Self-Analysis Post

Doing this blog has helped me to make great strides in my growth as an intellectual and a person, because instead of simply formulating an opinion on an issue, I’ve begun to formulate a plan for action. In my opinion, this is what is essential in bringing about progress. It is easy to make a complaint and say what’s wrong with something, but it takes a lot more effort to suggest a solution. In doing this blog, I hope I have put forth some constructive criticism as well as some ideas for illegal immigration policy.

In the beginning, I believe my opinion was very similar to most “liberal” (as in generous and broad in thought) Americans. Although I felt that illegal immigration was a critical issue, I disagreed with many of the policies regulating it and other proposals to confront it such as Arizona Senate Bill 1070. I felt that much of the legislation and crusades against illegal immigration were motivated by racism, and this has not changed. The debate and controversy surrounding things such as the Arizona Senate Bill 1070 make it evident that there are still considerable problems in America with race and ethnicity, particularly when considering Hispanics.

When ruling on illegal immigration policy, there are basically two polarized opinions. One is that the illegal immigrants are simply coming to the country to provide a better life for themselves and be a part of the American Dream. The other side proposes that illegal immigrants are a threat to the security and economic prosperity of the country, and that illegal immigration leaves the country vulnerable to terrorist attacks and drug trafficking. Both of these sides have valid arguments and to move forward America must realize this.

No matter the intentions of the illegal immigrants, or the many ways in which they benefit our lives, we as Americans need to reform our Immigration Laws. As stated, immigration is beneficial to the country, but it is simply not safe to have millions of undocumented people interacting in our society. There needs to be some sort of traceable identity for Americans to ensure that everyone is held accountable for their actions.  This I feel is the main issue over the other economic and social impacts.

In doing this blog, I’ve come to the realization that these things need to happen to improve the immigration conditions in the U.S.:

1.       We need to secure the US borders and increase border security. Past ideas for doing so have included building a border fence, but I do not feel this is the answer. I believe that we should place more authorities at the border, and give them the resources they need to deter people from entering the country. If we start at the border, a lot of immigration problems will cease to exist.

2.       We must increase communication with the Mexican government. Because a majority of these immigrants are coming from Mexico, I think collaborating with their government to find the source of the problem would help. Together, maybe a solution can be created. Better American-Mexican relations would help immigration issues.

3.       We need to help accommodate the existing immigrants (legal and illegal) into American society better. This includes not only helping them learn the culture but making sure they partake in civic duties. We must also find a way to give an identity to those undocumented or falsely documented.

Putting my proposals into action will lead to more government spending, but what better to spend on than the security of your country and the well-being of your citizens?

With the extensive research and time I’ve put into making “The Border”, I feel that now I can contribute to the illegal immigration debate and that my opinions are no longer emotionally driven but rationally evaluated. In my first post, I stated that “The purpose of this blog is to examine the parameters of immigration in the United States, and discuss how race and other factors are shaping its perception in the public eye. In creating this blog, I hope to spark a healthy conversation that will leave myself and my audience with a greater understanding of the issues at hand”.  When considering all the work I’ve done, I think I have accomplished the goal I set in my initial post. I’ve gained a much better understanding of immigration laws and I feel that I have sparked a healthy conversation.

I hope you’ve enjoyed The Border!

Illegal Immigration 101

This video (embedding was disabled) from CNN provides a lot of interesting information about illegal immigration. For instance, I did not know that 7% of public school children have an undocumented parent, or that 6% of illegal immigrants use a hospital in the case of an emergency. Equally interesting, I didn't know that only 12% of construction workers are illegal immigrants. This number is much different from the number proclaimed in social media.

The MOST interesting fact taken from the video will blow your mind. It is that ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS NOT A CRIME!! I repeat, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS NOT A CRIME!! According to the video, it actually is a civil offense. This means that entering the country illegally is supposed to be viewed similar to a misdemeanor (jaywalking, traffic violations, etc, etc). This fact is not presented enough in the media. Too often, I've heard illegal immigrants described as criminals and crooks. While they still are not completely innocent, it is funny to know that their "crime" is the same as mine when I jaywalk across the street everyday to class!

However, illegal immigration NOT being a crime doesn't excuse the fact that it still needs regulation. The video simply shows that maybe the conditions are not as bad as some people would want you to believe. In the coming years, it will be interesting to see whether these numbers fluctuate or decrease. Also, I wonder why so many people are flooding to the country NOW. Since Mexico and the US have been neighbors for as long as we've known, what has sparked such a increase in people emigrating? Maybe the answer to that question will lead to a solution to the illegal immigration crisis.

Other great blogs!

Other than illegal immigration, there a many other social issues being blogged about. Here are a few I find interesting being written by my fellow classmates

Rights For All
This is a blog advocating for the rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Racial, and Transgendered people. In today's society, there are many issues facing LGBT people and "Rights For All" addresses many of them. Recent posts have involved "Don't Ask Don't Tell", gay marriage, and adoption rights for LGBT. I'd recommend reading this blog if you want to know more about the plight of LGBT people or if you're simply interested in gay rights.

Occupation: Unemployment
This blog focuses on unemployment, which is all too common in today's society. Since unemployment has the potential to affect us all, I consider this a very important blog to read. The last few posts have dealt with unemployment statistics, what will happen if the unemployment issue isn't approached, and the outsourcing of jobs to other countries. I'd recommend reading this blog to prepare yourself for the competitive. workforce.

