Social Science Immigration - Research Paper Example

Amnesty is a very controversial within the current discussion of what sorts of changes should be made to immigration laws in the United s. Recent efforts to use amnesty as a means of assuaging illegal immigration have been marked as failures. Most recently, Ronald Regan’s general amnesty of the 1980’s has been viewed by critics as little more than an invitation to more illegal immigrants (Graham). Any mention of this sort of amnesty brings out many strong political opponents. But the current laws and efforts regarding legal immigration are obviously broken. What appears from the discourse surrounding immigration is a spectrum of beliefs concerning amnesty. Another general amnesty with no preconditions occupies the far left of this spectrum while the only proposition for existing illegal immigrants is immediate deportation occupies the right. More recently, many have proposed a more moderate approach to amnesty that may appease the occupants of both left and right positions on the spectrum. One aspect of an amnesty program that might not be appealing to everyone is that new laws would need to be passed. We believe that some sort of amnesty must be offered to existing illegal aliens in the United States, but that this law will place a series of requirements upon those seeking for legal citizenship through the amnesty program. The portion of the new amnesty law would explicitly exclude certain individuals. Illegal immigrants convicted of any crime greater than summary traffic offenses would not be eligible for the amnesty program. Critics may argue that this will be a difficult requirement to enforce, but we feel that it is important that only individuals that have shown they can obey laws while they were here (other than the laws they are breaking simply by being illegal aliens) be eligible for legal standing a citizens. It is important that an amnesty program not introduce further burdens on society by granting individuals legal status that will soon become wards of the state in prisons or burden legal resources through frequent court appearances or altercations with law enforcement officers. A second important requirement would be the ability to produce documentation from their native country such as birth or immunization records. These records will be important in an amnesty program to verify the origins of those seeking legal citizenship. They will also help in the verification of identities of individuals seeking legalization through the amnesty program. This verification could help prevent fraud and future illegal immigration in the future. A third requirement would need to be added to help make the program a good source of education for the new citizens naturalized through the amnesty program. This requirement would also appease many individuals on the right of the spectrum that would be naturally inclined to oppose any sort of amnesty for illegal immigrants. This portion of the amnesty program would actually put the new immigrants on sort of probation or temporary citizenship status for one year. During this first year, the new “temporary citizen” would need to meet several requirements in order to gain “permanent” status as a legal citizen of the United States. The first requirement is that the new temporary citizen becomes gainfully employed. This could be checked by a monthly verification of a pay stub. Having a pay stub requirement would assuage the fears of many conservative members of the public. A common complaint against illegal immigrants is the fact that they are perceived as not doing their part by paying taxes like everyone else (Fitzgerald). The pay stub from an employer would show that the new citizen would be paying into the social services the same way citizens do that have been here in the country all along. Along with being gainfully employed, the new citizen would need to provide proof that they have obtained adequate housing within the first year of residency as well. In addition, the probationary period of citizenship would again require them to be free of conviction for any crime more than a summary traffic offense. If the citizen becomes involved in criminal activity, then they will need to be processed through the United States legal system and then eventually deported and returned to their native country. They would lose their privileges associated with the amnesty program and would need to apply for citizenship in the future through other channels. The fourth requirement of this temporary citizenship program would be controversial but we feel it would be best for the new citizens in the long run. As a condition of gaining citizenship through an amnesty program, we would require them to take training courses to obtain proficiency in speaking the English language. Many may feel that this in not sensitive to the culture of the immigrants, but the reality is a mastery of the prevailing language of the United States will open social and economic doors for the new citizen (Wheeler). We feel that this idea of a temporary or probationary citizenship period is a good way to appease both sides of the debate surrounding amnesty. Requirements are placed upon the immigrants, as they become new citizens. The requirements are designed to help the new citizens show that they are interested in becoming active, contributing citizens of their new home. One shortcoming of these requirements is that they are geared towards adult immigrants. We feel that children and adolescent illegal immigrants need to have a separate type of amnesty program. We envision a law that would allow children brought illegally into the country to obtain citizenship if certain criteria are met. The first set of criteria would concern the age of their arrival when entering the country illegally. Only children entering the country before the age of 16 would be eligible for this children’s amnesty program. Likewise, the age of eligibility for participants in this program would be between the ages of 12 and 30 when the bill becomes law. Other criteria for this alternative amnesty program are similar to the one being offered to adults. The absence of a criminal record is a key stipulation. For children, this would include all criminal offenses including minor offenses. They would need to be free of criminal activity of all sorts for five consecutive years after their arrival in the United States. Other criteria requirements are catered to the special place young people fill in our society. All young men are required to register for the selective service. This would be a requirement for these illegal immigrants wanting to gain citizenship as well. Gaining a solid education is the responsibility of future citizens, so to qualify for this amnesty program, all participants would need to be currently enrolled in school, have graduated from high school or have gotten a GED. Failure to complete these requirements results in a denial of citizenship. The educational requirement of this amnesty program could easily be seen as a parallel to the employment requirements that are a part of the program aimed at adults. Amnesty programs are a very controversial part of any immigration legislation. Strong political views on the left and right make compromise difficult. Focusing on fair standards and establishing a clear path to citizenship for adult and adolescent illegal immigrants is the key to crafting a policy that is fair, balanced and accomplishes the difficult task of managing the influx of immigrants that the United States is currently experiencing. Amnesty programs have been viewed as unsuccessful in the past. Having a program that places requirements upon the newly legal citizens will make this sort of amnesty program more successful. Works Cited Fitzgerald, Mary. "Illegal Immigrants Cost to Government Studied." 24 August 2004. Washington Post. 8 December 2009 . Graham, Otis. "The American Conservative." 27 January 2003. Ronald Reagans Big Mistake . 7 December 2007 . Wheeler, Brian. "Biden: Immigrants Must Learn to Speak English." 28 December 2007. ABC News. 8 December 2009 . Read More