Researched Essay Assignment – Illegal Immigration

Researched Essay Assignment – Illegal Immigration

Illegal immigration has been a major issue in the justice system because it raises concerns about the rights of immigrants and how they should be treated. Illegal immigration also raises questions on the most appropriate punishment for individuals charged with illegal immigration and whether skilled legal immigrants should be granted citizenship because they contribute to the country’s workforce (Smith 1699). Although illegal immigration is linked to increased crime in most societies, especially in developed countries such as the United States, illegal immigrants should be given a chance to get citizenship as long as they contribute to the country’s growth by offering labor and following the country’s laws. Therefore, the issue of illegal immigrants should matter to everybody because illegal immigrants are part of most societies. After all, they live in societies, coexist with citizens and legal immigrants, and contribute to society’s growth by providing cheap labor.

The issue of illegal immigration matters to me because I have watched various films and read books that document the plight of immigrants during their journey to foreign countries in search of greener pastures. Based on the information I got from The Latehomecomer, my observation is that immigrants face a hard time in their journey to foreign countries. For instance, the text notes that “They walked into a place that felt like an enemy station, only they were told it was for the refugees of war fleeing into Thailand……They asked about food for the children, but the soldiers said they had none. My mother wanted to ask for a piece of dry cloth for the baby, but my father told her that it would be futile” (Yang 44). This statement indicates immigrants’ challenges on their journey to safety and a better life. Therefore, the issue of illegal immigrants matters because I would like to convince my audience why they should not deport illegal immigrants by explaining the challenges the immigrants face in their journey and their determination to overcome every challenge so that they can get to their destination.

Illegal immigration is a phenomenon engulfing the nation today. It simply means entering a country without legal permission to be there. The reasons for illegal immigration are varied and often complex. Nevertheless, the actions of illegal immigrants have a deep impact on the United States in a multitude of different areas. There are two types of illegal immigrants: those who overstay their visas and those who cross the borders illegally. An estimated 11 million illegal immigrants currently reside in the United States (Warren 37). Illegal immigration has a huge financial and social impact on the United States. It also impacts the legal and moral rights of the illegal immigrants themselves.

Illegal immigration is a debatable issue. It often stirs up political and social tension. Yet, it is an important issue to discuss and evaluate. This is due to the profound impact of illegal immigration on the United States. It can be argued that illegal immigrants have a positive impact on the country by providing cheap and efficient labor. However, it is more often the case that illegal immigration has negative effects on the country as well as the immigrants themselves. An area of importance is the impact on the economy and the perception of citizens’ safety. This article examines the effects of illegal immigration, with emphasis on the negative impacts on justice and the rights of illegal immigrants.

It is important to understand the true effects of illegal immigration and the people who are a part of it. This is an issue that affects all citizens, either directly or indirectly. Understanding what causes people to emigrate illegally, the methods they use to do so, and the effects of their migration is essential to devising and implementing truly effective immigration policy. The majority of illegal immigrants enter the United States in search of employment and a better way of life. 64% of illegal immigrants are high school dropouts; they are willing to work in the U.S. in jobs that the majority of the U.S. labor force sees as unattractive, for pay well below the minimum wage (Kreisberg and Hsin 38). This is because it is likely that the wages the immigrant earns working under the table in the U.S. are greater than those they could earn working in their home country. A higher wage in the U.S. entices those with few employment prospects to journey across the border. It has been said that the U.S. is a “landing pad” for Mexican workers unemployed in their homeland due to poor economic conditions. Illegal immigrants from other nations are often motivated to migrate by conditions in their home country, which are usually worse than those in Mexico.

Secondly, to truly understand the effects illegal immigration has on the U.S., it is important to examine current and historical U.S. labor demands. There is evidence that pushes for the U.S. to increase quotas of legal immigrants. U.S. businesses find foreign workers willing to work for low wages, increasing profit margins. Peasant-based societies in other nations are eager to supply the U.S. with laborers. For example, the U.S. used the “bracero” program from 1942-1964 to import cheap labor from Mexico. This program brought 4.6 million Mexicans to the U.S. to perform mainly agricultural labor. This program is often used as an example of the effects of immigrant labor on U.S. workers. In this case, the program immediately displaced 300,000 U.S. farm workers. Today, the U.S. is a desirable place for foreign laborers to work, but the job market is saturated, and legal immigrants find it difficult to find employment (Kreisberg and Hsin 41). This causes legal immigrants to seek better job prospects by exploiting the fact that jobs are always available to foreign workers and taking jobs often involving back-breaking labor and long hours for very little pay. This directly competes with the job prospects of illegal immigrants who hold similar jobs, causing legal immigrants to gravitate to the higher wages of working in their field, as they are capable of working down a notch if necessary. The U.S. has always needed low-cost labor, and illegal immigrants take the jobs that legal immigrants are not willing to hold, making this an issue that will never go away.

