that it is economically logical to do so. Others also call for greater support of immigrant investors who have both the financial resources and abilities to increase purchasing power in the country. XI. Some conservatives and members of the Tea Party believe that if the comprehensive immigration bill is passed as is, it may strengthen Democrat voters. Some of them do not support the clause on providing a path for citizenship for undocumented immigrants as this disfavours them. Opponents claim that President Obama cannot be trusted to enforce border security. XII. Overall, the deep division between the Republicans and Democrats in the Senate means that comprehensive immigration reform will be an uphill. People like Ohio representative, John Boehner, state that the House of representatives is unlikely to come together in a partisan manner to implement the bill. The Speaker explained that many Democrats have shown how they lack the capacity to implement laws fairly and in an unbiased way (Weisman, 2014). These sentiments emanate from how the Obama administration handled the implementation of the Healthcare Act. Even though Americans appear to favour a path to citizenship the house and Senate appear not to be ready, and are eager to postpone it (Fuller, 2014). Letter to the Senator Dear Senator This is an appeal for expedient immigration reform from a concerned citizen who will be affected by the policy’s outcomes if the Senate fails to come together concerning this issue. I am highly interested in immigration because I am an employer who perpetually receives job applications from persons categorized as undocumented. As a senator, American citizens have selected you to handle their legislative needs, and when you do not deliver, then we feel short-changed. A number of Senate watchdogs and analysts have now claimed that it is hopeless to expect any immigration reform this year because the house is too divided. However, political concerns will always be a challenge for legislators, so it makes no sense to push the problem into the future; many representatives did the same in years past. I believe that too much is at stake for this matter to be avoided or glossed over; the unaccompanied children at the Texas border are a clear indicator of the looming crisis in this area. Great immigration legislation should occur humanely and should also safeguard the interests of persons who are citizens of the country; sadly, current immigration law lacks any of these qualities. It is possible to achieve these objectives by forgetting about your partisan interests and forging ahead; since you have already shown support for this legislation, I hope you can lobby your political opponents to do the same. A path to citizenship should be present in the current bill owing to the financial and intellectual investment that the country makes in most immigrant populations. We have no right to judge such individuals because all our forefathers were immigrants who entered the country’s borders under questionable circumstances. For the sake of the economy and the humane principles that Americans take pride in, please adopt a bipartisan approach and push for immigration reform in the Senate. References Clement, S. & Balz, D. (2014). “Poll: Democrats’ advantage on key issues is not translating to a midterm-election edge”. Washingtonpost. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/poll-democrats-advantage-on-key-issues-is-not-translating-to-a-midterm-election-edge/2014/03/03/455ae6ea-a306-11e3-a5fa-55f0c77bf39c_story.html Fuller, J. (2014). “Americans are ready for immigration reform: They are just not ready enough”. Washingtonpost. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/07/14/americans-are-ready-for-immigration-reform-they-are-just-not-ready-enough/ Giovagnoli, M. (2013). “Overhauling immigration law: A brief history and basic principles of reform”. Immigrationpolicy. Retrieved from http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/perspectives/overhauling-immigration-law-brief-history-and-basic-principles-reform Partlow, J. (2014). Honduran child migrants leave home because of poverty and violence. Retrieved from https://trove.com/me/content/55Ocs?chid=15780&_p=trending&utm_source=wp&utm_medium=Widgets&utm_campaign=wpsrTrendingExternal-1-opt Roberts, D. (2014). “Immigration crisis moves to Colorado battleground as midterms loom”. The guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/02/colorado-immigration-crisis-senate-midterm-republicans-democrat Weisman, J. (2014). “Boehner doubts immigration bill will pass in 2014”. NY times Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/07/us/politics/boehner-doubts-immigration-overhaul-will-pass-this-year.html Read More