Illegal Immigration: The Border Has Been Crossed
Illegal immigration is not only a growing trend in the United States of America but it is also a frequently discussed and debated topic through news sources, social media and through political campaigns. There are both sides of the debate, one which does not see the illegal immigration as being a downfall to the country and one that does. There are always different beliefs when it comes to any easily debated topic, and this is no different. Illegal immigration is a growing issue in the United States of America and it will most likely continue to grow, unless proper policies and restrictions are put into place. This paper aims to focus on the past growth of illegal immigration and also focuses on the fact that the United States of America is in a situation where the trend will continue to be on an upswing.
Illegal immigration has been a hot topic throughout the history of the United States of America. Immigration in general has been happening since the world has existed. People have went from their home country live in another all throughout time and that is no different than today. According to a New York Times article, “Nearly 190 million people, about three percent of the world’s population, lived outside their country of birth in 2005” (New York Times). Nearly three percent of the earth’s population lived elsewhere besides their home country, that is a significant amount when you look at the amount of people that live on this planet. If this is the case then why is there such a growing debate when it comes to the discussion of illegal immigration into the United States of America, or to be more defined, why is it even discussed as being “illegal”. It is important to first understand the concept of illegal immigration before delving into the particulars when it comes to laws and political opinions.
Illegal Immigration is defined in the Legal Dictionary as “an alien (non-citizen) who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination of a visa” (Legal Dictionary). Basically, in a nutshell, an illegal immigrant is someone who is here without permission from the United States government. By looking strictly at the definition it appears as if the lines between what is right and wrong would be pretty obvious, but this is not the case. Some people are known to flee Mexico in an attempt for a better life in America, as America is their partner’s to the North connected by land and divided by a border patrolled on both sides. The people who say they are fleeing are those that are in search for a better life and are under the belief that America will provide it to them. There always comes the question as to why people who are looking to live in America do not just become legal citizens under the United States. The answer is that it is not as easy as some people may believe.
When someone is looking to become a United States Citizen they are required to meet certain criteria in order to do so. Without meeting this criteria then they are forced to leave or stay in America with a temporary Visa provided by the United States Government, but once that Visa expires, then the immigrant is expected to leave. There are actually ten steps required to becoming a United States citizen according to the official government immigration website:
1. Determine if you are already a US citizen
2. Determine if you are eligible to become a US citizen.
3. Prepare your form N-400, application for naturalization.
4. Submit your form N-400, application for naturalization.
5. Go to your biometrics appointment, if applicable.
6. Complete the interview.
7. Receive a decision from the USCIS on your form N-400, application for naturalization.
8. Receive a notice to take the Oath of Allegiance.
9. Take the Oath of Allegiance to the United States.
10. Understanding US citizenship (USCIS.gov).
Becoming a United States citizen is not as easy as many people believe, especially those that were already born in American and did not have to go through the process. Many people truly do not understand the length of time it takes to complete the process, let alone the time out of work and the dedication of the individual and their family.
The amount of illegal immigrants is a statistic that is obviously hard to measure, although the government and other agencies still attempt to do so. The reason it is so hard to measure is because the people that they are trying to account for are not officially on the books, therefore they are not easy to track and count. The Center for Immigration study discusses the amount of illegal immigrants and also how many of them started as legal United States visitors, but then became illegal once their Visas expired, “Nearly half of the 12 million-plus illegal aliens in America arrived legally with temporary, non-immigrant visas. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that a substantial percentage of America’s illegal population is made up of visa overstays - their estimates range from 27 to 57 percent” (Seminara). The amount of people that are here illegally obviously surpasses twelve million according to this study and quotation. Amongst these illegal immigrants a majority of them are people who overstayed their visas.
With illegal immigrants reaching numbers over twelve million it is obvious as to why this may be a debated topic often amongst Americans. Some people strongly believe that everyone in America should have to go through the ten steps in order to become an American no matter what. Others believe that if illegal immigration is not directly hurting them then why should they really make a scene and cause an uproar about people trying to better their lives. Throughout social media, if you take only fifteen minutes to scroll through, you will see various opinions about illegal immigration and people’s opinions on how the government is handling the issue. There are always two sides to every story, but with the numbers presented above it is obvious why the topic of illegal immigration is even a story at all. Twelve million people are in this country illegally and that is a big percentage of people to ignore and not discuss. So there has been many discussions about illegal immigration, on both sides of the opinion.
There has not only been a growing trend in the discussion of illegal immigration, but a growing trend of illegal immigration itself throughout the past few years in the United States of America. Observe the chart below (Figure 1) which shows the trend of illegal immigrants.
