Immigration Reform : The United States

In the United States, immigration has been high topic of debate. As of 2015, 13.5 percent of the United States population of 321.4 billion were immigrants (Jie). Immigration has been shaping the way America works for many years now. It has brought changes to the economy, workforce, culture, language and politics just to name a few changes. America is often referred to as the melting pot of cultures. Where the “American dream” can be reached as long as you are willing to work hard. However, citizens also demand strict boarders to prevent illegal workers but we still want the free movement of goods. A lot of legislative bills have been past in recent years that have brought change to immigration and the way it is done. The top five bills that have affected the country are as follows; The Immigration Reform and Control Act, IRCA, of 1986 penalized employees for hiring unauthorized workers. However, did nothing towards changing the immigration system or provide resources to implement the employer sanctions provisions. The Immigration Act of 1990 overhauled the immigration system by raising the number of permanent vistas form 290,000 to 675,000 and allotted 555,000 visas annually of underserved counties. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibly Act, IIRAIRA, of 1996 dealt with government spending and a three or ten year bar on returning to the United States for people who were caught without proper documentations from applying for asylum status within one year

“Pelosi said, "It is more important to pass comprehensive immigration reform, to me and to my caucus, than to win the election in November” (Foley, 2014). That was what Joe Garcia was trying to accomplish with his policy H.R. 15.

Comprehensive immigration reform has been a pressing issue in the United States (U.S.) for decades. Immigration reform was one of the major platforms the President used to campaign and draw an unprecedented amount of Latino support. Six years after those promises were made, Congress and the President continue to disagree about the methodology and necessary framework for such reform. Each has proposed different approaches to solving immigration. Conservatives have pushed for stricter enforcement of current immigration laws as well increased deportations without exceptions. The President and his fellow Democrats have aimed for an immigration theory that can appeal to humanitarian and economic perspectives.

In this paper I will discuss how the United States needs a new immigration policy that is based less on wishful thinking and more on realism. Spending vast sums of money trying to enforce arbitrary numerical limits on immigration that bear no relationship to economic reality is a fool’s errand. We need flexible limits on immigration that rise and fall with U.S. labor demand, coupled with strict enforcement of tough wage and labor laws that protect all workers, regardless of where they were born. We need to respect the natural human desire for family reunification, while recognizing that even family-based immigrants are unlikely to come here if jobs are not available. And we need to

The United States of America, a country created by immigrants, is currently facing what some consider to be an immigration crisis. As of 2012, there is over eleven million undocumented illegal aliens living inside the United States. Both the American public and the lawmakers elected to represent us are divided on the issue. Some people view the influx of immigrants crossing over the border from Mexico to America as a good thing while others view it as a disaster waiting to happen. Regardless of ones view on immigrants coming over, most people are in agreement with the idea that we must change the way we are currently dealing with illegal aliens.

According to U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, in the year 1906, the month of June 29th, President Theodore Roosevelt approved a reformed that caused significant changes in immigration in the United States. That reform is called the Naturalization Act of 1906 which again, changed the immigration reform in the U.S. That law provided immigrants an opportunity to gain a U.S citizenship. But as of today how the terrorist or other things that are happening in the U.S is causing a big problem in becoming a U.S citizen. As of this society, to become a U.s citizen today is more difficult than it was in the back then. But, as of that law, today’s immigrants may have the opportunity to become a U.S citizen. But, what does it take for an immigrant

Many immigrants working without permits, and again, getting payed under the table. This is illegal on the part of the employer and only makes the problem worse because of the amount of people that do this, and allow more illegals to work in the country undocumented.

The dilemma of immigration reform is a problematic issue in the United States because it involves the lives of more than 11 million illegal immigrants and the economy of the United States. Immigration reform is a commonly debated issue in politics in the United States. The problem with illegal immigration is the incapacity of Congress to pass reforms addressing border security issues and the dilemmas of the 11.6 million illegal immigrants in the country. It is time for the congress to develop a proper immigration reform policy that would address the following: 1. Reinforce the country’s border security 2.Stricter workplace enforcement verification process and punishment for those hiring illegal aliens 3. Create a path for illegal immigrations to become U.S citizens and 4. Reorganize the legal immigration system. In 2013 a group of senators known as the “gang of eight” wrote the first draft of the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity (S. 744) and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 also known as the “immigration bill.”” The House of Representatives has not acted on this bill after it passed the Senate with a 68-32-vote margin. (Wolgin,

