Illegal Immigrant Issue Is Age

Illegal immigrant issue is age old in the United States, and just about that recent are the futile attempts to improve the situation on the matter. As we speak, some 4% of the United States' population consists of illegal aliens and President Bush's guest-worker program doesn't seem to be a solution either to the Republicans or the Democrats on the venture. The House Republicans and the Democrats have been arguing for almost a year whether illegal immigration should be made a felony on the U.S. territory; at the moment it is only considered a misdemeanor but neither of the parts is satisfied with the situation. The Republicans are strongly against the guest-worker program as they consider it to be rewarding illegal immigrants, while the Democrats insist it is a good start but not enough measure, because it is only to bring a temporary solution to the 11 million immigrants.

The majority of Democrats and Liberals are altogether against initiating a law that would make illegal immigration a felony. They state it is a violation of human rights and sustain President Bush's guest-worker program (which has been hindered for over four years due to frequent misunderstandings between the members of the Parliament), even if they consider it to be a mere delay of deportation. Bush's proposal consists in allowing illegal aliens to legally work in the U.S.A., but only temporary, for a period of 6 years in which they could apply for citizenship. Immigrant-rights advocates and most of the Democrats claim the 12 million illegal inhabitants of the United States provide manpower for jobs the American citizens won't take, and along with the guest-worker program they will begin paying taxes which will help boost the economy. They demand more rights for illegal immigrants, such as public assistance: economic and medical benefits, education for the undocumented etc. At the same time, they claim that the United States constantly has too many deportable aliens in custody, which it cannot afford to send home in due time. Many of these aliens are released back on the streets after a period of 90 days.

The Republicans are still trying to pass the bill that will allow illegal immigration to be considered a felony. The law as it is at the moment states that people who enter the country without permission are guilty of criminal misdemeanor, yet people who do it legally and the overstay their visas are guilty of civil violation. The Republicans consider that both cases are the same, and demand equal treatment. They also point the necessity of ensuring the borders against the waves of illegal immigrants that have invaded the country, despite the aliens' complaint that the Promised Land was founded on immigrants. Going easy on aliens by letting them go on bail instead of deporting them, along with an unsecured border constantly encourage others to trespass the territory, say the Republicans. Furthermore, they complain about immigrants being educated in public schools that taxpayers financially support. In 1996, it was estimated that the state was spending $2 billion per year to school 380,000 illegal immigrant children, and American citizens cannot afford to educate illegal aliens' children.

As more and more illegal immigrants cross the borders of the United States it is clear that a revamp of existing laws is needed. The Democrats might support the guest-worker program, but it is only beause they are cheap manpower to corporations. Illegal aliens do not pay taxes but loopholes allow them to get benefits on taxpayers' expense. Besides, the Republicans might have started the immigration reform, but it was the House Democrats that allowed a provision in the bill passed in December 2005. House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner tried to pass an amendment that would reduce illegal immigration to a misdemeanor, but although two thirds of the House Republicans sustained him, the amendment was defeated. 191 of the 254 votes against it came from Democrats.

As we speak, sanctuary laws ban police officers from initiating police action where the objective is to discover the alien status of a person" (LAPD Policy, 1979). They may not inform the ICE (formerly INS) about an undocumented immigrant" detained for minor violations. The police may only accost a deportee if the latter has given them another reason except for the immigration felony (such as an observed narcotics sale or murder), or if the alien has already been booked for several misdemeanors. Under these circumstances, 95% of all outstanding warrants for homicide in Los Angeles target illegal immigants; about 70% of the 17,000 fugitive felony warrants are for undocumented immigrants." About 60% of the members of the bloody 18th Street Gang in southern California and just about the same of Mafia-related Columbia Lil' Cycos gang are illegal aliens. If the law remains as it is and illegal immigrants fall under the charge of misdemeanor, there will be a constant increase of costs of prosecuting illegal aliens. The law might have run the immigrants but their number is now running the law. Something must be done, since felony provisions in current law are applied to other classes of people such as smugglers and people who help border jumpers. The law should pass the bill to make illegal immigration a felony. It would make it not only illegal for undocumented aliens to remain in the country, but it would also make it a criminal act to assist them. Charging illegal aliens with felony would have a benefic effect on the American citizens, as they will not be obliged to financially support a hand of criminals and their offspring, they would be able to walk the streets safely and they would be granted the jobs they are entitled to. The United States might be the Promised Land, but its citizens are entitled to just as many human rights as the illegal aliens.