Abstract
During the just concluded presidential elections in America, one of the principal matters in the agenda of either presidential hopeful was the issue of immigration. Debatably, the United States is the country experiencing the highest rates of immigration in the entire world. One of the consequences of having high inflows of foreigners is the fact that some individuals find their way illegally into the United States. As such, the aspect of illegal of immigrants has been described as one of the most serious menaces facing the United States. Typically, immigration is a concept that concerns itself with the movement of people into a region or a country in which they are not recognized as natives. Arguably, the biggest cause of immigration in most countries is globalization. Globalization has made the world a global village. Hence, it is for this reason that the world economies have become so integrated that most regions are considering the possibility of adopting one currency. Other primary causes of immigration include civil wars, poverty, civil strife, political instability as well as economic hardships. The principal effects of immigration include enhanced productivity, cultural exchange, war against poverty, promoting legality as well as enhancing crime rates. This paper endeavors to explain the whole concept of immigration, in light of the causes and effects.
Literature Review
Globalization has made the world a global village. Perhaps, it is for this reason that the world economies have become so integrated that most regions are considering the possibility of adopting one currency. Described as the movement of persons into a country, both legally and illegally, immigration is one of the most common social phenomena in the developed countries (Portes 24). Immigrants move from their regions in a country, which is usually more developed or friendly than their own, for quite a number of reasons. Typically, immigration is a concept that concerns itself with the movement of people into a region or a country in which they are not recognized as natives. Brimelow and Lamb (114) identify poverty as one of the major causes of immigration. Considering that more than 1.2 billion people live below the poverty line, the probability that immigration will take place massively every year is considerably high. According to Orlow (921), it is the dream of every person wallowing in the poverty, which is typical of third world countries to win a green card to the United States. The economic and political superiority of the U.S and such countries as Russia and Australia is a significant allure to people experiencing the troubles of poverty. Other countries that have reported as being high recipients of immigrants include Israel, Canada, the United Kingdom and France. Clearly, all these nations have one thing in common. They are politically superior and have serene conditions with regard to the economic environment.
Armed conflicts are among the key causes of immigration. Essentially, whenever there are refugees, immigration is said to have occurred. This is simply because, for every emigration, there is corresponding immigration. According to Reyneri (112) the immediate effect of armed conflict is emigration, where immigration occurs in the immediate neighboring countries. Typically, during times of war, making travel arrangements to such countries as the United States from such places as Africa is a straightforward impossibility. As such, immigrants do not just move from their countries f nativity to their final destination. They may move through various regions before arriving at their desired destinations (Portes 819b). Armed conflict was the biggest cause of immigration into the United States from South American countries.
Brimelow and Lamb (12) identify political turmoil, instability and tension as principal causes of immigration. According to Brimelow and Lamb, there is a direct relationship between political stability and internal security. In the event that there is political unrest, the citizens are likely to feel insecure. As such, they usually endeavor to move out of the country in the hunt of a serene environment. One of the most common sources of political tension is such a thing as a disputed election result (Orlow 925). This has been the case in quite a number of African and Asian countries. The situation being experienced in Egypt is a perfect example of political turmoil. Such developed economies such as Canada and the United States are associated with democracy, civility and peaceful coexistence. This makes such countries the most preferred choices available to the poor citizens fearing for their lives in the affected nations.
Considering that globalization is inevitable in the modern world, such things as education are as well, causes of immigration. As much as the concept of e-learning is a noble idea, some people still believe in the conventional system of education. As such, they move to countries that are well established as far as education is concerned. Therefore, this has been the explanation behind the elevated number of immigrants in the United States. Reyneri (116) argues that globalization is the cause of the worldwide economic integration that has strengthened such concepts as e-commerce. With the ever-advancing technology, multi-national businesses are becoming exceedingly common in international business arena. This causes immigration in the sense that business people have to travel in order to effect transactions and business duties. For instance, marketing may require that the executives move out of their home countries and try to create new customer bases in the foreign nations (Portes 816b). This way, people permanently relocate to the target nations.
Worth noting is the fact that some forms of immigration include forced immigration. Such immigration is associated with such evils as human trafficking. Human trafficking is typically concerned the illegitimate movement of individuals from their home countries to others with deceptive promises of the good life and decent jobs (Orlow 931). This is a very common phenomenon in South America, South East Asia and some parts of Africa. Such individuals, upon arriving in the foreign lands, experience suffering. In the event that they get the opportunity of escaping from their brutal masters' houses, such people have nowhere to go (Brimelow and Lamb 119). They resolve to live in the streets as people not recognized by the government. This way, they become immigrant – illegal immigrants for that matter.
Worth noting is the fact that immigration, whether legal or illegal, has both benefits and demerits. Among the most significant positive effects of immigration is the fact that such immigrants may be productive in the economy (Orlow 926). They contribute to both the gross domestic product, and revenues of the government, through taxes and other levies. Besides being economically productive, immigrants enhance cultural exchange. Cultural exchange entails the borrowing of ideas on the social life of a community different from that of an individual. Cultural exchange can be associated with such things as religion and changes in the marriage institution (Reyneri 123).
Immigrants pose a serious competition to the local citizens. Worth noting is the fact that immigrants are people from all social classes. In straightforward terms, immigrants include both the learned and the illiterate. Such learned individuals can cause stiff competition in the job market, especially considering the fact that cultural diversity is currently an integral part of institutional life (Portes 801b). It is for this reason that the locals of the United States have continually expressed concern over the number of illegal immigrants operating within the U.S economy. The competition becomes unfair when the immigrants in question are illegitimate. This is majorly because; employers prefer to employ cheap labor. Since illegal immigrants are not registered, they do not pay taxes, as well as other government levies (Reyneri 129). For this reason, they recruit the illegal labor and avoid the legal talent. Other positive effects of immigration include the fact that a country acquires a positive image, helps in fighting poverty as well as reducing criminality.
In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that immigration is as beneficial as it is harmful. The principal effects of immigration include enhanced productivity, cultural exchange, war against poverty, promoting legality as well as enhancing crime rates. The country that regularly receives immigrants stands to gain such things as increased productivity positive image in the international arena, socio-cultural exchange, promoting legality, as well as fighting poverty. The negative aspects of immigration, from the viewpoint of the hosting country include such things as unfair competition as well as some illegal trades like human trafficking and illegal immigration. Human trafficking is both a cause and effect of immigration. Even so, the biggest cause of immigration is globalization. This is because essentially, globalization touches on such aspects as economic, social and cultural aspects. Globalization is responsible for international trade, especially e-commerce and multinational business communities. Similarly, globalization causes such things as economic integration. These enhance free movement of people from one region to another inside the economically integrated regions. This is a common observable fact in the European Union. The fact that the cultural diversity is part of every institutions in the modern world, as well enhances immigration.
Works cited
Portes, Alejandro. The economic sociology of immigration. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2005.
Brimelow, Peter, and Brian Lamb. Alien nation: Common sense about America's immigration disaster. New York: Random House, 2005.
Portes, Alejandro. "Immigration theory for a new century: Some problems and opportunities." International migration review (2007): 799-825.
Orlow, James J. "America's Incoherent Immigration Policy: Some Problems and Solutions." U. Miami L. Rev. 36 (2001): 820-931.
Reyneri, Emilio. "Immigration and the underground economy in new receiving South European countries: manifold negative effects, manifold deep-rooted causes." International Review of Sociology/Revue Internationale de Sociologie 13.1 (2003): 117-143.
