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.

Something Epic: A Mental Breather

Immigration talk can get heated, so for just a moment I'd like to shift the focus to something we all can enjoy: MUSIC!

Kanye West & KiD CuDi are my favorite artists! EVERYBODY should buy their CD's when they drop!





It's a celebration! DANCE!

A Nation of Hypocrites?

This article written by Gregory Rodriguez, a columnist for the LA Times, proposes that in a sense we are all hypocrites on illegal immigration. Many may be taken aback by such an accusation, but as Rodriguez develops his argument, one must seriously consider his point.

According to Rodriguez, 37% of drywall installers, 28% or dishwashers, 27% of housekeepers and 21% of parking lot attendants are undocumented immigrants. These numbers may not mean much to some people, but they imply that illegal immigrants are working behind the scenes in many industries that we use every single day. It is possible that every time we go out to eat or even move into a new home that we are indirectly supporting illegal immigration.

A recent display of the hypocritical nature Rodriguez describes was put on exhibition in the California gubernatorial debates after Meg Whitman was exposed as an illegal immigrant employer after advocating a "crack down" on businesses that hire illegal immigrants. With his article, it is as if Rodriguez is asking us how we aid illegal immigration in our lives. I think it is important to consider this when supporting or opposing illegal immigration policies. How is it that we can argue so vehemently against illegal immigration when it has infiltrated our everyday life so easily? Is it fair to portray these illegal immigrants as "less than" when we reap the benefits of their labor everyday? We must either take a strict stance on illegal immigration and deny ALL aspects of it, or we must accept it and work to improve its conditions. Rodriguez has convinced me that we can't ride both sides on the fence in this issue.

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.

Arizona's Plan for Immigration

In the quest to decide a plan for illegal immigration policy, Arizona has taken drastic measures with their illegal immigration bill.

Throughout the world, America is commonly referred to as “the land of opportunity” and a “melting pot” of race, culture, religion, and other factions. In its existence, diverse groups have perpetually migrated to the States hoping to establish a better life for themselves and their families. While it is not the American desire to suppress the “pursuit of happiness”, the government is forced to set a system of procedures for legal immigration into the country. Due to problems with the national system of immigration and a rise in illegal immigration, several states have felt the need to create and enforce their own immigration laws. On April 23^rd, 2010, the state of Arizona and Governor Jan Brewer approved Senate Bill 1070, an immigration law that has stirred controversy and debate across the nation. 

Senate Bill 1070 or the “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” adds state penalties to immigration law enforcement. Immigration law enforcement includes trespassing, harboring and transporting illegal immigrants, alien registration documents, employer sanctions, and human smuggling. The law is progressive in the fact that it is one of the first immigration laws to include a trespassing provision. A major aspect of the law requires Arizona law enforcement to assess the immigration status of anybody suspected to be an illegal immigrant during a lawful stop, detention, or arrest. This “assessment” is the main source of controversy, because some believe it will only invite racial profiling and harassment of the Hispanics community in Arizona. Also under Senate Bill 1070, if suspects cannot provide immigration documents or proof of U.S. citizenship when asked they can be detained. President Barack Obama is quoted as saying the law threatens to “undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and our communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe”.

A satisfactory resolution for all parties involved does not seem evident in the future. While a strict immigration policy is needed, the Arizona Senate Bill 1070 violates too many personal rights and meddles with federal policy. The law is obviously targeted at the Hispanic community, despite the fact that they are not the only group of people immigrating to the United States of America. Also Senate Bill 1070 places too much responsibility on law enforcement, and can potentially lead to an escalation of tension between the authorities and immigrants in Arizona, legally and illegally documented. A better immigration law would focus less on existing illegal immigrants and more on border security and prevention of illegal immigration.

The Arizona Immigration Law will continue to make headlines, as it is an important issue of social relevance. Its passage or declination will do much in describing the attitude of Americans towards immigrants, and even Hispanics in general. The rights of illegal immigrants will have to be defined once and for all, and the case will undoubtedly set a precedent for immigration policy of the future.

Deporting Detriments

According to a reports, Barack Obama's administration has deported a record number of illegal immigrants. As of September 30th, more than 392,000 people were deported due to illegal citizenship status. Of those 392,000 removed from the country, 45,000 were drug offenders, 1,000 were murders, 28,000 were drunk drivers, and 6,000 were sex offenders. This means that out of 392,000 illegal immigrants, 80,000 had run-ins with the law while in America. In more simplistic statistics, this means roughly 20% of illegal immigrants violated the law in addition to immigrating illegally.


Although 20% is not a good number by any means, it is certainly different from the stats presented in the media. When tuning into the local news or radio, you are lead to believe that almost half of the illegal immigrants coming to this country are criminals. After doing my own research, I'd be interested to compare the percentage of illegal immigrants with criminal records to that of US Citizens with criminal records. I doubt that the numbers would allude to illegal immigrants being more violent or reckless.


The truth of the matter is that in a large mass of people, there are always individuals that stray from the common desire to do good. We've seen this happen in school and nearly every aspect of life. I think it is unfair to use the misconduct of individual illegal immigrants to characterize the entire group. Although there obviously is a portion that come to the country and cause harm, it appears that most are simply coming to provide a better life for themselves and their families. As a society, we should embrace them without the notion that a majority of them are criminals, and help them in their pursuit of happiness.

A Course of Action

Hello and welcome back to The Border!



The video posted above summarizes some of the controversy surrounding the 2010 California gubernatorial campaigns, where immigration is a key topic. As seen in this video, the two candidates (Republican  Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown) have two different plans for action on what to do about illegal immigrants in California.

Mr. Brown is in support of a pathway to citizenship for existing illegal immigrants in California, but he also is an advocate of stronger border security. Another one of Brown's ideas is "Secure Communities", a program in which illegal immigrants are subject to deportation if they commit a crime.

Mrs. Whitman does not support a path to citizenship for existing illegal immigrants in California, instead promoting the distribution of more resources to border security. Whitman also stated that employers must be held accountable for hiring ONLY documented workers, which became slightly contradictory after her former housekeeper accused Whitman of employing her while knowing she was an illegal immigrant. However, Whitman advocated temporary guest worker programs for fields such as agriculture in need of workers.

Although this particular debate is happening in California, it is also happening nationwide. Somewhere in the near future, we must decide a course of action to take regarding illegal immigration in America. After researching the stances of both California candidates, I'd support a policy similar to Mr.Brown's. I think that a process of naturalization is needed for the thousands of illegal immigrants in this country that contribute to our American way. Also, I do think that repeat offenders that also happen to be illegal immigrants should be deported since they provide more harm than help to society. I'm also in support of Whitman's call to give border security more equipment to fight against illegal immigration, as border security is always emphasized by Democrats and Republicans alike. Her immigrant employee and guest worker program ideas also seemed like good ideas to help improve the status of illegal immigration in America. Overall, it will take a collaborative effort by both parties to improve immigration conditions. Seemingly the only thing people truly disagree upon is what to do with the existing illegal immigrants in America. Once a clear cut decision is made on this, I feel we can move forward together as a country.