The debate over unauthorized immigration rages in America for reasons of economics, sociology, politics, morality, and more. The United States is a country with a reputation for providing refuge for victims of persecution and economic hardship. The protection of people requiring humanitarian protection has been a critical component of the immigration policy of America. Considered the “land of opportunity”, access to employment, higher standards of living, political asylum, free education and health benefits, and many other factors encourage immigration to the United States. The detriments and benefits of illegal immigration is difficult to document due to an inability to accurately access the numbers of people in the country in this category. Controversy wages over the impact of unauthorized immigration on the economy of the United States, although ultimately a public policy that integrates the population into American culture would be most productive.
Although alarmists initially addressed the unauthorized immigration of Asian populations, the primary ethnic group involved in the discussions concerning illegal immigration today is Hispanic individuals and groups crossing the southern borders of the United States from Mexico. It is estimated that there were 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants living in America in 2014 with approximately 49 percent of Hispanic race (Krogstad & Passel, 2015). They are able to do so through the efforts of people from both sides of the border who arrange to smuggle them into the country, supplying them with false documentation, and other necessary processes including employers who give them jobs that pay them lower wages without taxation (Trichenor, 2015). While some illegal immigrants cross down from the Canadian border using that country as a port of entry, the bulk of low-skilled workers coming into America do so from Mexico.
While there have been some allegations of criminals and terrorists associated with Islamic groups imbedded in drug cartels coming into the country without detection, the primary concern of the American public focuses on the effect of illegal immigration on the economy. The arguments promoting tighter restraints on “illegal aliens” state that they take jobs from Americans without contributing to the revenues of the state and country by paying taxes. On the other hand, it is argued that immigrants fill positions the host population does not want to perform. This is contested by statistics that show the area of low-skilled labor is the highest for unemployment, demonstrating the availability of legal workers (BLS.gov, 2016). As unauthorized immigrants are willing to work for lower wages in poorer working conditions, they artificially suppress the market for workers who want a higher income (Briggs, 1984). They also have the ability to use public benefits for low-income families such as health care and education. The demand for laborers with minimal skills prompts employers using illegal immigrants, paying wages in cash to avoid the need for legal documentation. In truth, this practice has revitalized some communities, promoting economic growth (Hipsman & Meissner, 2013). The American economy has been significantly impacted by the influx of illegal immigrants and a full analysis is still not available due to lack of reliable statistics.
Chiswick (1988) presents the argument that the skill level of illegal aliens is the primary impact on the American economy. Hispanic immigrants have a high proportion of workers without experience, education, or the ability to speak English. The working population of the United States between the ages of 24 and 65 has only 8 percent without a high school education; illegal immigrants comprise 20 percent of that number (Hanson, 2009). While it is true these three traits improve over time, most unauthorized immigrants remain working in areas requiring little training. This lowers the marginal productivity of all the employees in this category which results in lower wages. Workers already in the population, including American citizens and legal immigrants, are forced to accept the lower wages. However, as there is more productivity for employers, wages for employees with higher levels of skills increase and there is a greater return on capital; the increase in productivity in one area positively influences the productivity in other areas. Therefore, current illegal immigration lowers wages for native workers with the same skill levels.
In order to address illegal immigration from the political standpoint, it is necessary to investigate changes in government policy. If it is determined that low-skilled illegal workers create a negative impact on the economy for the native population, an issue developments concerning public policy (Chiswick, 1988). If dependents migrate with their parents, the drain on the welfare system reduces the income of the present population. The negative effect may be counteracted if there are no children or if they are denied access to welfare systems. This would create a definitive “second-class citizen” status on unauthorized immigrants and promote a class of poverty-stricken families within American society. Outspoken advocates for human rights adamantly oppose this action, citing public health and humanitarian issues. A new government approach to illegal immigrants must incorporate an ability to address regulation, cultural incorporation, and the influence of a second generation raised as American citizens with the potential for developing higher levels of skill.
In addition, for immigrants wishing to obtain appropriate documentation, there is a backlog for visas frequently spanning several years (Trichenor, 2015). It is estimated that 4.5 million children have been born in the United States to parents who are in the country without authorization and are legally American citizens (Hipsman & Meissner, 2013). At this point, it is estimated that 27.3 million Hispanic immigrants are registered voters (Pew Research Center, 2016). Illegal immigrants cannot vote, but should legislation pass that would allow them to do so, the impact on the political landscape would be significant. In states such as Texas and California, coalitions dedicated to getting out the Hispanic vote would have the sufficient power to sway public policy. In 2012, 10 percent of the voters were Hispanic and 73 percent supported President Obama (Hipsman & Meissner, 2013). In order to bring the number of immigrants into consideration of influencing public policy, it is necessary to give them the opportunity to obtain adequate documentation to be incorporated into systems for analysis.
There have been a number of proposals for address illegal immigration: increased physical borders such as fences or walls, more agents to monitor the borders, improved technology, more aggressive actions against employers using the population, loss of public benefits such as Medicaid and food stamps, denial of citizenship to children born in the United States to undocumented parents, and passage of the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act proposes granting conditional residency to unauthorized immigrants already living in the United States after living in the country for five years, obtaining a high school education through physical attendance or a GED, and be able to pass a criminal background check. Permanent residency would be granted after attending college or serving two years in the military and maintaining proof of good character through another series of background checks (DREAM Act.org, 2016). Noncompliance would cause the individual to be subject to deportation. In the meantime, the government has over $11 billion in an attempt to protect the country’s borders (Hipsman & Meissner, 2013). There are over 21,000 agents in the Border Patrol, fencing has been erected on 651 miles, and cameras, ground detectors, drones, and air surveillance have been installed. As a result, illegal transport of immigrants has decreased from 1.7 million people in 2000 to 365,000 in 2012. Estimates of the numbers of illegal aliens still residing in the United States point to the ineffectiveness of the measures currently in place.
In conclusion, America has been created from the immigrants coming to its shores for 400 years and the impact on the nation’s productivity and economy has been significant. The diverse demographics of the country have shaped the country’s economy, political institution, global influence, and society. However, unauthorized immigration of millions of people into the United States has the government caught in a dilemma. While the influx of low-skilled, low-paid workers improves the overall economy, they do not pay taxes and yet have access to social service programs and the educational system. Government bracero programs allow temporary workers for seasonal harvesting of fruits and vegetables, but there are problems in enforcing the return back across the border when the need is concluded. The bulk of resources to combat illegal immigration are focused on preventing access to the country across the borders while the more expensive actions related to deportation are lacking. Studies on the ultimate cost of illegal immigration tally government benefits, access to large numbers of unskilled labor without demand for high wages, and the potential power that would lie in the hands of legal immigrant voters in shaping public economic policy. The challenge relies on careful studies, research, debates, and decisions concerning policy changes employing input from multiple organizations and entities. In the meantime, working with the millions of illegal immigrants living in the United States should ultimately be to the advantage of the American economy.
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