Analyis Post for Illegal Immigration Solutions

The above video is a brief summary of immigration in America originally made for GOOD Magazine and displayed on dosomething.org. The contributions of immigrants to American society have been well documented, and many people would probably agree that immigration is a beneficial exchange for both countries involved. However, in America there is a great problem with the increase of illegal immigrants coming to the country. In legal terms, illegal immigration is a process in which a non-citizen enters a country without government permission or stays beyond the termination date of a visa.

According to the Washington Associated Press, there are approximately as many as 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States today.  It is also estimated that these 12 million illegal immigrants make up 1 of every 20 workers in the job market as well. This surplus of immigrants leaves the country with very difficult decisions to make. Along social and political lines, the country seems split on how to plan a solution for the illegal immigration crisis.

Concerning a “solution” for illegal immigration, there are three popular questions people hope will lead to answers: 

1)      Would a path of legalization/ amnesty for existing illegal immigrants be a good solution to illegal immigration in America?

2)      Is deportation a good solution to illegal immigration?

3)      Would building a fence along the U.S. Mexico Border be a good solution?

In relation to offering a path of legalization or amnesty for illegal immigrants, there are two contrasting perspectives. The supporting view point is that the country is not put at risk due to the existence of illegal immigrants, and that providing them with a path to legalization would benefit the country. The disagreeing point of view denies a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and supports stronger border security and the deportation of anyone in the country illegally.

Supporters for a path to citizenship believe that illegal immigrants are performing jobs that the average American won’t do, and therefore should be allowed to stay, help the economy, and support their families. Common occupations of illegal immigrants are in the fields of agriculture, construction, and hospitality industries. Because these jobs require maximum labor for often minimal pay, people feel it is wrong to further penalize them. Also, because the process of immigration is widely inaccessible and inconvenient, supporters sympathize with illegal immigrants and support their goals to provide for themselves and their families although they are technically breaking the law. Another reason supporters push for a path to legalization is so that illegal immigrants can contribute to the economy through taxes. If officially made U.S. citizens, formerly illegal immigrants will be subject to the same procedures and benefits as everyday Americans, ending the notion that they are “free-loading” off of other citizens.

Opponents for offering a path to citizenship believe that those who entered the country illegally with disregard for the nation’s laws shouldn’t be allowed legalization. They feel that doing so would “reward” criminal behavior and in turn encourage even more illegal immigration. Also, opponents believe that illegal immigrants deprive citizens of jobs because they are willing to work for sub-par wages. In addition, they support deportation as a way to rid the country of illegal immigrants and also discourage more from coming.

With respects to the arguments of the opponents for offering a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, at this point in America the best plan appears to involve legalization for the millions of illegal immigrants in this country already contributing and interacting in our society. If we continue to ignore and classify them as illegals, no progress will be made and citizens will have to continue to pay the bill for nearly 12 million illegal immigrants. By offering citizenship to illegal immigrants, they will be liable to pay taxes and can potentially take some of the burden off of tax payers.

Deportation is another proposed method for solving illegal immigration, but many of its supporters reconsider their position once they evaluate the cost of removing 12 million illegal immigrants from the country. According to the Center for American Progress, deporting all illegal immigrants from the United States would cost $200 billion with an additional $85 billion to enforce the deportation for five years. This would cost American tax payers $285 billion with every individual having an increase of $922 on their taxes every year. As if the cost to provide deportation wasn’t enough, the country would lose $2.5 trillion in Gross Domestic Product due to the removal of all illegal immigrant workers. However, if all illegal immigrants are allowed to stay and continue work, there will be a $1.5 trillion growth in Gross Domestic Product over the next ten years.

Although immigration regulations need to be enforced, deporting all illegal immigrants is simply not the best way to go about business. The cost would severely cripple an ailing economy even worse, and furthermore the plan would be hard to execute. Although we may not like them being here illegally, illegal immigrants contribute a considerable amount to the Gross Domestic Product of individual states and the nation. In such trying economic times, we would be hurting ourselves by deporting hard working illegal immigrants.

Another solution for illegal immigration that has been proposed is the construction of a fence around the U.S. and Mexico Border. Supporters of a border fence cite its need due to the money lost in income tax revenue. They claim that illegal immigration is draining the countries funds into social welfare, health, and education programs that benefit illegal immigrants. They believe that a high-tech and physical barrier will prevent people from attempting to immigrate illegally, and that it will help authorities apprehend perpetrators better. Fences have been proven to statistically deter illegal immigration, as a fence constructed around San Diego’s border decreased illegal entries from 600,000 to 153,000 over 17 years.

Opponents of building a fence around the border feel that building the fence would contradict the American ideals of opportunity and mobility. Instead of constructing a fence, they argue that immigration reform needs to be constructed instead. Also, there are concerns that building a fence around the border will disturb the environment as it will hinder migrating wildlife from carrying on their natural processes. In fact, 30 laws regarding the environment and animal rights would have to be waived for the construction of the border fence to happen. In addition, there is a fear that building the fence will increase the amount of people risking their lives to be smuggled into the country. People smuggling is already a problem with existing border conditions, and building a fence would only heighten the desperation and measures taken to reach the better life available in America.

Building a fence around the border of the United States and Mexico is simply not the most effective way to prevent illegal immigration. The creation of the border fence not only presents an unnecessary expense, but it sends a bad message to our bordering country, Mexico. Although it could possibly decrease the numbers of illegal immigrants, it would end up costing the country money, its opportunistic reputation, and it could turn off immigrants hoping to move to the country legally.

In order to truly improve the conditions of illegal immigration, new ideas must be tried and the government must be willing to enact upon them. Although it is a seemingly brash measure, offering a path to citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants in the United States seems like the best plan of action to date. Another suggestion would be to increase the interaction between the U.S. and Mexican government, as the issues surrounding illegal immigration can be discussed and possibly a solution can be found at the root of the problem. These policies coupled with the idea of strengthening border security can lead to great advancements in American growth and security.