Immigration and Social Welfare - Research Paper Example

Immigration and Social Welfare The research aims to proffer policy issues pertinent to immigration and social welfare by addressing the following, to wit: (1) a brief historical background of the issue; (2) a description of the current policy initiative including proposed changes; (3) who will the policy assist and affected negatively, when implemented; and (4) a determination of social justice or ethical issues regarding the current or proposed policy on immigration and social welfare. Immigration and Social Welfare The United States has been known the world over as the land of milk and honey. People from all walks of life, regardless of nationalities, dream to migrate to the US for diverse personal and professional goals. Due to the magnitude of people desiring entry to America, the federal government, through the US Congress, devised policies and regulations to clearly identify, screen, assess and approve lawful entry for people desiring to gain either permanent or temporary admission in the country. In this regard, the research aims to proffer policy issues pertinent to immigration and social welfare by addressing the following, to wit: (1) a brief historical background of the issue; (2) a description of the current policy initiative including proposed changes; (3) who will the policy assist and affected negatively, when implemented; and (4) a determination of social justice or ethical issues regarding the current or proposed policy on immigration and social welfare. Historical Background The origins of policy making regarding immigration in the US was traced in 1790 when Congress designed a process to enable foreigners to become citizens (Congressional Budget Office (CBO), 2006, p.1). The policies were amended and revised depending on factors including the increasing number of people desiring entry to the US; the nature, personality, and nationality of people; and the relatives or family members already residing in the US, among others. The subsequent significant events that transpired in the immigration policy of the US are summarized, to wit: Date Policy Details 1875 First federal law which prohibits the entry of prostitutes and criminals. 1891 Establishment of Immigration Service with the federal government assuming responsibility in processing entries to the US. 1921 Enactment of the national-origins quota system (Quota Law). 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments implemented the categorical preference system with numerical restrictions according to regions. 1976 Categorical preference system with expanded Western Hemisphere applicants. 1978 The Western and Eastern Hemisphere numerical restrictions indicated a ceiling of 290,000 per annum. 1990 Immigration Act increased the annual worldwide ceiling to 675,000 with added diversity category. Source: CBO, 2006, p. 1. Current Policy Initiative and Proposed Changes A. Immigration Policy Goals The policies on immigration were designed to ensure that a restricted number of foreigners are admitted and granted lawful entry to the United States for clearly defined reasons. As indicated by the CBO (2006), the goals reflected by the immigration policies in the US depend on the following factors: (1) to serve as a tool to reunite families where applicants have relatives previously residing in the country; (2) to fill employment vacancies deemed to need specific skills not eminent in current US labor pool; (3) for political, religious or racial asylum where people from originating countries face risk and threats of persecution; and (4) to encourage entry of culturally diverse people from regions of low immigration status to the US (CBO, 2006, p. vii). B. Current Policy Initiatives Due to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, DiNitto (2011) averred that “immigration regulations have changed and enforcement has become more stringent” (483). Several programs were implemented to monitor the activities of aliens entering the US. Among the programs enumerated were: the National Security Entry Exit Registration System (NSEERS) of June 2002 requiring the registration of all male aged 15 years and above from 25 countries to be fingerprinted, photographed and questioned (DiNitto, 2011, 284). The US-VISIT, another registration system for nonimmigrant visitors are registered and tracked accordingly. Likewise, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) track the entry and exist of students from other countries to prevent overstaying. Finally, the creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2003, in conjunction with other immigration agencies enhanced the strict enforcement of immigration laws, including entry and exit regulations and monitoring throughout the country. C. Proposed Changes Under the recommended revisions to the immigration policies, David Ray, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), mentioned the need to narrow immigration criteria to approve eligibility to individuals with properly identified marketable skills to avoid seeking future support and assistance from the federal government. Enforcement procedures were suggested to encompass stricter penalties to employers, who hire illegal immigrants, by revoking business licenses to operate. In addition, policies, procedures and sanctions for violations in guarding the Mexican boarder (which has been identified as a predominant source of illegal immigrants) through enforced resources (man, materials and technology) should be intensified. Finally, support from originating countries of immigrants, particularly, from Mexico was mentioned to be encouraged and solicited by the federal government, through bolstering economic growth and opportunities in their native land to prevent eyeing the United States as potential sources of employment and livelihood and through identification of accountabilities with stiff sanctions to be imposed on government authorities who violated the terms of the immigration policies (Dougherty, 2004, par. 8). Identification of Those Affected by Policy Changes The immigration policies have clearly identified advantages and disadvantages affecting the citizens and those who migrated to the American soil. The advantages that policies on immigration in the US focus primarily in according economic benefits, such as increasing the gross domestic product, increased tax revenues, increased consumer spending, and creating investment opportunities which spur greater economic activities in the long run (Ojeda, 2010, p. 1). As indicated, “higher wages translate into more tax revenue and increased consumer purchasing power, which benefits the public treasury and the U.S. economy as a whole” (Ojeda, 2010, p. 7). Aside from economic benefits, immigration policies encourage the entry of people from diverse cultural orientations which have been found to be instrumental in improving performance of global organizations. Through diversity, individual workers are given the opportunity to learn from experiences of various cultures. They are exposed to diverse sources of creativity in problem solving. Further, challenges posed by diversity create positive environments for individual competition in terms of improving one’s skills and advancing competencies. On the contrary, the current policy was revealed to have caused several problems as averred by Stoll (1997, par. 8) where the key problems were indicated as “(1) stricter border controls have proved unable to stem illegal immigration flows, leading instead to rising human rights abuses and victimization of border-crossers; (2) immigration clearly contributes to a downward pressure on wage levels and to decreased job availability in certain economic sectors; and (3) many refugees fleeing repressive governments and violent political situations find themselves rejected by Washington. Finally, the constant increase in immigrants would have drastic repercussions in terms of consumption of natural resources, environmental protection, and the need for more infrastructures to support the population growth (Stoll, 1997, par. 16). Social and Ethical Issues The immigration policies continue to bear social and ethical effects in terms of diversity, quality and access of equal education, housing and racial discrimination, and redlining, among others (DiNitto, 2011). The federal government has continually evaluated, reviewed, revised immigration policies depending on factors that impact, not only the economic status of the United States, but more so, the way of life of every citizen. Although current policies seem to be partially effective in restricting the entry of aliens subject to laws and regulations, it has been apparent from data and information that the influx of illegal aliens continues to persist. Conclusion In assessing the issues at hand, the federal government has continually exerted efforts to ensure that immigration to the United States would be beneficial, not only to the immigrants, but also to the US citizens, and the economy, as a whole. Unprecedented levels of illegal immigration noted in the past years have led professionals to conclude that revisions need to be instituted in the current policy to prevent the continued entry of illegal aliens. It is pertinent that a closer evaluation of current immigration policies be undertaken to pinpoint the weaknesses and flaws that continue to encourage illegal immigrants in the American soil. After all, if the United States would continue to allow entry of immigrants at the current level, eventually it would not be perceived as a land of milk and honey, even for the citizens whose welfare it aims to safeguard. References Congressional Budget Office (CBO) 2006. Immigration Policy in the United State. Retrieved 15 November 2010. DiNitto, D.M. (2011). Social welfare: politics and public policy. 7th ed, Pearson Education, Inc. Dougherty, J.E. (2004). Solving the Immigration Problem. Retrieved 15 November 2010. Ojeda, R.H. (2010). Raising the Floor for American Workers, Retrieved 15 November 2010. Read More