Argumentative Essay: Illegal Immigration

Exploratory Essay
Illegal Immigration

In the process of figuring out what I would like to write this paper on I can honestly say I have changed my topic about 5 times. Nothing I chose was significant or interested me enough to be able to research or even write about. I recently heard some news that a friend of mine since kindergarten was under investigation to be deported back to his birth country because he was driving with a suspended license. Even though he was only three years old when his parents brought him here and knows no other country as his home the fact that he made one mistake could affect his whole life. For the past years there has been a constant struggle and pressure being placed on the government to enforce harsher immigration
laws and punishments on those who disobey them. Both republicans and democrats have certain views on it but nobody wants to do anything about it. Almost every day there are news reports on current political issues and exceptions on the fact that even though security has been increased, till this day the number of illegal immigrants living in this country keeps rising. Although most Americans seem to agree on the fact that they don’t want these so called “criminals” to reside on U.S. territory the political issues don’t seem to give them the benefit of the doubt in understanding the whole reasoning behind illegal immigration.
As a start in my research, my first interest was how many undocumented immigrants does the U.S. hold and from what primary countries?. Although it is hard to be certain, Roy Germano estimates that the United States holds roughly about 11 to 12 million undocumented individuals, whom make up about 3.6% of the U.S. population and come from all over the world but classifying the top three locations as Mexico, Central America and Asia (Germano). Mexicans makes up about 59% of the 11-12 million individuals while Asians and those from countries in Central America such as Honduras, Nicaragua, etc. each make up about 11% of that population. Just because these are the dominant numbers, we still posses a large number of immigrants from South America, Europe and the Middle East (Germano). Living in Florida most of the people I’ve come across are Latin and without actually researching it would have never came to my mind that when compared to the number of Asians it would actually be around the same. It also isn’t a coincidence on why these three countries happen to hold the largest numbers. Mexico being located directly below us gives they an easy chance to just cross the border, Central America holds most of the world’s poorest countries, and Asia (who’s primary country is China) is vastly known for its low wage factories and government influence.
Being someone who was born from two Cuban immigrants, I’ve always want to go back and visit the rest of my family and none the less move travel so I was curious as to what drives these individuals to migrate to the U.S.
if coming here illegally means they can not move around freely? What persuades most of these individuals to illegally migrate to the U.S. are family connections and hope for a better life (Nasser).The United States is considered one of the most economically and technological advanced nations in the world. We have a somewhat fair justice system compared to other nations and a constitution that supports all human rights. Wages in the United States are much higher that in third world countries, and money is a major necessity in life. Countries like Honduras and Nicaragua don’t have a stable government or provide a secure environment, which is one of the reasons why I believe most people, migrate here. They want their kids to grow up somewhere safe that isn’t being threatened by gang members or rebels planning to overthrow the government. Mexico, on the other hand, does promote a completely fair, democratic government yet Mexicans hold the highest numbers of immigrants which makes you wonder why? Disregarding the obvious fact that their border is right under ours, another reason that cannot be completely proved is the a statement implying that it is a country that is run on bribery and deception, which I have heard from many people. Most importantly, most of
these undocumented people want an education for themselves and their kids to be able to be successful in life. Given the circumstances, if I were placed in any of these situations I would do everything I needed to do in order to get out.
Furthermore, those who are not educated on the subject might wonder what is the big deal?
Who cares if people from foreign countries want to live here and why is it a crime? Well the simple answer to that, is all about money. Since Illegal immigrants cannot hold a legal job, they find a way to hold an illegal job and since they are not paying back taxes it creates a large deficit for the United Sates (Camarota). The fiscal policy is the way by which the government adjusts its levels of spending in order to monitor and influence our nations economy. Basically if the government is using x amount of money on public expenses it expects x amount of money back in order to maintain a steady economy. Illegal immigrants come to the U.S. and enroll their children in schools, receive most benefits and work hard but do not rein burst the money that they were indirectly given back into the nations economy, creating an unsteady debt which is what stimulates the argument that their residence here steals from “true Americans”. Ever wonder why someone who illegally enters the country is granted residency if they win the lotto or why Shakira is allowed to live in Miami if she was born in Colombia? Well as previously stated the answer is money. Since the lotto or fortune declares that you are not a financial burden to the United States the status of your residency is granted. Once again, given the certain circumstances, if I was a Governor or President and my job was to protect my country I
can understand why this would be problematic.
