The United States of America is a well-established country that has become the world’s most powerful economy due to the growth it has had in its industrial sectors. It is due to this reputation and the different employment opportunities that are in the US that has driven many foreigners to the point of desperations since they would do anything to acquire legal documents that would allow them to live and work in the United States. Individuals who are not born in the U.S but live and work in the country are referred to as immigrants. The United States has come to accommodate large numbers of immigrants in their country. However, there exists different kind of immigrants in the country. There are the illegal and legal migrants. The legal migrants have the right documentation that gives them a permit to live and work in the country. On the other hand, there are illegal immigrants who are also referred to as ‘Aliens’ who are undocumented. They are undocumented since their stay in the United States is not legal due to various reasons. Despite the existence and the documentation of some immigrants, there are Americans who are not in support of the decision that makes it possible for immigrants to settle in the U.S. This is because they see immigrants as negative to their livelihood. This is from the aspect that they come to compete for the same limited employment opportunities that should be made available for only the United States citizens.
It is evident that the immigrants have come to take up opportunities that the Americans might have looked down upon. Such opportunities may include cleaning job that Americans might fail to take up due to the nature of the work. Immigrants, on the other hand, are not choosy regarding the employment opportunities that they may acquire. According to Roberto, a Mexican undocumented worker , “a Mexican comes here to work whether he can find an opportunity A Mexican takes risks unlike an American who may not do the kind of job that seems dangerous or difficult” (Gomberg-Munzo 6). Different people hold various opinions when it comes to talking about illegal immigration. This is in consideration to the reason why these immigrants often seek refuge and employment in the United States. It is important to consider that these immigrants are families that may be running away from the corruption in their countries in order to gain rights and work hard to improve themselves and their families despite the challenges that they me encounter.
There exists different forces that have contributed to the high rate of immigration that is being witnessed are quite diverse. One of the major aspects that are contributing to the immigration is corruption. Most developing nations are known to be very corrupt. It is through the corruption that there is little interest in the development since developments cannot be made possible in corrupt countries. One of the main factors that may be contributing to the corruption in their countries is the need by their government to exercise power at the expense of development. This evident through certain leaders who want to control everything that is under them. It is through this that the corruption is sponsored. It is through this that many families have made it their obligation to ensure that they flee such countries to secure a better future for the families and guarantee their children’s security. The impact that poverty has had in these countries is also quite devastating, the need to go to foreign countries such as the U.S is quite motivating to them since they see better opportunities that would ensure that they can look after their loved ones in a country with a better economy. Violence is also a factor that is seen to have a significant influence on immigration. An effort to seek refuge in the U.S is due to its democratic nature and high rate of security. Through the kind of country that the U.S has become, it would be ridiculous to try and compare the high security in the country to a third world country. The problems that the third world countries encounter every day are evident through the numerous reports that are made daily regarding the difficult situations in these countries. It is only recently that Honduras and El Salvador was named among the most dangerous countries to live in. This is due to high nature of violence and other injustices that take place in these countries. People from these countries who have fled to other countries are a living testimony who can give an account of the violence and other injustices that are evident in their country. There are also immigrants who try to get documentation into the U.S to reunite with their families. This is because; the U.S has become a home to individuals from different walks of life. Some immigrants have taken up residence in the U.S for decades, therefore, when some of the immigrants become stable, they would like to unite with their families through trying to get them documentation that would enable them to stay and work in the country. Through this, it is evident that poverty and violence are among the primary reasons that contribute to the immigration. Many individuals and families, moving to the United States of America signifies a better way of life to them. The immigration has also to be beneficial to a number of entrepreneurs, “It has often been claimed in the immigration debate that firms employing undocumented workers have an advantage over their competitors” (Brown, Julie and Myriam 158).
The Unites States needs to consider these reasons since they are quite genuine; it is through these considerations that the immigrants would be offered the opportunity to seek employment legally in the country. Based on these perspectives, it is also important to ensure that the reasons for immigrations are well evaluated, and a follow-up conducted to make sure that the reasons for migration are genuine. This would be efficient in preventing the entry of immigrant who might have bad motives. It has been proven that immigrants are very resourceful and hard working if offered working opportunities. This following their passion for making sure that they acquire a life that is more appealing compared to the one in their homeland. Immigrants are also seen not to be choosy about the kind of jobs that they take up (Brown, Julie and Myriam 157). This is because they aim at utilizing every opportunity that they encounter and make the best out of it. It is only recently that Barack Obama, put himself in a situation similar to the five million immigrants that are in the U.S. It is through acknowledging the challenges that these illegal immigrants endure that he decided to take executive action. The action that he took was aimed at being beneficial to the illegal immigrants. According to the president, his executive action will help in dividing the criminals from the immigrants that are benefiting and themselves beneficial to the country. The president points out that, “felons, not families. Criminals, but not children. Gang members and not a mom who is working hard to provide for her kids. We will prioritize, just like enforcement does every day” (Meckler, McCain and Eric). Through facilitating the legal stay of all genuine immigrants, the president hope that all the immigrants who have lived in the country for more than five years will get out of the shadows that they have been hiding.
