Children In Immigrant Families example essay topic

Illegal Immigrants of American Society A Realistic Approach At present, the U.S. immigration system is burdened both by policy and implementation challenges. It is barely able to meet the commitments required by law and policy and is ill-prepared to address new challenges and mandates. Agreement that the system is broken may be the only point of consensus among many diverse stakeholders. The Task Force believes that immigration laws and policies are broken in four ways: .

There is an increasing disconnection between law and reality that undermines the rule of law, breeds disrespect for American values and institutions, and makes it more difficult to garner domestic support for immigration and advance U.S. values overseas... Some immigration policies hamper rather than encourage economic growth, impeding responses to global economic changes and cyclical industry needs... Immigration policies have not adequately addressed threats to national security... Immigration integration policy is nearly nonexistent, especially at the federal level, leaving state and local governments to absorb the consequences of federally established immigration policy. According to Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, immigrants long have been part of the American landscape, reflecting our country's values and traditions. During the last decade the Midwest has seen a resurgence of its long-established tradition of immigration.

Nine of twelve Midwest states had foreign-born populations that grew faster than the national average during the 1990's. These immigrants are preventing population decline, reinvigorating economic growth, and contributing to cultural diversity. Unfortunately, most immigration discussions tend to overlook the heartland of the country and our long and continuing experience with immigrants. Some in the Midwest believe that immigration here, important in itself, also is a microcosm for what is occurring across the country. They thus believe that observations, conclusions, and recommendations resonate nationwide.

As I found on web meat packing drew thousands of immigrants to the Midwest, and poultry processing did the same in the South Atlantic states. Jobs in these two industries exemplify the type of jobs new immigrants commonly fill-low-skill, blue-collar jobs. This is because a large percentage of immigrants have less than a high school education. About 33 percent of immigrants have not finished high school, compared with 13 percent of native. Immigrants overwhelmingly filled blue-collar jobs (operators, fabricators and laborers) but also accounted for as much as half the growth in categories such as administrative support and services.

According to Julian Samoa Research Institute, the migration of Hispanics to the Midwest has been shown to be directly related to the labor needs of agriculture and manufacturing in the region. Much less, however, is known about how Hispanics have fared economically in this major industrial setting. Manufacturing in the Midwest has likewise benefit ted from the supply of Mexican labor and has contributed to the growth of the Hispanic population. The need for industrial labor during both World War I and II as well as during strike activities in the steel industry in 1919 and the meat packing industry in 1921 assured the continued migration of Chicanos to the Midwest.

Moreover, as the decline in migrant farm workers accelerated in the late sixties and early seventies as a result of agricultural mechanization, manufacturing -- especially the auto-related industries -- tapped former migrant workers for work. One study of Chicanos in Michigan viewed the period in the early seventies as a transition for Chicanos from field workers to factory workers... A proposed amnesty for more than 3 million undocumented Mexican workers and their families might help all Latinos in the United States, particularly those in rural communities, where they are often viewed with suspicion, this found on Indiana University website. The findings by two professors are of special concern because of the continuing large influx of Hispanic people in many towns and cities in Indiana and across the Midwest.

According to U.S. Census Bureau figures, Indiana's Hispanic population grew by 117 percent during the last decade, from about 99,000 in 1990 to almost 215,000 in 2000. The proposed amnesty would benefit both the United States and Mexico economically and provide basic human rights protection to a group of people who often live in danger and secrecy. Undocumented workers often are placed in dangerous jobs and must live without the benefits of even the poorest Americans. If an immigrant gets robbed, he can't go to the police. If he is sick or injured to the severest degree, he can't go to the hospital. To further exacerbate the risk, undocumented workers typically live in areas of higher crime and work the most dangerous jobs.

Basically, many of these workers are risking their lives to provide for their families that are still living in their native countries... Many illegal aliens are working in the United States in low level jobs. they risk being caught, detained and deported. They often live in fear. Their rights are not protected. Furthermore, certain industries, including farming, are desperate for workers and cannot get Americans for the jobs.

The Bush Administration has proposed a temporary guest worker program to solve the problem. In his 2004 State of the Union address to joint session of Congress, Bush stated: 'I ask Congress to reform our immigration laws so they reflect our values and benefit our economy. I propose a new temporary-worker program to match willing foreign workers with willing employers when no Americans can be found to fill the job. This reform will be good for our economy, because employers will find needed workers in an honest and orderly system. A temporary-worker program will help protect our homeland, allowing border patrol and law enforcement to focus on true threats to our national security. ' The issue of what to do about illegal immigrants is age old.