Since there is a great variation of countries and age groups in which migrate to the U.S., the next question I explored was whether or not the same rules on immigration status apply to all? The answer is no. Starting off with countries, presented by the Wet feet, Dry feet policy, Cubans are the only immigrants that are allowed to remain in the United States if they touch American soil due to the fact that they are fleeing for asylum because Cuba is run by a dictatorship ("US Immigration support"). This means that if any individual not from a Cuban background is caught already on U.S. soil or commits a crime they are detained and furthermore deported. What the United States fails to recognize on this matter is that although a country is not being run by a dictatorship it doesn’t mean that they do not live under the same circumstances. Not only is the law bias by country of birth, it is also bias by state. According to Arizona SB 1070, all immigrants in Arizona are required to travel with the specified 4 proofs of documentation everywhere they go (“CNN”). What this bill gives rise to is the right for any police officer to ask anyone whom they detain for a crime or traffic violation and suspect of not being a natural born citizen to show proof of their immigration status. If the individual is a legal immigrant and by some coincidence did not carry their 4 proofs of documentation with them on that day they are fined depending on how many offenses they have, but if the individual does not posses their 4 proofs of documentation and is in fact an illegal immigrant they are arrested and consequences are applied. All in all, my opinion in what this bill does is open the door for racial profiling because the basis of asking someone to show their proof of documentation is solely based on looks. Since California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas are the countries closest to the Mexican border this bill is disguised to be for a noble purpose when in fact it is just that states way in trying to deport its illegal immigrants. When it comes to age groups, the government does not care if you were a minor when your parents crossed the border, any day you spend on U.S. territory after the day you turn 18 is considered a crime against the government. Hunger, crime, and political instability are matters that are spread all over third world countries and it is not necessarily fair that as a superior country we sit in our air conditioned homes not knowing what others go through. I understand that we cant just open our gates up to everyone, but I do think our view should be more than one sided.
Basically, the most significant question is if in fact there are ways to migrate to the U.S. legally, why do these people put themselves in the middle of this big issue? Or why cant they just be patient and follow our laws in coming to the United States legally? Well the problem with that is that it is a lengthy process that doesn’t even promise you an acceptance (McGregor). U.S. citizenship is the end of a very long road, the final reward for legal immigrants (Green card holders) who have lived many years as lawful permanent residents in the U.S. They need to prove "good moral character," provide income tax returns, meet residency requirements and pass an English and civics test. Getting there takes many years, many immigration steps and interviews, and many thousands of dollars in fees alone. In order to get an immigrant visa to the U.S., the foreigner needs to be the close relative (child, parent, or spouse) of a U.S. citizen, a multi-millionaire investor, or an exclusive professional with a doctorate degree and international recognition. Only such people can immigrate to the U.S. period. One way around this is a work visa (which is a non-immigrant visa), the foreigner needs to have at least some academic degree and needs to be petitioned by a U.S. company or government. When being petitioned by a company, the specific company has to show prove that nobody among the millions of unemployed people in the U.S. can do what the individual they want, can do. It involves labor certification and high costs for the company. Any random person picking strawberries in the plantation does not qualify. Another example is a visitor’s visa, In order to obtain one, (which also is a non-immigrant visa), the foreigner needs to prove that he will return to his home country once the vacation is over. What they want to see is owner ship of real estate, a government job, plenty of money in the bank, and family ties. As you can see, there is no line or waitlist for people who want to come to the U.S. An architect, attorney or doctor from Finland, England, Italy or France has a rare chance in acquiring permanent residency then you can see what little of hope there is for a family of 4 suffering from poverty.
In conclusion when being asked why the United States contains such a large portion of immigrants on a yearly basis, this is the main reasoning why. Due to its complexity level, the exceptions of some and the number of immigrants who cheat the system everyday finding a solution to this problem anytime soon is highly unlikely. On a yearly basis individuals who in the long run hold a job and a family here, if caught, can be sent back to the country from which they originated from and separating them from their family. One thing I did learn throughout my research process is a clear view on both sides of the issue, while I do agree that an economical balance needs to be kept I do believe that this issue needs to be resolved into a situation that can benefit both parties and make it easier for individuals to uphold their residency or citizenship. One thing politicians should remember is the fact no matter how many generations of your family are natural born Americans, in the end of the day we should all be considered illegal because unless you are a Native American, our ancestors were also immigrants to this country. After all, what is the point in being this great nation that everyone looks up and is proud to represent if we cant show kindness to those less fortunate?

Works Cited
Camorata, Steven. "The High Cost of Cheap Labor: Illegal Immigration and the Federal Budget." Center for immigration studies. N.p., Aug 2004. Web. 8 Mar 2012.
Germano, Roy. "How many illegal immigrants live in the United States and where do they come from?." The other side of Immigration. N.p., 12 mar 2011. Web. 7 Mar 2012.
McGregor, Nicole. "Coming to America legally." AZ central. N.p., 27 Apr 2010. Web. 8 Mar 2012.
Nesser, Haya. "Family, better jobs pull Mexicans to USA." USA Today. N.p., 07 Dec 2005. Web. 8 Mar 2012.
Unknown. "Wet foot-dry foot." US Immigration support. N.p., 2011. Web. 8 Mar 2012.
Unknown. "What does Arizona 's immigration law do?." CNN. N.p., 23 Apr 2010. Web. 8 Mar 2012.