Illegal Immigration in the United States - Research Paper Example

Illegal Immigration Introduction A longitudinal survey of immigration trends in the United s shows that the population of illegal immigrants in the United States remains significantly higher than that of legal immigrants (Levy 56). Despite years of legislations and other practical approaches meant to curb the trend, the country still grapples with a range of safeguards that have proved unworkable over the years. Further, efforts by the United States government to establish legal structures and frameworks of checking against illegal immigrants have always been drawn back by lobbyists who interpret some of the laws as sectional harassment (Levy 162). A most recent example involves the spirited efforts by a section of pressure groups to prevent a bill meant to give more room to law enforcement agents for searching persons suspected to be illegal immigrants. Discussion The usual trend in the United States has been that competing perspectives and opinions between those expressly opposed to structural safeguards and those who advocate for more determined steps of addressing the matter (Bascio and Patrick 122) determine the subject of illegal immigrants. Estimates from various sources place the number of illegal immigrants in the United States between 10 to 12 million (Kenney and Kwao 50). This numbers has kept fluctuating over the years in response to certain forces that derive from social or economic stimuli. Chain migration is one of the most visible aspects of illegal migrations in the U.S. Chain migration occurs where illegal immigrants attract relatives, friends, or associates from their countries of origin to join them once they have settled in the states. Efforts to contain illegal immigration have often been caught up in differences conditioned by political competition, private interests, and lobby pressure (Kenney and Kwao 50). Politically, Democrats and Republicans have often clashed in terms of their interpretation of the subject and their assessment of the kind of approaches that might be necessary in dealing with the matter. Most of the illegal immigrants in the United States are from Latin America. Hispanics comprise a significant number of illegal immigrants in the United States. The influx of illegal immigrants has often been associated with negative impacts with regard to specific impacts on the United States institutions. The healthcare system is one of the institutions that are considered the worst hit by the effects of illegal immigrants. Parties proposing tough approaches on the question of illegal immigrants argue that the groups have imposed significant pressure on the limited healthcare resources. Illegal immigrants are accused of causing significant imbalances between the available healthcare resources and the demand (Ngai 68). As a consequence of this reality, these parties argue that the cost of healthcare has risen due to the gap that is created by the mismatch between supply and demand. It would be important to consider the subject of illegal immigration in light of some of the issues that attend to their impact on the political scale. Hispanic voters are some of the most influential voting blocs in the United States. They comprise some of the significant swing votes in the United States. It is precisely because of this reason that political parties tend to approach the question of illegal immigration with utmost caution. Past trends and analyses have shown a growing preference by immigrant populations to Democrats. Studies have shown that immigrants find the Democrats’ policies more conducive and tolerant to their situations than the Republicans. A survey conducted on the Hispanic voters showed that the Democrats enjoyed nearly two thirds of the Hispanic votes while the Republicans only attracted less than 20 percent of the vote (Ngai 68). These results indicate that the voting process among the groups is highly determined by matters of convenience. The immigrant groups have tended to show a determined support to policies and discourses that seek to ameliorate their predicaments and improve the general living standards of all without respect to their status. Opponents of the Arizona bill, which sought to give state authorities power to be more vigilant on illegal immigrants, argued that effecting certain provisions of the bill would amount to racial profiling. It is normal practice for law enforcers to use physiological factors while identifying or trying to place the identities of illegal immigrants within the United States. Such laws, according to proponents of civil liberties would return the country back to the ideals of racial segregation. In many cases, illegal immigrants are usually identified through processes and structures that are similar to standard criminal procedure methods. The Arizona bill, which has pitted Democrats against Republicans sought to elevate the illegal immigration to the level of crime. This, according to proponents would serve as an appropriate deterrent measure, which would bring down the statistics of illegal immigrants in the United States. According to democrats, such methods are reactionary and fail to address the structural challenges and origins of the problem of illegal immigration in the country. In the past, democrats have suggested the use of incentives and strategic cooperation with countries of origin as some of the ways that might be relied upon to check against the challenge of illegal immigrants in the United States. According to them, this approach would address the problem from the route rather than the piecemeal processes that fail to attend to structural factors behind the problem. Forces advocating for direct action on illegal immigration argue that the increasing trends are to blame for the rise of criminal activities such as homicides, drug trafficking, and other ills that afflict the American society (Kenney and Kwao 159). Past studies of the rise of homicide cases in some states such as Florida, California, and Arizona have indicated that most cases of homicide and domestic crime are related to illegal immigrants (Kenney and Kwao 144). One of the explanations offered to reinforce this statistics is that many illegal immigrants have lower levels of education and may easily turn to criminal conduct when compelled by socio-economic pressure. Other scholars have sought to explain the trend in terms of the stress that affects individuals subjected in unfamiliar environments without the means of self-sustenance. The question of illegal immigrants has also been contributed by external forces that determine the trends. In recent times, studies have shown that the number of illegal Immigrants from Mexico has been on the steady decline. In fact, the studies have shown that