The issue of immigration has been a real challenge for the American policy makers for over a century with most of the laws passed before to control it mainly failing because of the antagonism between the two parties; the Democrats and the Republicans. The republicans have a view that the immigrants are a burden to the united states’ economy because the have to be housed, be provided with the basic needs like education and more importantly the have pushed many Americans out of jobs because many of the companies are choosing to hire them for 7 dollars or less an hour, a price that Americans find hard to work at. This has made them agitate for more severe surveillance in the American borders for illegal immigrants and also for enactment of stricter rules dealing with immigration. This included imposition of heavy fines for those found illegally to be in the United States.
On the other hand the democrats hold that the immigrants are core to the American economy, arguing that they form a significant percentage of the workforce and are, in some states, the entrepreneurs who have established many companies that have provided employment for many people thus improving the American economy. It is in this light that President Obama came up with came up with a proposal on how the federal government can deal with the issue of immigration in a systematic way to ensure that everybody, from the individual immigrants to the employers who hire the immigrants at very low wages, follow the law. The democrats, in this discussion, have chosen to engage in accountability on the part of the federal government. They support comprehensive reforms that are grounded in the principles of accountability and responsibility .
On the issue of many illegal immigrants gaining access to the United States through its borders, the democrats hold the government accountable for it since it is its responsibility to secure the borders. They argue that had the government put in place good mechanisms of gaining entry into the United States, none of the many illegal immigrants would have taken the option of using the borders. The democrats are further angered by the fact that thousands of these illegal immigrants die while trying to cross the borders. They believe that America, as the super power, should provide refuge for those running away from their war-torn poor countries a chance to start new lives . This has forced the Obama administration to allocate more funds aimed at strengthening the surveillance on the borders and reducing the flow of illegal immigrants in either direction. They further argue that this will help make the United States safer from crime, strengthen the federal government’s ability to apprehend and prosecute those who are threats to national security and also be more able to remove criminals from America. Equally, in order to continue to culture of innovation that has been brought into America over the centuries by the immigrants, they agree that a streamlined immigration system will allow the united states to retain the most promising foreign students who graduate in mathematics and science which will be a great contribution to the workforce in terms of expertise.
When considering the issue of the immigrants being blamed as increasing the joblessness of legitimate Americans, the democrats want the government to take responsibility for the unscrupulous business people who hire the poor immigrants for very low wages, which the Americans cannot accept as wages. They argue that the government has allowed these employers to exploit the poor immigrants, who are undocumented workers, which has undermined the American workers in general and has led to many of them being jobless. They want the federal government, as part of its responsibility to its citizens, take responsibility and lawfully prosecute these employers as an example to all those who engage in such exploitative practices. It is their postulation that is this measure is taken by the government, all employers will be forced to hire only the registered workers and will pay them well which will help cub on the number of Native Americans who are unemployed.
In executing their functions as a party, they also demand responsibility from the illegal immigrants themselves. The argument advanced is that these people do know that they are in America illegally, and having them personally confess that will be a great step towards reducing the number of unregistered workers in the United States. They argue that these illegal immigrants must admit that they broke the law, pay the appropriate penalty set by the court, undergo background checkups, pay taxes, make an effort and learn English in order to be satisfied to legally apply for citizenship in the United States .
With the democrats holding fast to their chosen method of contributing to the government i.e. accountability, there is more hope of the federal government at last getting a lasting solution to the long time problem of controlling immigration. The fact that some republicans do entertain the ideas of the democrats is another boost. With this tempo, America will achieve the ‘common sense immigration policy’ ambition.
Works Cited
April, Linton. "Language politics and policy in the United States: Implications for the immigration debate." International Journal of the Sociology of Language 2009.199 (2009): 9-37.
Berman, Larry, Allen Murphy and Oliver H. Woshinsky. Approaching democracy. New York: Prentice Hall, 1996.
Fine, Janice and Jennifer Gordon. "Strengthening labor standards enforcement through partnerships with workers' organizations." Politics and Society 38.4 (2010): 552-585.
