The term Immigration policy reform describes proposals to increase or maintain legal migration and decreasing the illegal immigration.
The major issues addressed in immigration reform are legal immigration and illegal immigration. A lot of interest is on border security, national security, the American worker and economics, societal issues and impacts, population and environment and legislative issues. Legal immigration concerns the number of immigrants, naturalization, legal options, dual nationality, public charge exclusion, chain migration and entry paths such as the employer, Asylum, family, refuge and lottery (Dixon and Maureen 4).
Illegal immigration is also a controversial issue. Immigration enforcement proponents argue that the illegal immigration tarnishes the immigrants public image and is cost effective for the taxpayers. It risks the safety of the citizens and officials involved in law enforcement, covers how many people move to the country, the crime associated with immigration and the immigration costs. Other concerns such as social security, public health, employment, attrition, temporary protection, Cubans and the Mexican government are also a concern (Dixon and Maureen 13).
Border security includes terrorism issues and entry and exit tracking to ensure that there are no illegal entries into the country hence security. National security is about exit and entry records being well kept by the immigration department, having a secure ID, the Visa Waiver program and policy recommendations (Nowrasteh, 4). The issue of the American worker and economics addresses the welfare of the workers, wages, job displacement, free agreements of trade and employers sanctions. The societal issue explains the poverty levels of the country, hate crimes, revanchists, the schools and their environments, non-citizen voting, assimilation and opinion polls. Population aspects such as growth, distribution and demographical representation by gender, age, religion, and education levels are issues addressed in immigration policy reform. The environment should be capable of supporting the human life, being pollution free and has fresh water and other resources.
All through her career, Hilary Clinton has had a commitment to immigration rights. During the presidential campaigns, Hilary presented proposals on how she would fix the broken immigration system and remain loyal to the fundamental values of Americans of treating all those coming to the country with respect and dignity, embrace them without denigrating them (Hillary par.1). In her manifesto, Hilary pledged that she would introduce a comprehensive reform of immigration that would lead to equal and full citizenship within the first 100 days of her in office.
According to her, this would grant every person dignity they deserve, fix Visa backlog of the family and ensure national security and border protection. People have to adhere to the rule of law, and the formal economy would be joined by millions of reliable people (Hilary par. 2). Another issue Hilary had proposed was to bring an end to three- and -ten-year bars that lead to heartbreaking dilemma especially those with different citizenship or status of immigration that make to obtain a green card to leave the country and the loved ones are left behind.
Hilary in her manifesto would defend DACA and DAPA, executive actions of President Obama against attacks by partisans hence protection of dreamers, lawful residents and parents of the Americans (Hilarypar.3). Hilary had promised to protect families especially those with sensitive cases for example cases of labor violations, having a community contribution history and the parents of children with big dreams in their lives.
Another issue addressed in Hilarys proposal was the humane enforcement of the laws of immigration where she said that immigration enforcement has to be compassionate and efficient. In her leadership, she would focus resources on deporting and detaining individuals who are threats to the safety of the public.
With Hilary Clinton as the president, there would be no more detention centers for close private immigration and family prisons for people who arrive at the borders desperately (Hilary par.5). Hilary would ensure access to reasonable health care to all families despite the immigration status of the individual and health insurance allowed to the families wishing to purchase them (Hilary par. 6).
Hilary Clinton would promote naturalization. There would be fee waiver expansion with the aim of alleviating costs of the adoption and have increased language programs access to improve English proficiency. Hilary supported immigration integration and would create Immigrant Affairs national office and would significantly increase the federal resources for English language development for adults and enhance citizenship education (Hilary par.10).
Donald Trump too had a great vision for Americans. He pledged that he would start new immigration controls that would increase wages and ensure that the American workers are the ones offered open jobs first, with prioritized salaries, security, and employment for the US people (Robert Law par.3). Trumps leadership would protect the legal immigrants economic well-being. He would end the catch and release in that individuals who cross the border illegally would be put in prison until when their removal out of the country. Trump was highly willing to collaborate with the federal, local and state law enforcement to terminate non-enforcement policies administration of Obama which permits thousands of criminal aliens in the US states.
