Introduction
Illegal immigration can be interpreted as the migration of individuals into a different country by violating the immigration laws of that country or residing in that country without legal rights (Rugy, 2018). Through illegal immigration, a person risks getting detained, sanctioned or even deported. Currently, in America, President Donald Trump continues to place more focus on the issue of immigration, primarily based on the national security crisis caused at the southern border. The dangerous and unsanitary conditions at the migrant detention facilities along with the United States- Mexican border continue to add fuel to the immigration debates. This essay argues that illegal immigration continues to be a significant political debate in the United States, as policymakers suggest security, economic and humanitarian concerns in borders, local and state-based on immigration laws and measures.
Discussions
Firstly, when it comes to security concerns, the States is continuously caught between legal ethos and their abilities to secure borders effectively. Examining policy implementation regarding security reveals that the United States has attempted to re-invent their modes of immigration regulation and also adopting converging techniques, by shifting their level of policymaking to non-state actors that have political and economic resources that curtail and facilitate travel and mitigation returns (Davis, 2018). For instance, the Department of Homeland Security commits to the enforcement of immigration, to secure borders and keep Americans safe; it acts to disrupt cartels, nefarious actors and smugglers including through persecuting all those that cross the border illegally and deploying the National Guard to the borders. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), outlined more than twice the number of individuals that were prevented or apprehended at the Southern border in 2018 (Emery, 2019). Securing the borders continues to be a significant issue as most individuals who are accorded rights according to different laws, continue to break the rules and make life difficult for others by conducting illegal activities.
Secondly, illegal immigration has posed concerns on the growth of the economy of the United States. Immigrants make up at least 16 per cent of the overall workforce in America (Robertson, 2018). According to the Pew Research Center, those that work as domestic employees are at least 45 per cent, the textile manufacturing is comprised of 30 per cent while 32 per cent is occupied in accommodation of immigrants (Robertson, 2018). Studies indicate that the absence of illegal immigrants will lead to a decline in the economy of America from 173 million in 2015 to at least 165 million by 2030. If levels of immigrants remain steady, the workforce might grow to more than 184 million (Robertson, 2018). With these economic concerns, the American congress considers reforms with some comprehensive while others are piecemeal. Comprehensive immigration considers the legal status of undocumented immigrants, low and high skilled labour demands, border security and internal enforcement. To control the economy of America, Trump has acted to keep out immigrants that will need taxpayer services funds like Medicaid and food benefits; the courts cleared the administration to implement the policy (Davis, 2018). Generally, debates increase on the high costs of low-income immigrants and their utilisation of public utilities including education and also their impacts on the growth of the economy including excellent work specialization, a well-educated workforce, and better skills that math occupations.
Thirdly, there are significant concerns by policymakers on humanitarian efforts towards illegal immigration (Emery, 2019). While Congress approved humanitarian aid plans for the migrants at the US-Mexico border, there continues to be a political crisis over how to deal with immigrants that want to get into the United States. Most migrants die when they try to access the borders including Salvadorian father and daughter whose photographed bodies lied face down in the river near the border; a photo that has resulted in condemnation (Emery, 2019). According to Donald Trump, the circumstances at the southern border can be described as an invasion. He even declared it a national emergency to force the funding of his planned border wall. Opponents, however, continue to suggest that the government led by Trump has produced a manufactured crisis on the issue regarding illegal immigration. Generally, measures kept to the illegal entrance and asylum seekers in recent years include; decreasing the number of asylum cases processed daily, asylum seekers that cross illegally have to wait for adjudication across the border in Mexico and claims for gang violence and domestic violence will no longer qualify for asylum grounds in the United States (Krogtard, 2019). Humanitarian activists continue to fight for the higher law to elude charges that immigrants are acting illegally. At the same time, they seek assurance on whether the actions of immigrants are within the law.
Conclusion
Illegal immigration continues to be a significant political debate in the United States, as policymakers suggest security, economic and humanitarian concerns; this is because States continue to experience variations in how unauthorized immigrants are handled. Some states like California are allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for driving licences, to obtain tuition in colleges and other humanitarian benefits, while States like Arizona pass laws that permit the police to question individuals that they suspect of unauthorized immigration statuses. The extent to which local officials can cooperate with the federal authorities regarding illegal immigration is a topic for intense debate. Generally, the national authority should reinforce immigration laws, but it delegates some of the laws to the local and state enforcement. Most states and local governments limit cooperation with the federal authorities. Some state in America continues to protest the border security measures set by Trump, citing that they promote separation of immigrant families. Up to date, there lacks any officially agreed definition of what it means to provide a sanctuary for immigrants. Debates go on whether the term applies to certain localities and states since state and local jurisdictions are experiencing distinct reasons for cooperating with the federal immigration enforcement efforts on economic, security and humanitarian issues; reasons for these include disagreements with federal policies such as the concerns with civil liabilities and the costs that are associated with aiding federal efforts. Some policies also do not allow local states to look into a person’s immigration status.
