Solutions to illegal immigration in America - Essay Example

Introduction Illegal immigration is no longer an unfamiliar topic among most Americans. Illegal immigration has both negative and positive impacts of the US economy. The current level of illegal immigration to America has enlarged the discussions about immigration leading to an undesired influence. Illegal immigrants are separated into disparate areas and hard to be distinguished. The government has tried various ways to prevent illegal immigration, including reinforcing border lines and administrating the existing illegal immigrants (Skerry 1). American government is expected to deal with the illegal immigration in America in aspects of economic, social and political issues. Employers enjoy higher income because the cost of labor reduces drastically (Haugen and Musser 31). A growing number of Americans feel that national wealth is going into wrong hands. There is a need to ensure that public goods are used by those who pay for them (Shipler 41). This calls for an immigration policy that leads to fiscal sustainability and economic progress. Illegal immigration is likely to end up derailing economic recovery through an increased number of unaccounted activities and tax avoidance. 2. Economic implications The economic cost of illegal immigration is enormous (Lecker, Chiswick, and Rapoport 19). Illegal immigrants are known to avoid payroll taxes or taxes that arise from documented work. Allowing illegal immigrants to have full access to public resources that are non-excludable creates inequalities (Eldredge and Riggenbach 23). Some of these national resources include national defense, public roads and schools (Skerry 1). The ability of the federal or state governments to enforce laws that deny illegal immigrants access to the public resources has been difficult. The move is also considered unpopular. The government has been urging illegal immigrants to come out of hiding. Immigration is known to account for the rise in school enrollment and is contributing to the need for a health insurance (Lecker, Chiswick, and Rapoport 19). Fiscal sustainability is being advocated as a form of American identity. Americans are encouraged to be proud of engaging in lawful and authentic deals as part of the national values. The process of assimilating illegal immigrants is known to be contentious (Lecker, Chiswick, and Rapoport 19). 3. Social aspects and deliberations Illegal immigration has resulted into significant social issues. The Native Americans feel threatened by the ability of immigrants to raise incomes and to perform exceptionally in education systems (Eldredge and Riggenbach 23). An increased assimilation rate means social inclusion and increased human capital (Marquardt 19). This can cause the Native Americans to be rendered irrelevant in multiple aspects. Notwithstanding the concerns, assimilation is viewed as a solution is the proposed policy to control illegal immigration (Lecker, Chiswick, and Rapoport 19). This means that the federal government would have to weigh the economic and social impact of viewing illegal immigrants inclusively. The move would ensure that the government brings the immigrants to full taxation and lead to a demand of public goods (Eldredge and Riggenbach 23). The program would lead to fiscal sustainability. This can happen through launching and developing a domestic workers program through which workers visas can be given to the undocumented workers. The federal government can use this program to target specific areas of labor shortages without having to affect the social standing of the Native Americans (Haugen and Musser 31). This would call for a well-calculated incentives ratio (Lecker, Chiswick, and Rapoport 19). A telling example would be a law that ensures that for every 60 Native Americans hired, 40 registered immigrants are considered. The program is criticized by those who argue that the program would be centered on enhancing opportunities for illegal immigrants. 4. Illegal immigrations and political issues The political effects of illegal immigration can only be addressed through a holistic view of the issue (Eldredge and Riggenbach 23). This includes relooking surging number of illegal immigrants has reached a level of crisis considering the status quo is unacceptable (Lecker, Chiswick, and Rapoport 20). Dealing with the challenge of illegal immigration aims at ensuring there is no disproportionate allocation of resources (Haugen and Musser 31). The federal government aims at ensuring economic prosperity for all social groups (Marquardt 17; Lecker, Chiswick, and Rapoport 19). This prevents creation of an underclass within the citizenry. This has been occasioned by a realization that a section of the society is responsible to paying the price of the unrecognized citizens. The policy of economic and social equity and prosperity is expected to ensure that illegal immigrants compete legally in the market (Marquardt 17). It also ensures they do not become an underclass (Lecker, Chiswick, and Rapoport 19). This proposals aims at encouraging illegal immigrants have access to subsidies for investment, credit and insurance which are vital in social mobility. 5. Conclusion The cost of illegal immigration has caused the policy makers to consider the need to opening address the national issue. The congress is considering charging the immigrants an entry fee or targeting their employers with taxes (Haugen and Musser 31). This would compel them to be legalized. The process of enforcing the existing rules against illegal immigration has been expensive. Focusing on the border is perceived to be easy and inconclusive (Shipler 41). The impact of the immigrants of the public finances and social welfare has been felt by the Native Americans. A constructive immigration policy must ensure that low-skilled immigration generates productivity in the US economy. This is expected to limit fiscal cost of illegal immigration through containing enforcement expenses. Works Cited Eldredge, Dirk, and Jeff Riggenbach. Crowded Land of Liberty: Solving America's Immigration Crisis. Ashland, Or.: Blackstone Audio, 2009. Print. Haugen, David, and Susan Musser. Illegal Immigration. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Print. Lecker, Tikva, Carmel Chiswick, and Hillel Rapoport. The Economics of Immigration and Social Diversity. Amsterdam: Elsevier JAI, 2006. Print. Lecker, Tikva, Carmel Chiswick, and Hillel Rapoport. The Economics of Immigration and Social Diversity. Amsterdam: Elsevier JAI, 2006. Print. Marquardt, Marie. Living "illegal": The Human Face of Unauthorized Immigration. New York, NY: New Press, 2011. Print. Shipler, David. The Working Poor: Invisible in America. New York: Knopf, 2004. Print. Skerry, Peter. "The First Principles of Ronald Reagan’s Foreign Policy." National Affairs., 2013. Web. 15 July 2013. . Read More