Social Action Research Paper: Illegal Immigration
Mary Damiano
Ms. Protos
9th Honors Literature
March 29, 2010
Illegal Immigration: Striving for the American Dream John Kavanaugh, professor of philosophy at Saint Louis University, declared that “Between twelve and fourteen million illegal aliens live in the United States today” (8). Illegal Immigration seems to be a persistent issue throughout the United States. Not to mention that “59% of all Illegal Immigrants are from Mexico” (Kempa 1). The plethora of Mexicans crossing the US and Mexican border is only increasing each year. Miriam Raftery states that “an equivalent of two Illegal aliens cross the border each day in search for a better life, but not all make it as they had dreamed” (1). The United States may be called the dreamland, but for some people it is like a journey through hell. Illegal Immigration from Mexico has problems such as increasing death rates in the Mexican population, dangerous abuse of human trafficking laws, struggle to survive, and the sabotage, vandalism, and treatment along the border that need solutions such as amnesty, following the Illegal alien laws in Mexico, and background checks on Illegal Immigrants. Since the United States has improved the security on the border; Mexicans are now having to come up with more creative ways to cross. These ways are unsafe and in turn is taking the death toll to a new high. For example, “In 2008 alone 10,000 Mexicans died crossing the border which is three times as many deaths than in the nine eleven terrorist attacks” (Raftery 1). These extreme deaths rates are inhumane. People are dying of starvation, uncleanliness, and pure torture by los coyotes; the people that help bring the Illegals to the states. Mexicans are left deserted in the middle of the desert or might have to crawl through pitch black sewer lines just to get to the other side of the border. Some even have to climb barbed wired fences and end up injured. The death toll among the Mexicans has sky rocketed and needs to be stop
Ms. Protos
9th Honors Literature
March 29, 2010
Illegal Immigration: Striving for the American Dream John Kavanaugh, professor of philosophy at Saint Louis University, declared that “Between twelve and fourteen million illegal aliens live in the United States today” (8). Illegal Immigration seems to be a persistent issue throughout the United States. Not to mention that “59% of all Illegal Immigrants are from Mexico” (Kempa 1). The plethora of Mexicans crossing the US and Mexican border is only increasing each year. Miriam Raftery states that “an equivalent of two Illegal aliens cross the border each day in search for a better life, but not all make it as they had dreamed” (1). The United States may be called the dreamland, but for some people it is like a journey through hell. Illegal Immigration from Mexico has problems such as increasing death rates in the Mexican population, dangerous abuse of human trafficking laws, struggle to survive, and the sabotage, vandalism, and treatment along the border that need solutions such as amnesty, following the Illegal alien laws in Mexico, and background checks on Illegal Immigrants. Since the United States has improved the security on the border; Mexicans are now having to come up with more creative ways to cross. These ways are unsafe and in turn is taking the death toll to a new high. For example, “In 2008 alone 10,000 Mexicans died crossing the border which is three times as many deaths than in the nine eleven terrorist attacks” (Raftery 1). These extreme deaths rates are inhumane. People are dying of starvation, uncleanliness, and pure torture by los coyotes; the people that help bring the Illegals to the states. Mexicans are left deserted in the middle of the desert or might have to crawl through pitch black sewer lines just to get to the other side of the border. Some even have to climb barbed wired fences and end up injured. The death toll among the Mexicans has sky rocketed and needs to be stop
Bibliography: Kavanaugh, John. “Amnesty?” America March 10, 2009. SIRS Knowledge Source. Web. 14 Mar. 2010 Kempa, David. “Why Do Millions Risk Their Lives To Cross The Border” News 21 January 28, 2010. SIRS Knowledge Source. Web. 14 Mar. 2010 Raftery, Miriam. “Dying to Come to America- Immigrant Death Toll Soars” East County Magazine. East County Magazine, Sept. 2008. Web. 14 Mar. 2010 Scaliger, Charles. “Double Standard on Immigration” The New American. The New American, 11 June. 2007. Web. 14 Mar. 2010 “A Solution to Illegal Immigration.” US Border Patrol. Neuter Mexican, 2008. Web. 14 Mar. 2010.