Immigration Reform There Are Many

Immigration Reform

There are many pros and cons in the question of immigration reform in the United States. Immigration and rigid border controls are a thorny issue in the American culture. As numerous commentators have pointed out, America is a country that was built by immigrants and, in a sense, the ethos and ideals of immigration in America is linked to the spirit of openness and enterprise that is an essential part of the founding spirit of the country. It therefore seems slightly ironic and contradictory that the question of immigration is a subject that divides the American public and which has been the cause of such heated and extensive debate. However, much of the present contention and debate centers on the problem of illegal immigration and the various consequences that this has for the American public.

This paper will provide an overview of the various positive and negative views on immigration and immigration reform. It will also go some way to suggest that based on the research, the issue of immigration reform should be more balanced. The issue of immigration is complex and includes ethical as well as economic and labor related factors. Therefore a sense of balance and proportion is necessary in dealing with an issue of such complexity and sensitivity.

2. An overview of the issues in immigration and immigration reform

Figure 1. The map below shows illegal aliens apprehended in southwest U.S. Border Patrol sector from January to March, 2004, as compared with the same period in 2003.

Source: (http://www.theamericanresistance.com/ref/tidal_wave_of_illegal_immigration.html) central part of the debate on immigration centers on the difference between legal and illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants are the point of contention as it is commonly presumed that these immigrants are those who indulge in illegal activities and are an undesirable element in the society. This point is clearly expressed in the following view.

It's unlikely that legal immigrants to the U.S. will waste their time filling out forms, standing in line and attending their court hearings, only to commit criminal acts or join gangs once they're full-blown American citizens. Illegals, on the other hand, are criminals as soon as they step foot on American soil without signing the guest book, and are much more likely to lead criminal lifestyles as a direct result of their lack of accord for our legal immigration process in the first place.

Illegal immigration undermines American spirit)

This view is also emphasized by the view that American's want legal immigrants, but are not prepared to accept illegal immigrants. "America needs immigrants who want to be here, who want to become Americans, who have enough respect for this country to play by the rules in the first place, and who are proud to put forth the effort and time required to complete the process legally." (Illegal immigration undermines American spirit)

There are numerous examples of surveys that underline this view of internal immigration.

For example, according to a 2004 census it was found that the majority of Carolinians are of the opinion that it should be more difficult for people to immigrate to the United States. (Winston E.)

In this particular survey it was found that about 80% of those who were surveyed said that they "...oppose loosening restrictions for America's newest arrivals." (Winston E.)

On the other hand, the historical impetus of the past also contradicts this view from an ethical and moral point-of-view and there are many who are in favor of a reduction of the restrictions on immigration. This is also shown in surveys by the fact that 60% of Americans are of the opinion that immigrants add quality to and enhance the country. (Winston E.)

There is increasing number of contrasting views on immigration. One view is that often mentioned as a reason for not decreasing immigration controls is that, "Open immigration would destroy important American values." (Isbister, 1996, p.220) This is a view that is based on the fear that open immigration would result in the destruction of values and institutions in the United States. This is more clearly outlined in the following quotation. "The concern is one of absorptive capacity and the assimilative powers of the U.S. A massive influx of foreigners who were unfamiliar with and uncommitted to American political values might use the democratic procedures of the country to destroy the institutions that support those procedures. "(Isbister, 1996, p.220) There is also the related fear that unrestricted immigration would alter and affect American culture. This view is supported by studies which reveal that the current legal and illegal immigration figure is in excess of one million persons per year.

However those in favor of more open immigration mention that the above views have led to racism, bigotry and economic exploitation which are in contradistinction to the spirit and constitution of the country.

Many commentators also point out that the actual process of enforcing strict immigration and border controls is in fact not effective, is often not even properly implemented and does not work in the long run. "In 1986, the Reagan administration took a shot at immigration reform and reinstated penalties on employers. They weren't enforced worth a darn, of course. In 2004, only three American companies were threatened with fines for hiring illegal workers. Doesn't work if you don't enforce it." (Ivins M. 2006)

This is a point that will be elaborated on in the following section of this paper.

Economic and political opportunism has also been cited as a reason to reduce border controls. This is also often related to allegation of cruelty and injustice in the treatment of immigrants. This objection is stated in strong terms by some commentators. "We express then our shock and dismay at the U.S. government's appalling policy of driving immigrants to their death, criminalizing migration, and creating an atmosphere which has led to a rise in vigilante attacks on migrants..." ("Tear Down the Wall": Global Exchange Statement on U.S.-Mexico Border Migration)

3. Economic aspects

Figure 2. Numbers of Unauthorized Foreign-Born in the United States, 1980-2005

Source: (http://www.prb.org/Template.cfm?Section=PRB&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=13774)

As discussed above, the question of immigration has spawned a wide range of opinions and views. These views are often linked to various political ands other interest groups. Some commercial interests see the reduction of immigration restrictions in a favorable light as a cheap and convenient source of labor. This is an aspect that is a particularly worrying as many immigrants are taken advantage of and are overworked and underpaid.

