Reforming Of America's Immigration Policy example essay topic

Immigration and Immigration policy We are now in the beginning of the 21st century and like the beginning of the 20th century the United States finds itself in the throes of a period of mass immigration. More then one million immigrants enter the Unites States, both legally and illegally every single year. Many argue that this new wave of mass immigration may help sustain the success that our nation is having in regard to the way of living that many American have come accustomed to and yet other believe that although out nation was created by immigrants it is time to "shut down" our borders. The truth of the matter is that there will always be issues in regard to immigration and the policies that the government sets forth in order control who comes into this country. Also now more then ever immigration policy has a greater affect on the American people because of the fact that we find our selves living in a time of danger or as some might argue, a perceived danger in regard to terrorism. Also with the proposal of President Bush's new guest-worker program raises more issues in regard to immigration.

The fallowing paper will attempt to overview current immigration policy and also state what immigration policy should be over the next 25 years. Current policy on immigration is something that should not only be considered through notion that the only people that come to the United States now days are illegal immigrants. The reality is that when the topic of immigration comes up the first thing to usually jump into peoples mind is that immigration is synonymous with illegal immigration. However the United States immigration policy is one that responds to the many different yet essential questions about the nature of American society. For example who and what kind of person should be allowed to become members of United States society? Should we continue to allow foreigners the option of entering our nation and if so, how many?

What will be the role that the newly arrived immigrants play in a society that values education and hard work? However the most important question one must ask is how can current policy and new policy control manage the flow of immigrants? There is not doubt that the United States is a nation of immigrants; however for many immigrants who come to this country today there experiences are often not what they expected. More times then not many people find themselves frustrated and unable to sustain themselves.

It is my opinion that American and the government should be willing to greet these new arrivals with open arms rather then the giant bureaucracy that has become immigrant policy today. For those who seek to come to this country by legal means it is only fair that the nation should be responsive and welcoming. However although it is necessary for the system to welcome legal immigrants to the US it is also very important for the government to battle illegal immigration as well. The reforming of America's immigration policy is something that can no longer be avoided and must be dealt with as soon as possible. Years of neglect by governmental agencies and policies makers have now made this issue one of the biggest in American politics. First of it must be understood that immigration does no only effect curtain areas of the country and curtain aspect of public life but rather all of American life.

Both legal and illegal immigration affect major issues such as jobs availability for all citizens, wages, education in public schools system and in general, health care issues, and the homeland security. There needs to be reform not only the issue of illegal immigration but also on legal immigration and refugee and asylum policies; the three main reforms that I will cover in this paper. Current immigrant policy allows for around 1 million immigrants allowed into this country every year. Although this may seem like a low number compared to the current population of nearly 300 million people who currently live in the unites states the affect on the nation is quit drastic considering the fact that many more people arrive here illegally. It should be the policy of the Unites States to lower legal entry of immigrants from 1 million to around 500,000 people per year. Bye doing so the government would in effect allow for be able to control the situation by not overworking government agency that are already spread thin.

Also this would allow for my selective entry of person who in effect would help in the development of the nation rather then hold it back. While the size of the immigrant population expands and contracts in response to economic condition, the recruitment of immigrants who meets specific economic needs has always be an important issue. Immigration status before the Immigration act of 1965 was based on nationality, and countries received quotas based on proportion of current Americans who originally came from those countries. However after the act was passed this form of immigration policy was changed and an emphasis was put on categories such as family ties, occupation skill and humanitarian concerns. Today, the United States admits most immigrants based on family ties, fallowed by occupational skill and then humanitarian concerns. The remaining immigrant's entrance to the country is based on Visa lottery.

Visa lottery effectively works the way it sound, entrance in the country is based on a lottery. In my opinion I believe that this last form of entrance to the US is not fair in that it does not set a standard for entering but rather bases everything solely on luck. What kind of country would we be if all people who entered came by lottery? Other reforms that should also be made deal with the way in which the country should deal with illegal immigrants. Although America is a nation of immigrants it is also a nation of laws.

