Immigration Debate in Arizona - Research Paper Example

Immigration Debate in Arizona The idea of immigration is complex, far more so than just someone leaving one country for another. It has many implications that may not be considered at first glance. If one looks at immigration in a positive light, they will see cultural diversity, the sharing and enriching of heritage and tradition, and the aid and betterment of humanity. Just as easily, however, immigration can be viewed negatively, and the things it then exposes, like the loss of jobs, crime, language barriers and different belief systems, are no less real. This is what makes immigration such an interesting and polarizing issue, and right now in America, a drama is unfolding in Arizona that could have an impact on how the rest of us view the topic from now on. On April 23, 2010, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed a bill that would take illegal immigrants off the streets, out of the state and out of the country. Prior, during and after the signing of the bill, controversies were rampant throughout not only the state, but through the United States as well. Governor Brewer simply felt that she was tending to a job that should have been done years ago by the federal government (Cornelius, 2004), but when nothing had changed she took it into her own hands to secure her state from the negative impacts of illegal immigration. The bill was then tried in a court to determine if the controversies against the bill had any validity or if portions of the law should be altered or removed entirely. The predominant controversy against this bill is that the civil rights of people would be violated; the second greatest controversy is that there would be racial profiling against people of Hispanic and Mexican background during the sweeps to pick up people that were assumed to be illegally in the state. This fear was due to the fact that Arizona had been facing many issues with the drug cartels on the border of Arizona and Mexico. The response to the first controversy is that if someone was illegally in Arizona, and thus in the United States, then they did not have any civil rights since they were not part of our country and of Arizona. Civil rights are an American right; an individual would have to be a legal American for them to apply. The second controversy had been slightly more difficult to defend. The illegal immigration law applied to immigrants from all countries, but since many of our criminal troubles were coming from Mexico, people of Mexican background figured that they would be the first ones automatically assumed to be illegal in the United States. Unfortunately, there would be immigrant officers that would profile racially, yet this action would not be condoned by the state. The rules can be set down on how to properly determine if someone is legal or not, but there are going to be people who do it their own way and this is not something that can immediately be fixed. Governor Brewer guaranteed that the police officers that would be allowed to pull people over based on questions of citizenship would be provided with proper instruction on how to question people without appearing to be prejudiced based on skin color. Immigration itself can be a positive thing. Above all, it can help to provide an individual or a family a better life than what they were having in their previous home. The United States is a land of opportunity, change and growth, and there are many people that want to experience it for themselves or otherwise want their family to grow up in a place where virtually anything is possible (Beasley, 2006). In comparison to many other countries, the United States has not only freedom, but jobs and career opportunities, educational opportunities and the ability to make choices. Most immigrants leave their country for ours to find a better life for humans, something that the United States has been offering up for decades. Yet another perk of immigration is the cultural diversity that is formed. Similarly, there is an array of heritage and tradition that is shared amongst people who would otherwise be unaware of their existence. Diversity is part of what makes the United States as great as it is. People from all walks and backgrounds of life have come together to live together and make happy, successful lives amongst each other. Customs, traditions and heritages have been revealed and shared, increasing the variety found in Arizona. If someone from another country were to move to Arizona, bringing with them their heritage and traditions, they bring something new to a state of people who have grown stagnant in their knowledge of the world. Some of these traditions are even adopted by some of the citizens of Arizona, especially if someone marries an immigrant or befriends someone from another country and wishes to take place in their traditions and cultural practices (Pickus, 2000). However, when immigration is not done properly, as in legally, there can be implications that have been proven to be harmful to both people and the state. One of these implications that have been seen long before the downfall of the economy is the loss of jobs. Many United States citizens believe that immigrants are first in line when it comes to obtaining new jobs, lest the company be regarded as prejudiced (Bosniak, 2006). This leaves fewer job opportunities for people that are legally in the United States and are legally allowed to work. Part of the immigration law comes down upon companies that hire illegal immigrants. In