Don Koenig, a contemporary American writer and an author of multiple articles about America’s economic recession of the recent years, once expressed a very interesting idea. That idea was about illegal immigration and its role in the U.S. future. Don Koenig in his observance of millions of immigrant workers entering the U.S. illegally, without the government stopping them, believes this is done with some clear purpose. This purpose is to let in as many immigrants as possible to boost the weakened economy of the country. The globalist banker sharks, says Koenig, want these young immigrants to pay all unfunded liabilities which are coming due to support the elderly. What will this lead to? Nothing good. The U.S. will become like Mexico and all people will be just the slaves of loan sharks… (Koenig, “Total economic collapse in the U.S – Imminent danger to the U.S.”)
Of course, this view is just one of many views Americans express on the problem of illegal immigration these days. But it well reflects the overall public discontent with the government doing nothing to stop the endless flow of illegal immigrants. It’s a nightmare, they are taking our jobs, all Americans would say unanimously, perhaps. But without it, the economy will collapse, the government officials would say. Who is right and who is wrong? What shall we do about the illegal immigration? And what is the best way to handle this problem? Let us now explore this issue and find a good solution.
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First of all, let us find out what illegal immigration is and who would we call an illegal immigrant. Illegal or undocumented immigrants to the United States are those foreign-born and non-U.S. citizens that have not been granted permanent or temporary residence on the territory of the country. The majority of illegal immigrants enter the U.S. without any valid documents or clandestinely. Those illegal immigrants who apply for lawful permanent residency based on the Immigration and Nationality Act Section (i) stay unauthorized until given the status they have applied for. Same applies to those illegal immigrants who apply for asylum as well as Temporary Protection Status (Colton-Sonnenberg 4). As for illegal immigration, this is the term used to describe migration across any foreign country’s borders in a manner that violates this country’s immigration law. Around a half of all illegal immigrants who currently live in the U.S. entered our country legally by the use of non-immigrant visas allowing them to stay for study, business, and pleasure. Many illegal immigrants entered through Border Crossing Cards that enable frequent crosses of the border for quite short stays. The remaining 50%, as the Pew Hispanic Center found, enter in a secret manner (Colton-Sonnenberg 5).
What is the scope and origin of illegal immigration today? While it is hard to give any accurate numbers, the estimates vary from 10 to 12 million of illegal immigrants who currently stay on the territory of the United States (Kane & Johnson, “The real problem with immigration … and the real solution”). The massive scope of illegal immigration is driven by the people’s efforts to find better paying jobs than in the countries of their origin (for example, Mexico, where up to 60 per cent of illegal immigrants come from). In the recent years, the serious increase in percentage of undocumented immigrants has been found in relation to those coming from India (125%), Brazil (110%), and, finally, Honduras (75%). As for the states where illegal immigrants choose to settle, these are California, Texas, and Florida. Other popular states are Georgia, Washington, and Arizona (Colton-Sonnenberg 5).
So, what is the real problem with the illegal immigration? While it is generally true that the illegal aliens who come to the U.S. and take the lowest paying jobs add value to the American economy (from the macroeconomic perspective), the alarming reality is they weaken the well-being of the society through taking away jobs from American-born citizens of the poor classes. This is especially true about jobs at the factories, in farm and in seafood industries. While politicians often argue that these people take the jobs that otherwise won’t be taken by any American citizen, they are right only to some extent. Yes, maybe Americans would not have done such jobs for the ridiculously low pay, but the illegal immigrants’ willingness to perform these jobs depresses the labor conditions and is generally unfavourable for individual American citizens and legal immigrants. Also, illegal immigrants receive a range of services that they do not actually pay for, including food stamps, emergency room medical services, WIC, etc). This makes them, as many U.S. citizens believe, “a net drain on state and federal treasuries” (Oregon Trackers, “Our solution to the illegal immigration program”). A balanced view would be: whereas the illegal immigrants boost the macro-economy, providing the net economic benefit and boosting the overall national output, they pose a challenge to native-born American workers, whose levels of unemployment are quite high. Yet, there is one more issue with illegal immigration which can’t be dismissed. Whereas the economy issue is debatable, it is beyond any doubt that illegal immigrants pose a direct security threat. The presence of up to 12 million illegal immigrants distorts the law, as well as creates the cover for criminals and terrorists, as the culture of illegality blooms. Indeed, flouting the law has become the norm today and it makes the job for terrorists and drug traffickers much easier (Kane & Johnson, “The real problem with immigration … and the real solution”).
So, what is the way out, the next question arises? Neither of the solutions offered by the Conservatives or Liberals seems plausible enough. The Conservatives insists on fortifying the border through building a bigger wall, while the Liberals argue that all immigrants should be given amnesty. While the latter is not really a solution to the problem, rather a new encouragement of illegal immigration; the former has little sense. Building a higher wall will cost millions of dollars, but people who wish to come illegally will find other ways. They will go under the wall! The best solution is to develop an effective Guest Worker Program that will benefit all stakeholders of the process. By allowing migrant workers to stay on guest work visas, the immigrants will avoid crossing the border illegally (which is a dangerous and rather expensive offer), using the services of some cocaine smuggler or a coyote. At the same time, they would have a chance to work and earn their living. The benefits for the U.S. society will be as follows: the U.S. security will enhance (the immigrants will be controlled, through biometrical data, for example), the U.S. economy will still benefit from cheap labor and paid taxes/social securities; and, finally, the U.S. society will not get overflown by immigrants, since guest workers will not be entitled to applying for the U.S. citizenship. To make this program work, however, a set of additional measures will be needed. For instance, the employers and existing migrants should be given incentives to engage in the program; the entry conformation should take minimal time, etc.
Thus, at the time of the on-going political debate about illegal immigration and undocumented immigrants’ status, the new plausible solution should be developed. The proposed implementation of the Guest Worker Program seems a rational and well-grounded idea. While the economic benefits will be the same, which is important at the time of regular economic downturns, the number of foreign laborers will be easily controlled based on the country’s need for labor. The very phenomenon of illegal immigration will cease to exist in the U.S. Helping migrants from other countries earn legally, the new solution will also help America retain its image of an open country.
- Colton-Sonnenberg, Ana. The Present Debate about Illegal Immigration. GRIN Verlag, 2008.
Print. - Kane, Tim & Johnson, Kirk. “The real problem with immigration … and the real solution.”
Backgrounder on Immigration. N.d. Web. 18 Sep. 13. - Koenig, Don. “Total economic collapse in the U.S – Imminent danger to the U.S.” The
Prophetic Years. Com. 2006. Web. 18 Sep. 13. - Oregon Trackers. (N.d.) “Our solution to the illegal immigration program”. Oregon Trackers.
N.d. Web. 18 Sep. 13.