Over the past decades illegal immigrants have often been viewed as unwelcome guest who put extra burden on health care, social services, public school, and also take jobs from hard working Americans. However the most effective way to combat this problem is not necessarily dealing with illegal immigrants themselves but rather also dealing with those who choose to employ them even though they know of there illegal status. In dealing with this problem one effective deterrent would be to charge the cost of public services used by illegal immigrants to those employers who willing employ illegal immigrants. However there is always more option that can be taken rather then simply denying immigrants the opportunity to come into this country. One of those options is of course the new proposal by President George W. Bush that would grants immigrants the status of "guest worker". This proposal by the president and his administration offers a solution (temporary as it may be) to the issue of illegal immigration and immigration itself.

The principles of this proposal and over all immigration reform are as fallows and come directly from Whitehouse website: o Protecting the Homeland by Controlling Our Borders: The program should link to efforts to control our border through agreements with countries whose nationals participate in the program. It must support ongoing efforts to enhance homeland security. o Serve America's Economy by Matching a Willing Worker with a Willing Employer: When no American worker is available and willing to take a job, the program should provide a labor supply for American employers. It should do so in a way that is clear, streamlined, and efficient so people can find jobs and employers can find workers in a timely manner. o Promoting Compassion: The program should grant currently working undocumented aliens a temporary worker status to prevent exploitation. Participants would be issued a temporary worker card that will allow them to travel back and forth between their home and the U.S. without fear of being denied re-entry into America. o Providing Incentives for Return to Home Country: The program will require the return of temporary workers to their home country after their period of work has concluded. The legal status granted by this program would last three years, be renewable, and would have an end. During the temporary work period, it should allow movement across the U.S. borders so the worker can maintain roots in their home country. o Protecting the Rights of Legal Immigrants: The program should not connect participation to a green card or citizenship.

However, it should not preclude a participant from obtaining green card status through the existing process. It should not permit undocumented workers to gain an advantage over those who have followed the rules. In my opinion I believe that this new program proposed by the president is actually one that can effectively be successful if implemented correctly. First of all this program does not necessarily take jobs away from American in that it matches employers with workers only if and when no American worker is willing to take the job. An advantage to the American economy would also occur in that employers will no longer have to struggle with finding workers. Another advantage that would occur from the implication of this program would come in the form of better security.

Rather then putting all the effort in protecting the border the government would be able to control who is allowed in the country though the program and also know exactly who is participating in it, how many immigrants are participating, and for what period of time they will be located in the US. Another advantage to this program is of course the economic bust that it would create in the United States while at the same time not hampering with the process of naturalization that is already in place. However not all the benefits from such a program would go to the American economy and society but rather would include advantages for immigrant works. As of now the condition in which most illegal immigrants find themselves working is below the standard and therefore puts them at a disadvantage from the rest of the community and also exploits them. Immigrants involved in the guest worker program would now find themselves protected under the American labor laws and exploitation of workers would effectively be eliminated under these new working conditions. Since "guest workers" now would be under the protection of American laws they would also receive the fair wages usually not allotted for illegal work.

Also like guest workers would have the opportunity to switch jobs if desired without having to worry about not being able to find employment. The issue of national security is also one that gets raised with the discussion of immigrant policy for the fact that in order to better protect out nation one must first be able to protect the boarder. As a result of the events of 9/11 border patrol and immigration agents has grown in order to better protect the nation against terrorist attacks. With the creation of Homeland security agency the current administration effectively consolidated 22 governmental agencies under one single agency. In doing this, immigrant policy and terrorist policy may now function in unison with each other in order better protect the nation. America has always been considered to be a preferred destination for the rest of the world and the reality is that America is a nation of immigrants.

In my opinion I believe it would never be a good idea to completely shut down the borders since doing so will surely take away from the diversity that is the American nation and its people. However although this may be true it is of the up-most importance that immigration policy best suits the needs of the nation and its current citizens.

Bibliography

Briggs, Vernon M. Mass Immigration and the National Interest: Policy direction for the New Century. New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2003.
Green, Nicole W. Immigration. Washington D.C. : CQ Press, 2002.
Lemay, Michael and Elliot Robert Bark an, eds. U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Laws and Issues. Westport, Conn. Greenwood Press, 1999.
The Whitehouse. April 4, 2005.
March 26, 2005.
Close Up Foundation. March 17, 2005.