this failing economy, most states do not have jobs to spare, so the ones that are available should be given to those that are legally able to work. The most talked about implication in regard to illegal immigration, especially in the state of Arizona, is the amount of crime that is being seen. One of the reasons that Mexicans feel as though they are going to be racially profiled is due to Arizona trying to cut down on the amount of crime that is being seen due to the Mexican drug cartels at the border of Arizona, using Arizona as a route for both drug and human smuggling. Though many of these incidences have not spilled over into Arizona, many Arizona citizens and police officers close to the border are being faced with danger; the crime is too close to the border for comfort. As time progresses, the crime inches every closer to Arizona. Crime is not just seen by immigrants from Mexico, but from many other countries as well. Statistics show that roughly 89 percent of crimes or traffic accidents in Arizona are committed or caused by illegal immigrants (Vulliamy, 2010). Some illegal immigrants believe that since they are not citizens of the United States that they can get away with the penalties and punishments handed down as the result of a crime. Others, such as those that are unable to find work because of their illegal status, commit crimes, like theft or grand theft auto, because they are unaware of any other ways to care for themselves and their family and they do what they feel they must. Many illegal immigrants feel that they are above many of the laws set down for citizens, and yet they still believe that they should have everything else handed down to them that requires citizenship in the United States. Another growing problem with immigration can be seen more in the classrooms and workplaces than in more public places. The majority of immigrants that come to Arizona do so without preparing themselves for the experience of being around people that are unfamiliar with their language and vice versa. Many communication problems arise when there are many languages being spoken in a small area. This has been proven to be an issue when it comes to students, especially those that are still in elementary school. Very few schools have classes designated for other language speakers, so there is no other option but to put those students in with the English-speaking students. The English-speaking students have their learning slowed down while the non-English speakers try to catch up. The same can be said for people within the workplace. Activity must slow down to ensure that everyone is caught up on what needs to be done, taught or what is going on. The English-speakers really have no choice but to slow their own pace until everyone else is caught up. It has been shown that legal immigrants are more likely to learn the language of the country that they are immigrating to (Orrenius & Zovodny, 2010). They make sure that they know enough about the new culture of this new country so that they can fit in and survive. Those that come to the United States illegally usually do so without prior planning and therefore do not know any of the language or customs of the country or individual states. This fact reveals the sincerity that legal immigrants have when moving to a new country or state. They want to belong to that culture and that location, so they do what they must to be a part of it. Those that come over illegally often only do so for more selfish benefits, preferring to be considered both guests and citizens, wanting to be treated with respect and with every right that the other legal citizens have. The concept of different belief systems arising as immigrants move to new places can be both positive and negative. It can be positive in the sense that these new and different belief systems add to the ever-growing diversity found within the various states of the United States. This provides others with the opportunity to discover new beliefs that they might feel more comfortable with than with the ones they have grown up with. It also helps understanding these belief systems to understand the different cultures found outside of the United States. The downside of these different belief systems is that it provides people with one more reason to argue with others. It has been a human practice for many centuries to argue against what they do not believe and what they do believe. By introducing new belief systems into a country or a state that is not familiar with these beliefs, or by presenting immigrants with our own beliefs, problems could arise as both sides fight for what they believe in. Entitlement is a concept that is seen a lot in the argument for and against immigration, though most people argue it in terms of illegal immigration. Many of the illegal immigrants that come over to Arizona believe that they are entitled to have right and privilege that legal citizens are, though they do not want to take the necessary steps to becoming citizens (Blake & Husain, 2003). They take advantage of every opportunity that they can find. Welfare, unemployment, food stamps and free or cheap healthcare are among the list of things that many illegal immigrants come to Arizona for. They believe that simply by living in the state that they are allowed all of these things. Due to how many illegal immigrants are able to get these things handed to them, the legal citizens that need them are unable to obtain them because someone else beat them to it. This does not hold true for all illegal immigrants, yet