Health Care Reform
This blog is centered around the health care system, which is currently in great need of reform. This issue is important, because no matter who you are or what you believe in, you will need health care either for yourself or for your family. The last posts have dealt with new health care reform bill, how it is perceived, and how it will effect Americans. I'd recommend reading this blog if you are interested in current health care policy and want to know more about the current health care reform bill

Links for Illegal Immigration Research

In researching Illegal Immigration for my blog, I examined many websites for information regarding the topic. The following list contains the sites I found most helpful, and a short description of each one.

1) Immigration ProCon.org
This site was very helpful in the writing of my analysis post. It is basically a database of information regarding illegal immigration. On this site, you can find the issues concerning the topic and also quotes from prominent officials. In addition, the site gives a time-line of illegal immigration and it also has stats that can be used for argument.

2) Center for Immigration Studies
This site is host to many articles written regarding immigration. It also has links to information discussing sub-topics such as the Arizona illegal immigration law, amnesty, the cost of immigration, and other topics. I'd suggest going to this site to gain the background to formulate an opinion on illegal immigration.

3) Federation For American Immigration Reform
This site contains information about a variety of immigration topics. On the Illegal Immigration page, there are articles regarding immigration policy and at the bottom of it there are state cost studies. These help you to see the expenses of illegal immigration. In addition, the site has sections discussing legal immigration, border security, national security, and societal issues regarding immigration.

4) Polling Report
This site is a compilation of public opinion polls conducted by various organizations. I used this site to evaluate the public's opinion on topics related to illegal immigration. Doing this gave me statistical data to back some of the assumptions I made.

5) News Batch
This site contains extensive research on immigration that is fairly current as well. The site discusses policy issues and effects of immigration, along with other issues.

6) Global Issues
This site talks about global issues regarding immigration such as why people emigrate and the effects of immigration. It also provides statistics about immigrants.

7) Google News
Simply type "illegal immigration" or any word related to immigration and current articles will be displayed for your use.

According to History, Amnesty won't work?

In a few of my previous posts, I have advocated amnesty and a path to citizenship for the existing illegal immigrants living in the United States of America. However, today I came across an article titled "History tells us Amnesty for illegal aliens in destined to fail" that challenges my previous argument in many ways. The article breaks down how amnesty didn't work in the Regan Administration, and how "amnesty means larger government and higher costs". The author also talks about how amnesty encourages illegal immigration by awarding illegal immigrants with rights. Although the article was very informative and persuasive, in the end it offered no alternative to route to improve illegal immigration conditions, which bothered me somewhat.

The illegal immigration issue is interesting because there is no clear cut manner to deal with the issue. It seems that no matter the action taken, there will be minimal benefits with drastic drawbacks. Illegal immigration policy is simply a matter of the "lesser of the evils". Regarding amnesty, I see two outcomes:

1) The illegal immigrants in America are granted amnesty, begin a path to citizenship and become assimilated into American society. Money is lost and illegal immigration continues, but conditions slightly improve on the homeland
2) Amnesty is not granted and conditions remain the same. Money is lost and illegal immigration continues.

While I feel #1 is slightly more constructive, these are the kinds of things legislative bodies have to consider while deciding policies. Should we take a gamble on Amnesty again in hopes of better results? Other than money (which we lose SO much of to the point that it seems worthless anyway) what more do we have to lose?

Illegal Immigration Implications Post

If America does not take action on the illegal immigration crisis, the security of its citizens may be at risk. As stated earlier, immigration is a great thing for the country. However, a mass amount of people entering the country undocumented proposes a possibility for danger. Not knowing who these people are or where they come from is a problem that can only lead to a massive headache for the government. Although we can assume and hope that most of the immigrants coming to America illegally are in pursuit of the American dream, we can’t take the security of the country for granted. If crossing into US territory is so easy, we may be vulnerable to terrorism or even worse. The recent violence and drug trafficking around the US & Mexican border has already been documented heavily in the past months. No matter the political affiliation or emotional connection to immigration, America needs to take a firm stance on illegal immigration to protect its citizens. Either we will continue the negligence that leaves citizens vulnerable to numerous threats, or we can be proactive and set policies that provide security for the country while allowing the cultural exchange that is immigration.

Theory Post

In the debate about illegal immigration, a lot of disagreement stems from several misunderstandings on the issue. Often, people tend to discuss the issue relying on either 1) their strong sense of nationalism or 2) a sense of sympathy for illegal immigrants due to the struggles they have to face. The biggest step in approaching illegal immigration effectively is to look at the issue practically.

First, immigration is very necessary to American society. Due to the illegal entry of some immigrants, many people have developed a strong dislike for foreigners. However, these people have to understand the positives that immigrants bring to the country when they move. In short, immigrants help to stimulate the economy and they add diversity to American society. This sort of cultural exchange is healthy and helps to establish America as the world wide pinnacle of opportunity.

Secondly, we have to realize that although immigration is beneficial to society, we still need laws to regulate it. Even more importantly, we need to realize that we have to do a better job enforcing the existing laws regarding immigration. Increasing border patrols and equipping border security with the necessary tools should help with this. Also, those in public policy need to decide whether or not immigration law should be legislated strictly at a national level versus a state level, or whether or not the legislative duties should be shared.

Finally, we must shift the focus from the current illegal immigrants to the future illegal immigrants. The old saying “It’s no use crying over spilled milk” is effective in summing up this aspect of the problem. Although they entered the country here illegally, we can’t waste time and effort trying to deport them or penalize them. Offering them a path to citizenship is the best way to incorporate them into America and instill the values they were supposed to get going through the naturalization process. In addition to a path to citizenship, widespread immigration reform must be considered to encourage legal immigration and help integrate immigrants into society.