This chart, which was found in the Washington Post, shows that over the past twenty years there has been an increase in illegal immigration. The article as to which this chart was found discusses that there has been a small decline in illegal immigration in the past few years but that it may be on the incline again, “It is hard to know if this uptick in illegal immigration will continue. A Council on Foreign Relations report recently estimated that the post-2007 drop was partly due to better security but mainly due to the bad economy” (Plumer). The article then discusses that the economy is now healing and this may cause the illegal immigration numbers to rise again, “That suggests that immigration will likely tick up again as the U.S. economy heals” (Plumer). Apparently there is a connect between illegal immigration and the United States economy, which will further be discussed.
The influence that the economy has on illegal immigration should not be a surprising one. People come to America illegally, as discussed before, because they want to make a better life for themselves and for their families. People in Mexico leave Mexico because they see opportunity and advantages America presents them that they do not believe they can obtain and achieve in their own country. If the job market is poor in America and they believe that they will not be able to maintain a lifestyle of living that they can in their current country than many people will probably not choose to take the risk of illegally entering America. There are obvious repercussions if someone is caught entering the country or staying in the country illegally. These repercussions will be discussed furthermore so that there can be a better understanding as to why the economy of the United States has a great effect on those who are willing to take the risk of entering America and staying in the country illegally.
There is a law that discusses the repercussions of entering, or attempting to enter the country without being permitted to do so, or by being an illegal immigrant, Section 1325 states the following:
Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both (US Code - Section 1325: Improper entry by alien).
The law is pretty clear about what happens if someone is caught entering or staying in the United States of America illegally. It is stated that people will be at the very least fined for the decision they made to be an illegal immigrant, and sometimes they will even face up to six months in prison for their first illegal decision. After that, if they try again and are caught again, they will be fined and/or spend another two year sentence in an American prison. This could be considered a strong deterant for people attempting to enter and stay in the United States of America illegally as people are usually coming to America for a better life for themselves and for their family. It is difficult to provide for your family and strive for the life that you came to America to live if you are either paying multiple amounts of fines or you are spending lengthy stays in prison before being asked to leave the country. These are not the only things that keep people from entering the United States illegally, there are other factors that come into someone’s mind, such as the danger of simply crossing the border between Mexico and the United States of America.
When going from the United States to Mexico, or vice-versa, there is what is known as a checkpoint. At the checkpoint it is imperative that the person has proper identification in order to cross the border and get into their desired country. A lot of times people need to have a passport in order to go across the border. After reaching the front of the line, the border patrol will take passports for all in the vehicle that wish to cross the border and determine whether or not further investigation needs to be performed in regards to either the occupants of the vehicle or the vehicle itself. If there is suspicion the driver of the vehicle is asked to pull off to the side to allow for further inspection.
Once the vehicle is pulled to the side usually there is a lengthy process to make sure all checks out before they are allowed to proceed. There are numerous police officers that check the vehicle for contraband such as drugs, alcohol, and anything else that is not allowed to be brought from one country to another. While the car is being searched the occupants would usually be interviewed. During these interviews the border patrol would usually attempt to find the real reason and purpose of the occupant’s trip across the border to the new country. People do not always follow the proper protocol when it comes to crossing the border and they realize that they may not have the proper documentation to do so, so they try other means that are extremely unique, but equally as terrifying.
There are numerous accounts where people try to “jump the fence” at the border and simply make a run for it. A lot of these times people are usually apprehended before they could get very far by border patrol which is lined up all across the Mexican and American border. There are also many unique and unusual ways people have attempted to get into the United States of America. People have done things such as dress like a car seat and sit as still as possible when they come towards the border so that border patrol does not think a person is there. Another way is people hiding in the trunk, or even more dangerously, hide in the engine compartment. Below there is a picture that shows people actually underneath the mats of the car attempting to enter the United States of America.
The numerous dangerous ways that people try to cross the border shows how hard people will try to enter a country that they believe can be a better place and provide for a better future for themselves and for their families.
This paper has identified that illegal immigration is a huge issue in the United States of America. Not only is it a huge issue, it is one that is discussed on end by not only the citizens of the United States but also by politicians and the government as a whole. Illegal immigration has shown a huge increase over the past twenty years and it is believed that it will show an upward trend again now that the economy is getting better and the United States of America is becoming a more desirable place to live. People understand the consequences and the possible penalties they will face if they try to cross the border illegally and stay here illegally but they are not hesitant to go to the extreme to make a better life for themselves and their families.
Works Cited
“8 U.S.C. & 1325: US Code - Section 1325: Improper Entry by Alien”. N.p., n.d. Web.
“Apply for Citizenship." Apply for Citizenship. USCIS, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.
“Illegal Immigration." TheFreeDictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.
"Immigration and Emigration." Immigration. New York Times, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.
Mene, Reid. "12 Unusual and Inventive Ways Immigrants Have Tried to Cross the US Border." IJReview. N.p., 25 Dec. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
Plumer, Brad. "Illegal Immigration May Be Rising Again - after Years of Decline." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
Seminara, David. "Illegal Immigration | Center for Immigration Studies." Illegal Immigration | Center for Immigration Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
