There are a number of factors that influence the policy making process in any nation. These factors include political goals, economic agenda, and political stability, social and cultural factors. While formulating a policy, the government must relate it to these factors to determine the impacts such a policy will have on the nation. A policy by definition is rule that informs a national decision intended to achieve some goals. Policies are statements of intent that are implemented over a period following a certain procedure. This paper seeks to identify the impacts of California’s policy on immigration. The paper will show the geopolitical implication of this bill as well as the social, cultural and economic impacts to the nation.
California’s governor Jerry Brown has been in the recent past pushing for a speedy deliberation on the immigration bill. With this bill, the governor intends to create a faster path to grant the illegal immigrants citizenship in California. This move has raised many concerns from all sectors from the public to the private sector. Many policy makers in California agree with the move but skepticism is raised on the 10 years delay for a full citizenship. They argue that with this provision, the majority of immigrants will have to wait for a decade to access the privileges enjoyed by other citizens. This argument raises a legitimate concern on the nation’s commitment to equality.
Federal financial support is strictly accessed by citizens only hence the poor illegal immigrant will be out from the beneficiary’s bracket. Evidently, this is seen as an unfair circumstance considering that they too contribute in the national revenue. The comprehensive immigration reform seeks to document the 2.6 million people living in California illegally without the government’s approval. This move buy the governor has number of benefits. The number of illegal immigrants is huge and the contribution they make in providing labor is not negligible. This population contributes to the economic development in a very significant way that only integrating them to the rest of the citizens can assure the government economic stability.
Nonetheless, the integration of immigrants in California has its social and cultural incursions. The immigrant come along with their cultural and social characteristics which changes and influences the local cultural setting and beliefs. The immigrant is normally the very poor and they settle in the low economic areas where in many occasion insecurity escalates. Raising their status as citizens may mean increasing the chances or the level criminal activities in California.
However, the economic drain on the government because of illegal immigrants has become unbearable. In the year 2012, the government spent $ 600 million to cater for illegal immigrants who are captured in the Medicare plan. That figure indicates the government’s expenditure in relations to medical care only, other sectors account for more expenditure, which burdens the federal expenditure bill hence economic strains.
Evidently, the inclusion of legal immigrants brings along governance challenges by changing the geopolitical structure in the state. The increased population causes a political shift in policymaking and governance for the entire state. Policies will have to be made to address the issue that come along as a result of legalizing the illegal immigrants one of the very basic being security and federal expenditure. These must embrace the new legally entitled citizens to the federal in the benefits enjoyed by the other citizens as well.