Current Policy
Immigration into the United States has been a pertinent issue for decades now, with Texas being a major point of immigration into the country. In 2021, the Texas governor outlawed the transport of immigrants into the state, arguing the health hazards posed to the residents were massive (Hansen). In 2022, the governor further empowered the state authorities to enact the return of immigrants apprehended at the border (Svitek and Barragán). The clash between the federal government and the state of Texas over the implementation of immigration law and the exercise of these powers has been ongoing for decades now. The state government argues that the moves to deal with the immigrants within Texas are meant to protect the local population. The citizens are exposed to the risk of COVID-19 by the immigrants and this may increase the burden of sickness within the state. The federal government argues that immigration laws at the national level are supreme to the state declarations. The exercise of immigration law by the federal government is meant to be supreme and the state is obliged to comply with the national direction.
Reasons for Initiating Changes
Changes to the immigration policy are vital in preventing the ongoing crisis between the various authorities involved. The ongoing handling of migrants sometimes causes more harm, exceeding the good intended by both points of authority (Mestichella). The restriction by the Texas government on the transportation of foreigners ensures their stay at the rescue centers is prolonged. Longer stay has been associated with crowding, a phenomenon that is responsible for the transmission of fatal diseases, including COVID-19. The rescue centers also have limited resources, including basic amenities to offer the immigrants, resulting in low standards of living (Mestichella). In some instances, the holding centers have many children, and longer locking within separates them from their guardians and families. The separation is unfavorable for children’s development and impedes their education, values, and mental health. Handling the immigration crisis is additionally poised to solve the collision in responsibilities between the federal and state government of Texas. The clash between various powers and the supremacy battles arising cause wastage of public resources and impeded the work these authorities are constituted to perform.
Policy Options to be Considered
Modernizing the points of entry is a feasible solution to the immigration crisis within the state of Texas, and a feasible solution to the existing disputes. Modernizing these stations involves ensuring that common points are established so that all immigrants are recognized by the government (Bissonnette and Vallet). Technological use is a critical component of the modernization process and should include computers and databases. All the involved authorities should have access to the data on immigrants, including the federal and Texas governments.
Closing the United States borders is an additional option to consider, ensuring the government deals with the challenge at its root. This entails reinforcing the manpower at the United States border to ensure immigration is prevented. There is bound to arise a situation where there are no immigrants for the country and state of Texas to compete over. Additional surveillance using drones is an additional mechanism of preventing immigration into the country, to capture those intending to venture into the country.
Using existing funds to hire professionals at the border, including language professionals, child welfare, and medical personnel is another vital policy in tackling the immigration menace. Hiring professionals and deploying them to the border is bound to ensure the timely processing of immigrants at the border, without the need for transportation within the country. The government can decide to either send these people back to their countries of origin or grant them American citizenship.
Pros and Cons of Each Option
The first alternative is bound to ensure that all the immigrants are documented and that their presence within Texas is legal. The availability of modernized records of immigrants and their movements is easily verifiable by the state, decreasing suspicion. The modernization of points of entry is a hefty venture, likely to cause massive spending of public funds. The move to dedicate large amounts of American money to non-Americans may evoke an unfavorable debate.
The closure of the border permanently is likely to eliminate immigrants into the country entirely, ensuring no dispute arises in the first place. This is however likely to cause a labor shortage for the country as it relies on immigrants for informal labor. sealing of the border is also likely to deny genuine people from accessing the opportunities and safety guaranteed by America as the global custodian of democracy.
The hiring of professionals at the border and ensuring that all the processes entailing immigration are concluded at these points of entry is likely to boost efficiency. The movement of immigrants within the country after their accreditation is likely to become devoid of harassment or challenges. The Texas government is bound to treat them as citizens, hence there is no need for travel directories against immigrants. The move is however likely to promote irregularities within the border due to minimal oversight and control.
Recommended Course of Action
The best policy decision to tackle the immigration crisis between Texas and the federal government is the modernization of the points of entry. The modernization of these points of entry should focus on data and information storage for immigrants. The use of cloud storage mechanisms for these people is vital in ensuring the accessibility of information at all points and the coordination of activities (Bissonnette and Vallet). This policy additionally involves increased skilled manpower at the points of entry. These include healthcare workers, federal government representatives, and state officials, including Texas representatives. This intervention also entails minimizing the use of written records to eliminate discrepancies that may arise due to errors. Renovation also involves the construction of modern partial accommodation facilities at the points of entry, ensuring humane conditions.
Reasons for Selecting Course of Action
The rejuvenation of points of entry to current standards is crucial in eliminating the corruption that is characteristic of some points of entry. This is meant to ensure that only people deserving of entry into the country enjoy its privileges (Bissonnette and Vallet). This is instrumental in improving coordination between the federal and state government, eliminating disputes. The availability of records for the two authorities is vital in reducing the harassment of people within the country by various authorities, allowing for peaceful coexistence. The modernization of points of entry is also a better alternative to the other policies proposed. The proposal to eliminate immigrants is not feasible, given the international responsibility of the US to help needy citizens of other countries. The proposal to hire professionals and ensure the conclusion of all border business is good, but not holistic enough to handle all immigration disputes.
Works Cited
Bissonnette, Andréanne, and Élisabeth Vallet. “Internalized borders and checkpoints: How immigration controls became normalized tools for COVID-19 responses in North America.” Journal of Borderlands Studies, vol. 37, no. 4, 2021, pp. 1–19, 10.1080/08865655.2021.1968928.
Hansen, Claire. “Justice Department sues Texas over Abbott’s new immigration order, kicking off legal battle.”US.News, 2021.
Mestichella, Marisa. “The impact of state overreach in US federal immigration law on human rights violations.”CMC Senior Theses, 2022.
Svitek, Patrick, and James Barragán. “Gov. Greg Abbott empowers state authorities to return migrants to border crossings.”The Texas Tribune, 2022.