It is evident that immigrants have had a positive impact in the growth of the economy. The need for legalization is due to the positive impacts that may arise out of these situations. The positive impacts have been as follows:
The previous attempts to try and turn illegal immigrants into being American citizens was quite beneficial to the country while still putting an end to the illegal immigration crisis that was being witnessed. The last time illegal immigrants were granted legalization in the year 1986, there was a rise in income to the individuals who took full advantage of this opportunity. The children of these families became more proficient in English and completed more years in school. This resulted to them being productive since they could take up better working opportunities since their stay had been made legal. This move also resulted to the government collecting more taxes since all the immigrants were now working legally in the country (porter 4).
Through the argument presented it is quite evident that the U.S would be affected by legalization of the immigrants in a minor way. This is because the immigrants would be motivated into working harder since they have been given an equal opportunity to live like other American citizens who are making it in life. Through this, they can ensure that they secure the dream that they had hoped for while they migrated to the U.S. Through documentation, there would be higher taxes and improved living standards since employers take advantage of illegal immigrants since they are a source of cheap labor. This is because it is clear that they are in no position to ask for proper payment yet they are illegally in the country. Therefore, the legalization of the immigrants will have a significant impact on the immigrants and the country’s economy. SEIU acknowledges the need of welcoming the hardworking taxpaying immigrants by allowing them to present themselves and pursue a course towards citizenship (ProCon.org). It has also been established the U.S has a lot of employment gaps that the immigrants would help fill. These opportunities include; agricultural farms and restaurants that may require their labor. Through proper analysis, it is evident that the majority of the workers that are found in agricultural farms and other industries that do not require professionalism are illegal immigrants. Research states that almost half of the agricultural workers found in the United States are illegal immigrants. It is has however been unclear whether the high level of occupancy that the immigrants have recorded in these sectors is due to the Native Americans inability to take up employment in these sectors or have actually been displaced by the immigrants. However, there are studies which confirm that immigrants have little effects on wages and the employments of workers born in the United States.
Further studies indicate that there exists no competition among immigrants and Native Americans who have acquired more education compared to the immigrants. This is because the government acknowledges that there is a need to ensure that the American citizens are given the first priority when it comes to employment opportunities despite the recognition of the diversity aspect. This is done to ensure that Americans are comfortable and confident in their country. It would also be unethical if all employment opportunities were allocated to the immigrants. Competition should only be permitted in instance where there are enough employment opportunities. It would have been unreasonable if the government would have granted immigrants documentation yet there are no enough employment opportunities for the citizens themselves (ProCon.org).
It is evident that there are some firms that enjoy monopsony power in the employment of undocumented workers. This indicates that firms that have undocumented workers usually have a significant cost effective advantage. Through this, it is clear to explain the reason behind the competition that different firms have put in trying to employ undocumented workers. This is because d undocumented workers are living illegally in the country. Through this, they underpay them since they are sure that this injustice will not be reported for the fear of being deported back to their country. The employers are also sure that the immigrants cannot turn down the work opportunities that they are offered since they are not in a position to legally seek any form of employment in the country. This is what leads to the injustices that are being done to the illegal immigrants. Giving all the immigrants would give them an opportunity to acquire a better life that they wanted while coming to the U.S. “Mr. Obama’s plan contained only minor benefits for businesses that crave more visas for foreign workers But White House officials said they opted against a plan, favored by high-tech companies' to make visas available from those unused in prior years, after concluding they couldn't justify it legally” (Meckler, McCain and Eric 2). This is unlike the life they are forced to adapt to evade the authority that results to them being underpaid and taken advantage of making them live a miserable life. The advantages of the legalization of the country’s economy have also been evaluated and proven to be quite positive.
Evidently, most of immigrants are in the United States to look for a better life. This is through the numerous employment opportunities available. The immigrants have also been highlighted to be in search of a democratic society in which people’s rights are valued, and a fair life is guaranteed compared to their country of origin. It has been identified that the immigrants flee their country due to the numerous injustice that exist in their homeland. Through the trouble that the immigrants go through to make entry and try to make a living clearly illustrates their genuineness in trying to acquire a better life through honest means. It would, therefore, be an injustice to continue condemning immigrant and letting them live in shadows. The documentation of all immigrants in the past was quite successful following the growth of the economy. This is due to the significance such employment will have in raising the revenue through taxes since there will be increased wages. These illegal immigrants are not taxed due to their unknown existence in the country. It has also been proved that immigrants will become very productive if given legal documentation.
Work Cited
Brown, J. David, Julie L. Hotchkiss, and Myriam Quispe-Agnoli. "Does Employing Undocumented Workers Give Firms a Competitive Advantage?" Journal of Regional Science 53.1 (2013): 158-170. Academic Search Premier. Web.29 Oct.2014.Gomberg-Munoz, Ruth. Labor and Legality: An Ethnography of a Mexican Immigrant Network. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. Print.
Meckler, Laura, McCain N. Collen and Eric Morath. "Obama to Protect 4 Million-Plus Immigrants from Deportation." Wall Street Journal 2l Nov. 2014, late ed.: n.p. National Newspaper Core. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
Porter, Eduardo. "Immigration Reform Issue: The Effect on the Budget." New York Times 16 Feb. 2013, late ed. (East Coast): B.1 National Newspapers Core. Web. 29 Oct.2014.
ProCon.org. "Is the Legalization of Immigrants in the Country Illegally Good Solution to Illegal Immigrationin America." T Sept. 2010. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