Jobs that need to be done in the United States are completed by illegal immigrants, and it’s likely that a large portion of these positions are filled because the pay and working conditions are below legal minimums. If the illegal immigrant workforce were to be removed and these jobs were left open, these standards would likely improve to minimum wage or above. The argument is whether this is best for the economy and the people involved. Many of these jobs are in the primary sector, and for economic reasons, it is better to import these goods and have the work done at a low wage (Azizi and Yektansani 185). Forcing higher wages and improved working conditions in these areas would result in inflation and higher prices for these goods. This is a comparative disadvantage for the United States. These firms can save costs and add to their surplus by using illegal immigrant workers. This surplus is being invested back into the economy and has a multiplier effect, creating jobs in areas where higher-wage labor is used. If these jobs were to disappear, there would likely be unemployment for many U.S. citizens who previously worked in these areas.

Understanding the complex links between immigration and crime is a task of vital importance for policymakers since it touches on the central issue of the compatibility of different ethnic and cultural groups within a single society. The notion that crime can be caused or prevented by changes in social policy rests on one or both of the following assumptions. The first is that crime is caused by material deprivation. Immigrants are often seen as a threat in this context. It is feared that they compete with native-born Americans for the same jobs, education, and housing that are still too scarce for the American disadvantaged. The zero-sum theory of the economy then implies that any gains made by immigrants are at the expense of native-born citizens in similar economic situations. Suppose one accepts that crime is more likely to be committed by those who have failed in the legitimate pursuits of society. In that case, immigration becomes associated with an increased crime rate. It is believed that immigrants will erode social cohesiveness, erode cultural values, cause self-segregation, exacerbate economic problems, and inspire dread and treachery.

Many native-born Americans believe strongly that the crime rate among illegal immigrants is significantly higher than that among the population at large and that this is a powerful argument against the presence of large numbers of illegal immigrants in the United States (Light et al., 32345). Creating an accurate picture of the crime rate in any population is difficult because of the methodological problems involved. It is especially difficult to gather information on the rate of crime among illegal immigrants, who are, by definition, a hidden population.

Subsequently, there is a common misconception that illegal immigrants are more likely to commit crimes than their legal counterparts. Further, the states in the U.S. have been looked at as a case study between the rate of illegal immigration and the increase in crime. However, it is difficult to accurately measure the relationship between illegal immigration and crime as illegal immigrants are hard to locate, and statistics on crime are not always accurate. From the data collected, there was no apparent correlation between the surge in illegal immigration and the increase in crime rate. Indeed, in the 1990s, the number of illegal immigrants doubled; however, crime rates in the U.S. fell. It can be difficult to ascertain cause and effect, and the relationship may be fruitfully investigated from several perspectives. One argument is that crime is a result of unemployment and poverty, and immigrants, particularly the low-skilled, are displacing native workers from the labor force, pushing some into criminal activity. This is generally known as the economic model or “strain theory,” and, in essence, views crime as a rational response to the gap between legitimate economic opportunity and the available means to reach it.

Some immigrants receive significant support from local communities, nonprofit organizations, and advocacy groups that help with legal aid, housing, employment, and integration into society. These supportive networks underscore America’s foundational values of opportunity and diversity. However, immigrants also face systemic challenges such as strict immigration policies, xenophobia, and sometimes hostile public and political rhetoric, which can create significant barriers to their adjustment and success. Media coverage that balances both the supportive and challenging aspects of the immigrant experience provides a more comprehensive view of the complex landscape immigrants navigate in America.

Whether or not crime rates can be attributed to a particular group is quite difficult to prove. Numerous factors come into play in making such a determination, and therefore, immigration policy and its effect on crime have created some of the most controversial discussions. This is largely because countries in which immigrants settle claim that the increase in crime is due to immigration, while the sending countries claim the opposite. If we momentarily accept the flawed assumption that increased immigration leads to increased crime, the policy that is best for both the immigrants and the state is to attempt to lower crime rates among immigrants to prevent the formation of a second-class underclass. Individuals’ adherence to laws depends on the strength of their bonds to society. More recent theorists have attempted to, and have to some extent successfully, integrated this theory with general strain theory, claiming that the inability to achieve culturally accepted goals through legitimate means incites individuals to participate in deviant and criminal behavior. Therefore, it can be concluded that to lower crime rates among immigrants, it is necessary to help them achieve the goals that drew them to the host country in the first place. This is particularly relevant to the USA and its mass of uneducated illegal Mexican immigrants. By ensuring that second-generation immigrants have equal access to education and employment, the USA can effectively prevent the formation of a deviant underclass. Access to education was also pinpointed by a study of Hispanic immigrants in North Carolina as a way to prevent youth from participating in gang culture. An underclass with access to education can be aided by a policy that offers various learning incentives. An example of this can be seen in a French policy that was implemented after the 2005 riots. This policy provides the children of low-income immigrant families with free school meals. Although only in effect since 2017, early assessments consider it a success.