it is not difficult to determine which immigrants are sincere about moving to Arizona. When the bill against illegal immigration went before a judge, it was determined that there were numerous flaws within the bill. All of these were thrown out. The people that had been against the bill were ecstatic, but those that were for it were not as the parts that had been thrown out were the most vital to preventing illegal immigration. The portions of the bill that were thrown out were due to either the possibility of racial profiling and the violating of civil rights. As previously mentioned, these two aspects are concerns in the fight against illegal immigration, and while they are not without reason they can still be tended to without removing entire portions of the bill. The violation of civil rights can be seen as going hand-in-hand with racial profiling. Many citizens, both legal and illegal, believe that they will be targeted simply for being of Mexican heritage and forced to present proof of citizenship (Koulish, 2010). They also believe that people who look remotely American or Caucasian will not be targeted, regardless of the fact that there are thousands of immigrants from various countries in Arizona, many of whom can easily pass as being American. To make things even and fair, it is believed that every person should be checked for proof of citizenship, or that a system of some sort should be devised that can be placed on a person’s vehicle to make it clear from the beginning that the person has been cleared for their citizenship. Despite the results of the trial against the Arizona immigration bill, Governor Jan Brewer has still yet to give up. The federal government has been shirking on their duties and allowing innocent, honest and hardworking citizens suffer at the hands of people that do not technically belong in Arizona unless they have claimed legal citizenship. People do not mind immigrants coming over to Arizona, they just want it to be done legally and so that it can benefit everyone, both current citizens and immigrants. Potential immigrants are often discouraged by the thought of how long it takes for their citizenship papers to clear, making them legal citizens. This is one of the leading causes of illegal immigration; they either become too impatient to wait for their papers to clear, or they do not want to deal with the hassle and the wait, so they essentially come over to Arizona uninvited. It is understandable that they would be impatient, but if they are sincere about becoming citizens then they should be able to handle the wait. They can be impatient because what they are waiting for is entirely worth it. Unfortunately, not everyone feels this way and they would rather take the easy, illegal way out than go through the appropriate processes in becoming citizens. Many people find themselves in a neutral position when they stop and think about how they feel about the immigration debate in Arizona. They agree with immigration, finding it to be a wonderful, promising event, but they feel that it needs to be done legally. When done legally, the immigrants can get the full benefits of being citizens. Furthermore, current legal citizens of Arizona are able to still be eligible for the benefits, programs and opportunities that they have always been eligible for. It is not that people are against immigration. They are simply against having their own rights violated because immigrants, before they become legal, feel that they are entitled to everything that they would otherwise be entitled to if they went the proper way of obtaining their citizenship. When immigration is done properly and legally, the benefits greatly outweigh the repercussions. Immigration in Arizona does not affect just the immigrants, but also the legal citizens that are currently living in the state of Arizona. These citizens lose out on a lot and give up on so much unwillingly because there are other people looking for a better life for themselves. However, making a better life does not mean doing it the easy way. Even the people that have been legal citizens living in Arizona for many years are still working hard to provide for themselves and their family. Bettering one’s life does not happen overnight, and it takes a lot of time, effort and patience. Many of these illegal immigrants coming through to Arizona are only making life worse for themselves by taking the simple way out instead of the right one. Works Cited Beasley, Vanessa B. Who Belongs in America?: Presidents, Rhetoric, and Immigration. College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 2006. Print. Blake, Nicholas J., and Raza Husain. Immigration, Asylum, and Human Rights. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print. Bosniak, Linda. The Citizen and the Alien: Dilemmas of Contemporary Membership. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2006. Print. Cornelius, Wayne A. Controlling Immigration: A Global Perspective. 2nd ed. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2004. Print. Koulish, Robert E. Immigration and American Democracy. London: Routledge, 2010. Print. Orrenius, Pia M., and Madeline Zavodny. Beside the Golden Door: U.S. Immigration Reform in a New Era of Globalization. Washington, D.C.: AEI Press, 2010. Print. Pickus, Noah M.J. Immigration and Citizenship in the Twenty-First Century. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2000. Print. Vulliamy, Ed. Amexica: War Along the Borderline. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010. Print. Read More