more Mexicans are leaving the country than entering it (Kenney and Kwao 93). One reason that has been given to explain this trend is economic recession. Illegal immigrants have been hardest hit by the recession in the sense that they cannot easily secure employment opportunities to sustain their stay in the United States. This has necessitated their migration back to Mexico or other places that could be more conducive for their survival. The reverse trend of migration reinforces one of the widely held views by elements from Democrats side of the political divide regarding the structural causes of illegal immigration. According to these elements, illegal immigrants are only compelled to cross over to the United States due to socio-economic hardships back at home. According to those who hold onto this opinion, the trends would be different if conditions in their countries of origin improved or if the conditions in the United States deteriorated. One of the issues that have affected the movement of immigrants to different places in the United States has to do with the dynamics of party politics. By nature, Republicans have supported policies that advocate for stringent control of immigration within the states (LeMay 140). In the recent past, Republicans have contested laws that seemed to offer some tolerance to immigrants whether legal or illegal. The task of establishing closer connections between Republicans and Hispanics has often proved problematic and challenging. Analysts have pointed to the fact that the cultural aspects of most Hispanic immigrants tie well within the superstructure of the ideals of Democrats. Therefore, the support that immigrants offer to the Democrats would seem to be conditioned by natural factors. It might be appropriate to explore the differences within the positions adopted by Republicans and Democrats in light of the future scenario of the illegal immigrant situation. According to analysts of immigration trends in the United States, there is a growing possibility that many of the illegal immigrants in the United States would find reasons to return to their countries of origin due to tough policies that seem to favour Native Americans over immigrants (LeMay 46). As economic conditions continue to decline, there is a possibility of many of the illegal immigrants to return to their places of origin. One of the reasons behind such trends would be the loss of temporary jobs, tough employment policies and a rise in the standards of living. Future adverse legislations may also cause a significant decline in the numbers of illegal immigrants in the United States. However, the most significant factors that will shape the trends of illegal immigration in the United States remain the pressure from both the protagonists and the antagonists of the trends. One of the arguments often relied upon by the antagonists is the matter of anchor children. This is a term that is usually used while referring to the children born of illegal immigrants in the United States. According to the United States laws, such children automatically become citizens of the United States by birth. According to opinions affiliated within the Republican Party, these anchor children would adversely affect the balancing of United States resources and contribute significantly to a decline in social and economic development. Studies have established that children born of illegal immigrants tend to perform poorly in school as compared to other children (LeMay 77). Immigrant families usually show a higher level of fragmentation as compared to native families. Children born within such fragmented families are more susceptible to social and environmental stressors than those born in normal families are. This stress usually affects their learning processes thus leading to poor performance and higher levels of drop out. Furthermore, studies have indicated that many of these children cannot afford to proceed to college education because their parents cannot easily afford the costs involved. Naturally, such realities translate into poor livelihoods. Conclusion Solving the problem of illegal immigrants would necessarily require the cooperation of the United States job-market. Both Republicans and Democrats appear to agree on the fact that some trading practices and economic realities have encouraged the movement of people from their countries of origin into the United States. According to those inclined on this argument, some employers prefer engaging the services of illegal immigrants because they are cheaper than Native Americans are. Illegal immigrants have a lower bargaining power and have often settled for ignoble ventures and poor remunerations for the purpose of basic survival (LeMay 77). Employers intending to lower the cost of labour have opted to work with illegal immigrants as one of the best alternatives. In their defence of radical policies against illegal immigrants, some forces within the rank of Republicans argue that their position is partly informed by the need to uphold human dignity. They argue that the desperate position of the illegal immigrants exposes them to ill-treatment and general abuse (LeMay 77). One of the reasons is that such people would not easily seek legal redress in case of mistreatment. The same opinion also attaches the threat of human trafficking within the debate. Underworld organizations have tended to exploit the presumed tolerance on illegal immigrants to engage in acts of human trafficking within the United States. Those advocating for stringent measures to curb illegal immigration in the United States argue that an influx in the numbers of these groups would in turn translate into a decline of human development index (LeMay 77). There would also be a drag on the economy due to the inability of a large section of the population to afford the better livelihoods. Without insurance cover, and other social benefits, these groups would in turn burden the entire economy with the possibilities of the ripple effects reaching other sensitive areas of the American society. Indisputably, the challenge of illegal immigrants would require long, all-inclusive, and strategic approaches by multiple sectors of the American society. Works Cited Bascio, Patrick, J., and Patrick Bascio. On The Immorality of Illegal Immigration. New York: AuthorHouse, 2009. Print. Kenney, Karen and Kwao Amegashie. Illegal Immigration. New York: ABDO, 2007. LeMay, Michael, C. Illegal Immigration: A Reference Handbook. New York: ABC-CLIO, 2007. Print. Levy, Janey. Illegal Immigration and Amnesty: Open Borders and National Security. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2010. Print. Ngai, Mae, M. Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America. New York: Princeton University Press, 2003. Print Read More