Implementing Compassionate Immigration Reform

In 1870, the United States had a population of about 39 million people with virtually no immigration laws in place (U.S. historic population, 2017). In fact, it was not until several individual states began passing various types of immigration laws after the Civil War that the federal government enacted any limitations on immigration to the United States at all (Early American immigration policies, 2017). Although the situation in America is far different today, these early immigration policies were based on the same exclusionary issues that they are today. For instance, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Alien Contract Labor laws of 1885 and 1887 were intended to prevent workers from specified countries from entering the country (Early American immigration policies, 2017). In other words, over the past century and a half or so, foreigners have increasingly been regarded as some type of political, economic or social threats to Americans that demand intervention by the U.S. government, a trend that has assumed even greater relevance and importance in the post-September 11, 2001 environment.

Should the United States follow the path outlined by President Donald Trump and simply build a wall between America and Mexico? If the U.S.-Mexico wall is a good idea, why stop there? After all, the United States and Canada share the longest unprotected border in the world and terrorists can slip through this highly porous border easily enough if they have the motivation to do so. A U.S.-Canada wall would not be the final solution, of course, since this still leaves two enormous coasts that are highly vulnerable to illegal immigration. In other words, merely building more and higher barriers along the nation’s borders is not the answer to illegal immigration.

In the business world, it is axiomatic that in order to better understand a complicated situation, it is important to “follow the money.” Applied to illegal immigration, it is reasonable to suggest that the overwhelming majority of those who seek to enter the country illegally do so for better economic opportunities compared to their countries of origin (Bender, 2010). This aspect of “follow the money” is straightforward enough and likely serves to explain the rationale behind most illegal immigrants taking their lives in their hands to reach the “city on the hill.” This type of analysis suggests that to the extent that economic conditions in other countries are improved will likely be the extent to which the flow of illegal immigrations to the United States will be slowed. The “follow the money” formula, however, does not provide a viable explanation for foreigners who want to come to the United States to harm its citizens such as the case with the 19 Middle Eastern citizens who perpetrated the World Trade Center attacks.

Regardless of their motivations for doing so, it is clearly in the nation’s best interest to enact immigration laws that achieve the dual goal of allowing those foreigners who can contribute to American society in while keeping out those who cannot as well as those who want to commit acts of terrorism. The skills-based Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Act merit system that is currently being considered to evaluate foreigners seeking entry into the United States similar to the practices is a step in the right direction (Kopan, 2017). The RAISE Act would assign higher levels of preference for potential immigrants who can speak English, who have the economic means to support themselves, and the education and experience to contribute to the American economy. Likewise, the initiatives that have been implemented by the Department of Homeland Security to identify potential terrorist threats is an important addition to the immigration law mix. .


References
Bender, S. W. (2010, November). Compassionate immigration reform. Fordham Urban Law Journal, 38(1), 107-111.
Early American immigration policies. (2017). U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Retrieved from https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/agency-history/early-american-immigration-policies.
Kopan, T. (2017, August 2). How to earn 'points' to come to the US under Trump's immigration plan. CNN Politics. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/02/politics/cotton-perdue-trump-bill-point-system-merit-based/index.html.
U.S. population. (2017). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/ history/www/through_the_decades/fast_facts/1870_fast_facts.html.