The quandary of how to match willing workers with farmers and other employers is also far from new. A migrant worker program was proposed in 2000, but that was not the first time lawmakers have had such an idea. In recent years, the Mexican people have pressured their president to seek improvements in immigration policy with the U.S. During his term, Bush, in an attempt to improve relations with Mexico, promised Mexico President Fox that he would propose a guest worker program, which he did. President Fox was happy, as were some Mexicans who still live in Mexico.

Arguments For: The guest worker program would offer relief to farmers and others who need unskilled labor, by providing them with an eager and legal workforce. For the workers, it would provide temporary legal status and some civil rights protections that an illegal worker would not have. Arguments Against: Conservatives are not happy with Bush's guest worker plan. They see no value in making illegal workers legal, even if it is only temporary. Liberals and Latino Americans have balked at the Bush plan, saying that temporary legal status is not enough because it has a life of only six years for each worker, and does not lead to a green card or citizenship. Basically, the workers would be setting themselves up for later deportation by putting themselves on the radar.

In this controversial issue, I feel that a worker program is a good idea and a huge benefit to our economy, but in the instance of children being involved, there need to be guidelines to obtaining citizenship. US born children are born as citizens and should be given the opportunity to exceed in life, the parents should in these instances, be able to seek permanent residence and citizenship... Along with the issue of a guest worker program, I feel that there needs to be limitations as of age. I feel this way because if we bring in young healthy immigrants, they will more likely work harder and longer. They may also bring along with them their family including children who will in turn be receptive to our language and education which is a well known problem today. The younger one is the more likely to be responsive to our legal system and laws.

They would also have a higher likelihood of learning our language. According to The National Academies Press, benefits and services provided by health and social programs, whether from public or private sources, represent important investments in and critical resources for all children and youth, including but not restricted to those in immigrant families. Prior to welfare reform, children in immigrant families were about as likely as, or only slightly more likely than, children in U.S. -born families to live in families receiving public assistance, particularly non cash assistance. Most of the differences that existed reflected higher participation for first-generation children.

The comparatively high rates of reliance on public assistance among first-generation families are largely attributable to their disadvantaged socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, not to their immigrant status per se. When comparisons are made between children in immigrant and U.S. -born families at the same socioeconomic levels, either the differences disappear, or children in immigrant families, including those of Mexican origin, are found to rely less on many public assistance programs than children in U.S. -born families. In addition, the special refugee status of many immigrants from Southeast Asia and the former Soviet Union appears to involve comparatively high participation rates for the first generation. Access to health services, particularly for children, is essential to ensure that preventive services are provided as recommended, acute and chronic conditions are diagnosed and treated in a timely manner, and health and development are adequately monitored so that minor health problems do not escalate into serious and costly medical emergencies.

Access, in turn, is facilitated by health insurance coverage and having a usual source of care. Immigrant children and youth are three times as likely and second-generation children and youth are twice as likely, compared with the third and later generation, to lack health insurance coverage, mainly because of its high cost and lack of employer coverage. Even among children whose parents work full-time, year-round, those in immigrant families are less likely to be insured than those in U.S. -born families. Hispanic children are the most likely of all immigrant groups studied to lack health insurance. Medicaid has played an important role in reducing the risk of un insurance among children and youth in immigrant families, with about one in four receiving their coverage through this source. Moreover, in large part due to the automatic eligibility of refugees for Medicaid, Southeast Asian children exhibit very low rates of un insurance despite their very low socioeconomic status.

Immigrant children-regardless of whether they are Hispanic, Asian, or white-are considerably less likely than U.S. -born children with either immigrant or U.S. -born parents to have had at least one doctor's visit during the previous 12 months. They are also less likely to have a usual health care provider or source of health care. Children in immigrant families who are uninsured are less likely to have a connection to the health care system than those with Medicaid or private or other coverage. Those who are uninsured and who have no usual source of care have the lowest probability of having seen a doctor. As for the burden to our government agencies, it is evident, however in the instance that our country allows amnesty and allows the immigrants to pay legal taxes, our system may not be so burdened by these citizens.

English first. Legislation that establishes English as the required and preeminent language throughout the United States. Public and private sectors cannot be required to provide services in alternative languages. We need to declare English as the official language of the Government of the United States. I believe that making English the official language will help immigrants assimilate and take full advantage of the economic, occupational and educational opportunities in the United States, where English is the common language. I do not believe that other countries would be teaching us their language if we moved to their country...

In conclusion, I feel that if we allow amnesty or guest worker programs in our country with chances of citizenship, I feel that we will not see increased illegal immigrants in the future because we allow them to come over legally and in a control system. I see the future role of LEGAL immigrants as assets to our country and not just burdens to our society.