There are few topics in America as controversial as illegal immigration. With the standards of living for the lower-class workers in Mexico as poor as they are, hundreds of men, women and children cross America’s southern border illegally every year in search of better opportunities for themselves and their offspring. As the 2016 presidential election has illustrated, America is very split on the issue. Republican nominee Donald Trump has stated that if elected president he will build a massive wall along America’s southern border, and that illegal immigrants will be deported en masse. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, has stated that she will lead immigration reform if elected. While America has not yet decided who will

Immigration has been a major issue in the United States, especially after the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 was passed. Once the act became a law, the immigration flow increased. Most of the immigration was from people crossing the border that splits Mexico and the United States. The Democrats and Republicans have fairly different views on this issue. The Republican Party believes that a system should be put in place to ensure that illegal immigrants do not receive the same benefits as people who have always been in the United States legally. Although, the party does not completely agree on how extreme the system should be. One thing most Republicans do agree on is that giving illegal immigrants amnesty only encourages immigration and puts the safety of American citizens at risk.

The Immigration debate in America has become a household topic in 2016 given the controversies surrounding it. Immigration laws in the United States are set in place to help control how many can immigrate into the country every year. As expected with any controversial topic, there are proponents for the implementation of Immigration reform and those that strongly oppose it. Those in support of the reform cite more security for American citizens while those who oppose it focused on the decline of the American economy. In this essay, I will be discussing the reasoning of those who support immigration reform as well as the reasoning of others who oppose the proposed reform. Secondly, I will discuss the responses to this issue by President Donald

President Trump backed a bill on August 2, 2017 which is titled The Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act, that if passed, would cut legal immigration in half over the next ten years from one million down to five hundred thousand per year. The bill would also put emphasis on skill of a potential immigrant rather than their family ties to the United States. I believe that this bill if passed would help the United States of America by reducing the amount of people looking for jobs and giving American workers more opportunities.

The United States faces serious issues surrounding current immigration policy. The situation produces debates throughout the country and a further divided congress, a scared nation, and scattered troops. Solutions have been presented in the form of very big walls, complex tracking systems, and overly simplified exportation of illegal aliens. However, no real steps of action have been agreed upon to rectify the situation. The US boast in its diversity; stemming from immigrants seeking recovery and opportunity. In the past, the nation thrived under the minds and views of many different peoples and cultures. The US people and government gradually showed themselves to be a dominant international force in the global community. Because of the melting pot of backgrounds, innovation thrived in the medical, science, mathematical, and engineering fields. Policy in the last 50 years naturally migrated towards the progressive attitude of nation, affected by the large population of immigrants, but the attitude changed detrimentally and dramatically after the attacks on 9/11. Based on fear and anxiety, many immigration policies were changed to protect citizens from reliving such a catastrophic event once again. The AIC, American Immigration Council, summarizes the purpose of Immigration law as “the reunification of families, admitting immigrants with skills that are valuable to the U.S. economy, protecting refugees, and promoting diversity.” (How the United)

In what could arguably have been the shot heard around the world during the 2012 election year, President Obama in June issued an executive order suspending deportations of low-priority undocumented immigrants under the age of 30 (Office of the Press Secretary, 2012). The order targeted young Hispanics who had been brought to the United States by their parents years ago, the so-called 'Dreamers.' During the rest of the campaign, Obama spent considerable time courting the minority vote based on the assumption that his position on immigration reform would be more appealing to Hispanic voters than his opponent's (Boyer, 2012). His gamble seems to have paid off.

Reforming the system has wide support from Wall Street, advocacy groups, the American people, and politicians. “Billionaires Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Sheldon Adelson urged congress to regulate the flow of immigrants coming to the United States and provide them a path to citizenship. They highlighted the economic value to the U.S. if lawmakers made it easier for skilled foreigners to work in the country, and the need for dealing with the undocumented population in ways allegedly true to Americas forgiving and generous traditions” (Tonolesen, 1). As recently as the 2014 midterm elections the majority of potential voters were found to support comprehensive immigration reform. As many as forty-four percent of the electorate considered reform an important issue;