On the other hand there is also the fear that immigrants are depriving Americans of jobs. An argument that is often hears is that industry needs cheap labor and "Immigrants know they're needed, so they will take their chances." (Illegal Hiring Is Rarely Penalized (www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/18/AR2006061800613_3.html")

One recent study notes that "Unauthorized Immigrants Make Up Almost 5% of the U.S. Labor Force." (Martin, Philip, 2006)

The study states that "Demographer Jeff Passel of the Pew Hispanic Center estimates that the number of the unauthorized foreign-born in the United States rose by 400,000 in 2005. Some 850,000 unauthorized foreign-born people entered the United States in 2005, but others left, became legal, or died. "(Martin, Philip, 2006)

Figure 2. Percent of Unauthorized Foreign-Born Workers in the U.S. Labor Force, 2005

Source: (http://www.prb.org/Template.cfm?Section=PRB&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=13774) major area of contention is therefore the cost to country of immigration. This is usually discussed under three main headings which are often interrelated in terms of financial assessments. These are the economic cost in terms of healthcare, education and incarceration. Many studies state categorically that areas of the country are suffering financially as a result of immigration. "In hosting America's largest population of illegal immigrants, California bears a huge cost to provide basic human services for this fast growing, low-income segment of its population." (Longley R. 2004) study by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) which has examined the costs of education, health care and incarceration of illegal aliens, "...concludes that the costs to Californians is $10.5 billion per year." (Longley R. 2004)

The same article goes on to state that the reason for the high number of immigrants to this area of the country is directly related to the desire for 'cheap' labor; but that this is "...posing enormous burdens on the state's shrinking middle class tax base..." (Longley R. 2004)

This situation has also led to the decline in public services.

The effect on education and healthcare and incarceration for Californians has also been noted as being related to illegal immigration.

A similar situation is sketched in many studies from other areas of the country. In New York it is estimated that the illegal alien population is costing the taxpayers in the state "...more than $5.1 billion per year for education, medical care and incarceration."

Costs of Illegal Immigration to New Yorkers) This has resulted costs to the taxpayer. "That annual tax burden amounts to about $874 per New York household headed by a native-born resident. Even if the estimated $730 million in sales, income and property taxes collected from illegal immigrants are subtracted from the fiscal outlays, net costs still amount to more than $4.5 billion per year. "(Costs of Illegal Immigration to New Yorkers)

In most cases, studies show that the central areas of expenditure are related to immigration are education, health care and incarceration resulting from illegal immigration. (Costs of Illegal Immigration to New Yorkers) Education is of particular concern. In New York, more than $4.3 billion annually is spent on education for the children of illegal immigrants. The number of K-12 public school students in New York who are illegal aliens is also high at 11.7%. (Costs of Illegal Immigration to New Yorkers)

Healthcare and expenditure of taxpayer's funds spent on illegal aliens is also a bone of contention. In the case of New York "...unreimbursed medical outlays for health care provided to the state's illegal alien population amount to an estimated $690 million a year." (Costs of Illegal Immigration to New Yorkers)

The cost of incarceration in the case of illegal aliens is also an expense that has to be considered. In New York the 'uncompensated cost' of incarcerating deportable illegal aliens has been estimated at as much at $165 million a year. (Costs of Illegal Immigration to New Yorkers)

This figure refers only to prison costs and does not take into account various other costs relate to detention; such as law enforcement and judicial expenditures.

4. Solutions

One of the more obvious solutions to the problem is stricter control. One of the ways that this can be achieved is through more control of identification information. Stewart Baker, assistant Homeland Security secretary for policy, has said that, "Using that information, the department said it could better target its enforcement of immigration laws."

Feds Want Stiffer Penalties for Firms Hiring Illegal Aliens)

However access to this information has been prevented to a large extent by laws which are in place to protect the privacy of taxpayer information. These legal structures "...prevent the Homeland Security Department from getting some information about employees and employers." (Feds Want Stiffer Penalties for Firms Hiring Illegal Aliens)

There is also a move to dissuade illegal immigration by making it more difficult to obtain work in the United Sates. As Baker states, "until we can persuade people that it's not easy to get a job in the United States just by making up a Social Security number..." (Feds Want Stiffer Penalties for Firms Hiring Illegal Aliens)

One of the areas of dissatisfaction is that laws intended to penalize those who hire illegal labor are often not implemented. In an article entitled Illegal Hiring Is Rarely Penalized by Spencer S. Hsu and Kari Lydersen (2006), the authors state that that while the government has promised to crackdown on the many companies who use illegal migrant labor, this initiative has to all intents and purposes been abandoned. (Hiring Is Rarely Penalized) This is borne out by various statistics. "While In 1999, the United States initiated fines against 417 companies...In 2004, it issued fine notices to three." (Hiring Is Rarely Penalized)