Trump would see the end of sanctuary cities in the US and instantly terminate the two unlawful executive amnesties of President Obama. Under his administration visas would be issued only at places that allow adequate screening. In his leadership, foreign countries will have to take back their people when deportation orders are issued (Trump par.8). A biometric entry and exit system for tracking visas was to be in place. There would be an end to the jobs and benefits of immigrants who move to the US illegally which is prohibited by the federal law. Legal immigration would reform to serve the interests of the American workers and America as a nation ensuring that the levels of immigration are within the historical norms (Trump par.9).
For decades there have been no suitable solutions for immigration reform issue which has been tough. The decision to act outside of the Congress by President Obama does not answer the question of what to do with immigration (Carson par.2). The Congress must instead use the lawmaking powers in fixing broken systems that only a legislative solution fix. The Congress has to adopt a bipartisan fashion to stimulate the American peoples confidence.
When solving the immigration problem, there must be an understanding of the why of its existence (Carson par.4). Its worth noting that America is a place of dreams where many individuals from the other countries admire to live. At the moment the borders are very porous and inconsistent and unenthusiastic enforcement of the immigration laws. There are welfare programs that ensure quick health care and jobs access, and public support. Solutions should focus on a bipartisan approach addressing the population that is undocumented at a particular time and discouragement of further illegal immigrations.
Having tight border security together with the forcible mass deportation of undocumented immigrants can help solve the immigration problem (Dixon and Maureen, 14). The removal of the visa lottery program that grants visas by pure luck regardless of education, skills, and family ties can be helpful since it does not serve the national interest. Reduction of unnecessary worker visas is another solution. An immigration freeze can help American workers. There has to be freezing of all immigrations apart from the nuclear families and refugees as the American job markets struggle. There also should be a reduction in the refugee and the visa fraud.
The solution to illegal immigration would be the removal of public benefits, jobs, along with incentives that have the potential of encouraging individuals fight to be illegal aliens in America (Dixon and Maureen, 14). The key factors here are the employers verifying the employees eligibility by the use of the E-Verify system, enforcement of the existing laws of immigration, completion of the biometric entry and exit system approved by the Congress and through border security improvements.
The legislative proposals being considered currently in the U.S, local governments and states are based on fixing the broken system of immigration. There would be prioritization of felons, secure borders and also undocumented immigrants will be held accountable through the pass criminal checks and fair tax pay and modernization of the immigration system (Obama par. 4). The four principles of dealing with the immigration reform policy include continued border security strengthening, streamlining of legal immigration, earned citizenship and crack down on employers who hire undocumented workers.
Strengthening of border security will give maximum protection to the communities rendering them crime free, enhance technology and infrastructure and increase the ability to apprehend and prosecute any threats to the national security as well as remove criminals from the country (Obama par.5). Legal immigration ought to be simple and very efficient and rewarding to any person ready to play by the states rules and work hard. About the creation of citizenship acquisition path, the Congress should provide to the undocumented immigrants a legal procedure of acquiring citizenship to enable them adhere to the rules like other people and make it possible for them to pay their taxes.
The immigration reform issue is debatable. The first benefit of immigration reform is boosting the economy by the influx of workers. The availability of immigrants either legally or illegally adds to a states GDP as the immigrants produce the labor force (Weidenbaum par.1). Like other residents, immigrants are consumers of the nations products, and this favors business in the U.S (Nowrasteh 8).
The next pros to immigration reform support that immigrants are capable of producing jobs. Workers in America from other countries are better employees and share their skills in the job well and quickly start personal businesses. Added tax revenues are another advantage of immigrants. Undocumented immigrants wait for about ten years before attaining a green card and during this period they pay taxes which are revenue generating to the U.S government (Camayd &Erik par.1).
Having an approximate of 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S makes the legal citizens suffer underemployment. Thus immigration reform pushes the illegal immigrants to move out and work legally or else failure to comply leaves them with no other choice than being extradited out of the country (Bernard & Kevin par.1).
The immigration reform proponents argue that immigration drains American resources (Esses &Victoria par.3). First, immigrants carry to the U.S problems related to those of language barrier and cultural differences that are mostly not easy to resolve causing hostility. Secondly, the jobs in the U.S are not adequate to serve the immigrants and the Americas and hence competition results.
Most Americans enjoy some degree of prosperity which immigrants may prevent them from enjoying. (Elizabeth et al., par.1). Therefore, closing the immigration will protect the Americans well-being. Some f the immigrants into the U.S lack the skills needed in most jobs making them depend on the welfare of the American taxpayers. The result of illegal immigration is millions of cash being spent on...
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