Running head: MELTING POT 1

Melting Pot:

Immigration in America

Tiffany Briggs

Saginaw Valley State University

Abstract

This paper will weigh the benefits and disadvantages of immigration in the United States. Many

people feel very differently about immigration. Some people feel as though the immigrants are

living here freely, taking legal citizens’ opportunities at available careers while others think those

who are illegal help our country. Therefore, the immigration law flopped. So, how exactly does

America plan to regulate its immigration and enforce immigration law?

Melting Pot: Immigration in America

America was founded on immigration. Without it, we would not be where we are today

but as time has progressed, immigration has become a problem in this country. Everyday more

and more people are crossing the border into the “mixing pot” we call America. They all have

the same hope of the life that America has promised for years. Recently, immigration has

become a major issue and is constantly being debated by the United States government and it’s

citizens.

Background Review

Immigration Through the Years

Immigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and

cultural change throughout much of the history of the United States. The economic, social, and

political aspects of immigration have caused much controversy to America’s ethnicity, economic

benefits, jobs for non-immigrants, crime and voting behavior. Since the liberalization of

immigration policy in 1965, the number of first-generation immigrants living in the United States

has quadrupled. 1,046,539 people were naturalized as U.S. citizens in 2008. The leading

emigrating countries to the United States were Mexico, India, and the Philippines.

While an invasion of new residents from different cultures presents some challenges, "the

United States has always been energized by its immigrant populations," said President Bill

Clinton in 1998. "America has constantly drawn strength and spirit from wave after wave of

immigrants [...] They have proved to be the most restless, the most adventurous, the most

innovative, the most industrious of people."

Recent debates on immigration have called for increasing enforcement by the

government of existing laws in regards to illegal immigrants, ideas such as building a barrier

along some or the entire U.S.-Mexico border, or creating a new guest worker program. Arizona

government took this issue into their hands in April of 2010. That month marked a passage of an

Arizona statue that would allow police offers to check suspicious person’s immigration status

when they feel necessary. Arizona would be the first state to demand that immigrants meet the

federal requirements to carry identity documents proving their citizenship. But on July 28, 2010

(one day before the law was to take effect) the most important aspects were banned. The aspects

included the call for officers to check suspicious persons’ immigration status when they felt

necessary. Through much of 2006, the country and Congress was immersed in a debate about

these proposals. As of April 2010, few of these proposals had become law, though a partial

border fence was approved. Therefore, the law flopped and Arizona, as well as the rest of the

United States is at a loss at what to do about this issue.

Why Illegal Immigration is Considered Crime

Each year the United States Border Patrol makes more than a million anxieties of aliens

who openly violate our nation's laws by unlawfully crossing U.S. borders. Entering as so is a

misdemeanor, but, if repeated, becomes punishable as a felony.

Besides sneaking into the country (referred to as "entry without inspection — EWI") in

violation of the immigration law, others enter with legal documentation and then violate the

terms on which they have been admitted. The immigration authorities currently estimate that

about two-thirds of all illegal immigrants are EWIs and the remainder is overstayers. Both types
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of illegal immigrants are deportable under Immigration and Nationality Act which says: "Any

alien who is present in the United States in violation of this Act or any other law of the United

States is deportable."Supporters for illegal immigration try to paint it as a victimless crime, but

the fact is that illegal immigration causes substantial harm to American citizens and legal

immigrants, particularly those in the most vulnerable sectors of our population — the poor,

minorities, and children.

Illegal immigration also tends to cause an enormous drain on public funding. The

groundbreaking study of the costs of immigration by the National Academy of Sciences found

that the taxes paid by immigrants do not even begin to cover the cost of services they receive. IN

return, job competition by the waves of illegal immigrants desperate for any job unfairly

depresses the wages and working conditions offered to American workers, hitting hardest at

minority workers and those without high school degrees.

While most illegal immigrants may come only to seek work and a better economic

opportunity, their presence outside the law furnishes an opportunity for terrorists to blend into

the same shadows while they target the American public for their terrorist crimes. Some people

advocate giving illegal aliens legal status to bring them out of the shadows, but, if we

accommodate illegal immigration by offering legal status, this will be seen abroad as a message

that we condone illegal immigration, and we will forever be faced with the problem.

What Is Being Done

The Border Patrol plays a crucial role in combating illegal immigration, but illegal

immigration cannot be controlled solely at the border. The overstayers as well as the EWIs who

get past the Border Patrol must be identified and removed by the interior immigration inspectors
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of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). There must be a comprehensive effort to end

illegal immigration. That requires ensuring that illegal aliens will not be able to obtain

employment, public assistance benefits, public education, public housing, or any other taxpayer-

funded benefit without first receiving a background check ensuring their citizenship.

The three major components of immigration control — deterrence, apprehension and

removal—need to be strengthened by Congress and the Executive Branch if effective control is

ever to be reestablished. Starting to take hold by the Arizona law and then not passing it in its

entirety only set the government back on this debate. Controlling illegal immigration would

require a balanced approach with the enforcement and constant updates. These include many

governmental reforms, intensified investigation capacity, document organization improvements,

major improvements in detention and deportation procedures and added resources.

Conclusion
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References

Briggs, V. M. (2003). Mass immigration and the national interest: policy directions for the new

century. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe

Buchanan P.J. (2006). State of emergency. New York City: Thomas Bunne Books.

Hayworth, J.D.(2006). Whatever it takes: illegal immigration, border security and the war on

terror. Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publishing.

Immigration and emigration. (2010, September 17). The New York Times. Retrieved from

http://nytimes.com

Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) (2005, March) Illegal immigration is a

crime. Retrieved from http://www.fairus.org