Historically, the United States is a complex melting pot that has exclusively depended on continued immigration for both vitality and population growth. As such, the United States is composed of immigrants and their descendants, which is responsible for the vast majority of cultural innovation within the country. However, the United States is currently experiencing a backlash from the ‘native’ population due to the high influx of non-traditional immigrants into the country. Unlike in previous decades where the vast majority of immigrants originated from the European continent, the new generation of immigrants descent from South America as well as Asia and Africa. This backlash has also coincided with a collapse of an efficient legal immigration system to the country, as there are decades long backlogs for prospective immigrants. As such, the country is at an impasse in regards to the problem that immigration poses for the future.
As previously mentioned, the current system of immigration to the United States is broken, as it heavily favors educated workers. In the past waves of immigration, the system focused on bringing skilled and non-skilled workers to the country, as well as their families (Department of Homeland Security). However, this was changed in previous immigration reforms to allow only skilled workers into the country; there is currently no way for a non-college educated individual to legally immigrate into the United States. As such, this served as a great incentive for criminal organizations and individuals to pursuit illegal immigration into the United States (Encyclopedia Britannica). American businesses favored this development, as it meant that they had a stream of cheap labor that they could exploit, and would be unable to complain about poor working conditions due to their illegal status in the country. Due to this development, much of the governmental response has been to tighten entry restrictions into the United States and launch a mass deportation program that would get rid of this illegal workforce (Ferris).
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Many economists and public policy makers have demonstrated the good that illegal immigration has done for the country. These individuals cite that illegal immigrants tend to work jobs that are unappealing for average Americans and for wages that would be unacceptable for native workers. This prevents a significant labor shortage in critical industries such as agriculture, where cheap manual labor allows businesses to keep costs significantly lower than they otherwise would be. Furthermore, illegal immigrants are a boon for the social services sector, as these individuals deposit billions of dollar into the social welfare program; due to their illegal residency in the country, they are unable to access any form of government assistance. Illegal immigration also serves to bolster the declining birth rates within developed countries, as illegal immigrants have higher birth rates than the native-born population. This helps these individuals to maintain these social programs, as they require a certain ratio of workers-to-retirees to remain solvent.
The best way to deal with illegal immigration is to allow for well-meaning individuals to have a path to citizenship, while maintaining a deportation program for those that have extensive criminal records (Killough). The current policy has been highly damaging to families, as it tears apart illegal immigrant families that have children that were born in the United States. While these children are allowed to maintain residency due to their native-born citizenship, their parents do not have the same priviledge, and as such are often deported. This allows for hard working individuals to contribute to the rich cultural landscape of the United States while maintaining a strict system that deters criminals from entering the country.
- Department of Homeland Security; ICE. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2013.
- Killough, Ashley. “Biden Urges Pushes Final Push on Immigration Reform.” CNN Politics . N.p., 20 June 2013. Web. 20 June 2013.
- Ferris, Susan. The Center for Public Integrity. N.p., 14 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 June 2013.
- Encyclopedia Britanica. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 June 2013.