The media’s portrayal of immigrants and their treatment in America varies widely, often reflecting the political and ideological leanings of specific outlets. Generally, progressive media sources tend to emphasize the challenges and hardships faced by immigrants, including issues related to integration, discrimination, and the tough conditions of detention facilities. Conservative outlets might focus more on the legal aspects and potential security or economic impacts of immigration, sometimes portraying it as a threat to societal order and resource allocation. Across the spectrum, stories of individual success and contributions by immigrants are also highlighted, showing the positive impact of immigration on cultural diversity and economic growth. Overall, the media plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion on immigration, influencing the narrative through the lens of current events and national policy debates.

The concept of illegal immigration does not solely consist of a “lawbreaker” foreigner who is exploiting an illegal opportunity to remain inside national borders for advantage. This is a typical view of many citizens and legal immigrants. However, illegal immigration is not a black-and-white issue; it holds a vast shade of grey. This is not to condone illegal immigration; it is only to bring to light that illegal immigrants are not always who many think they are. There are options to consider that are not justified wrongdoings, although they may seem to be in the eyes of most citizens and legal immigrants. First, citizens and legal immigrants must know their country’s immigration laws, which is an indirect approach. The knowledge of the law will allow citizens and legal immigrants to understand whether the laws being exploited are outdated and are no longer being enforced. This can prompt a movement to change the law. Though the ability of immigrants to assimilate in a short period has been a topic of discussion in the literature, it is more realistic to expect that integration is a process that takes place over a considerable length of time. Immigrant assimilation is a complex, long-term, and multi-dimensional process with no predetermined outcome. On the immigrant side, it implies adopting the cultural outlook, values, and behavioral norms of the receiving society and the socialization of the second generation into the social and economic mainstream of the host society.

It is important to differentiate between two types of integration. In the first, immigrants enter the lower rungs of the social hierarchy of their new society. This form of integration is more common among new waves of immigration to established immigration countries, but the changing global economy has made it more difficult for contemporary immigrants to achieve it. In the second form, immigrants share equal status with members of the receiving society, which may even affect society’s outlook, values, and behavioral norms (De Haas 8). The first type of integration is generally less positive than the second and can occur in situations of economic necessity when immigrants take on employment in the secondary labor market. Low wages and job instability characterize this type of employment and often act as a form of employment for immigrants to “native” countries. The dynamic nature of the secondary labor market is a contributing factor in the perpetuation of ethnic minorities in many immigrant-receiving societies. In a more positive light, recent immigrants can sometimes enter the primary labor market and take advantage of upward mobility to improve the economic status of their families. Success for immigrant children in education can lead to upward mobility and achievement of the second type of integration.

In conclusion, the issue of illegal immigration is significant in the United States and should be addressed. The selected article shows how the media perceives immigrants, and in most cases, they only highlight the negatives associated with the immigrant and forget to mention how these immigrants benefit the country. For example, the country benefits from immigrants because they provide cheap labor and contribute to economic growth.

Works Cited

Azizi, SeyedSoroosh, and Kiana Yektansani. “Artificial intelligence and predicting illegal immigration to the USA.” International Migration 58.5 (2020): 183-193.

De Haas, Hein. “A theory of migration: the aspirations-capabilities framework.” Comparative migration studies 9.1 (2021): 8.

Kreisberg, A. Nicole, and Amy Hsin. “The higher educational trajectories of undocumented youth in New York City.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 47.17 (2021): 3822-3845.

Light, Michael T., Jingying He, and Jason P. Robey. “Comparing crime rates between undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants, and native-born U.S. citizens in Texas.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117.51 (2020): 32340-32347.

Smith, Craig Damian. “Policy change, threat perception, and mobility catalysts: The Trump administration as driver of asylum migration to Canada.” International Migration Review 57.4 (2023): 1678-1709.

Warren, Robert. “In 2019, the U.S. undocumented population continued a decade-long decline and the foreign-born population neared zero growth.” Journal on Migration and Human Security 9.1 (2021): 31-43.

Yang, Kao Kalia. The latehomecomer: A Hmong family memoir. Coffee House Press, 2017.

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Overview/Goal: For our final essay, we will write a researched analysis essay that uses primary and secondary sources.

For this essay, choose one issue/topic that interests you that our work this semester has raised. (Please note that there are topics that are NOT allowed, listed below.) Research that issue/topic and present a position on it.