Illegal immigration is a current and worrying problem for the United States authorities. The big issue is that anyone who gets into the country without legal documents brings down the economy and regular citizens suffer because of this (Bergsten, 2005).
The laws that were drawn up to prevent any illegal immigrant have been the first limitation of the matter. The enforcement of these regulations was made possible by border check points (LeMay, 2007). Later, it became necessary to set up more of these control posts but they also ran out of their effectiveness. An increase in border patrols, on foot and vehicles, showed some effectiveness in the prevention of illegal immigrants.
The fences that were set up to deter entry only covered part of the border and in the past decade, the government has been searching for better ways to control entry into the United States. One of the decisions was to build more barriers, fencing, and blockades along a longer stretch of the border (Bischoff, 2002). Personal input of every citizen and workplaces has also played a great role in the control of illegal aliens.
The cross checks of personal information to the records, as well as any witness testimony, has allowed for better control of the issue (Kenney, 2010). Another proposition was made to allow a certain amount of people to come in. The numbers stated were between ten and twelve million people. The government also made propositions to decrease the requirements and allow more people to immigrate to the United States (Levy, 2010).
The best solution would be to allow people entry according to their skills and ability. It is true that some individuals have less education and financial resources than others but in part, it is due to their inability to receive them in their country. If the government gives people an opportunity, they will be able to contribute to the economy (Delaet, 2000).
Some might say it is unfair that the American population has been building the society and all the benefits it offers through their hard work and sacrifices for a long period of time, when people who come to the United States illegally, are able to enjoy the better life right away (Anderson, 2010).
But as the government has done before, a financial input must be required, as well as a guarantee that people will work and receive education, instead of going on welfare and using the economy’s and public’s money to live in better conditions. Also, people are afraid that their nationality will be lost and the United States will become a “melting pot” (Meyer, 2010).
In the end, this does not matter because it will be a gradual change and no one will be able to notice the transition, so there will be no particular emotional or any other effect. It is obvious that people must be given a chance to take part in a society that offers better living and can increase the quality of life of people who deserve it (Gibney, 2005).
Illegal immigration is very perceptual and people should not focus on the negatives. Individuals from other nations can greatly contribute to the economy and the social life, as well as to the richness of the culture and understanding of the rest of the world (Chapman, 2010). The global economy has shown that it is very much possible which serves as an indication of a definite success.
References
Anderson, S. (2010). Immigration. Santa Barbara, United States: ABC-CLIO, 2010.
Bergsten, F. (2005). The United States and the world economy. Washington, United States: Peterson Institute.
Bischoff, H. (2002). Immigration issues. Westport, United States: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Chapman, R. (2010). Culture wars: An encyclopedia of issues, Viewpoints, and Voices. New York, United States: M.E. Sharpe.
Delaet, D. (2000). United States immigration policy in an age of rights. Westport, United States: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Gibney, M. (2005). Immigration and asylum: from 1900 to the present. Santa Barbara, United States: ABC-CLIO.
Kenney, K. (2010). Illegal immigration EBook. Edina, United States: ABDO.
LeMay, M. (2007). Illegal immigration: A reference handbook. Santa Barbara, United States: ABC-CLIO.
Levy, J. (2010). Illegal Immigration and amnesty: open borders and national security. New York, United States: The Rosen Publishing Group.
Meyer, M. (2010). The undermining of the American Dream through Illegal immigration. Norderstedt, Germany GRIN Verlag.