Amending Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Arguments
The number of illegal immigrants
The negative effects for business
Conclusion
References

Introduction

One of the controversial issues confronting America today is the issue of illegal immigrants. Conservative politicians and citizens are engulfed by fear that the current immigration situation has become uncontrollable and may present multifarious problems for natural-born Americans, business owners, and law enforcement agencies in the future. They have highlighted the continuous influx of illegal workers including the social problems accompanying the accumulation of undocumented individuals in the United States.

The weight of the problem is clearly illustrated in immigration data in the past years. According to these sources, there is a heightened trend in the flow of people coming into the country. Approximately 400,000 to 500,000 persons are being smuggled into the country each year. Accordingly, crimes and other social issues crop up when tackling this pattern.

Due to the above concerns, the current administration has been pushing for reforms or amendments to the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. The objective of the leaders in the Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress is to make a clear solution of turning illegal immigration into legal immigration. They are aiming to arrive at a compromise wherein the needs of local companies and business entities are provided while protecting the security, identity, economy, and other interests of the United States as a nation.

One side contends that the current laws governing immigration are not only flawed but also poorly implemented thus resulting in a clamor to a total overhaul of existing immigration regulations while the other side argues that what is needed is better enforcement of existing.

This paper aims to provide the two sides of the issue and the arguments that are being forwarded in their defense. The first side is towards maintaining the current immigration set of policies while the second side pushes for the amendment of the IRCA for skilled workers to legally enter the United States.

Arguments

The arguments for the former side include the following: first is that there is an unprecedented increase in the inflow of illegal workers in the United States. The second is that illegal immigration is wreaking havoc on the US economy. Third is that what is needed is the stricter implementation of border controls and no amendment of immigration laws.

For the latter side, the arguments include: first is that illegal immigration is not at an alarming rate. Second is that illegal immigration has not and will not negatively affect the US economy but has been the buoyant force during crises in the part. The third is that there is an urgent need to amend IRCA for the betterment of the workers, businesses, and the economy.

According to current statistics, there are around 400,000 to 500,000 individuals that are being sneaked in inside the United States each year. This situation has been exploited by human smuggling syndicates inside and outside the country. Elaborate ways of secretly placing persons inside the country have been developed by these illegal groups. More and more people are being detected and caught along national borders. These reports send an alarm to people fearing the social and economic effects of illegal immigrant buildup. The phenomenon is being linked to a spike in criminal activities in places where illegal immigrants abound. Most importantly, US-born citizens fear competition with skilled workers in terms of jobs. Natural-born Americans fear that with the increase in illegal immigrants, they would be forced to accept low-paying jobs, or worse, they would not have any job at all.

The second argument for retaining the immigration bill concerns the US economy. According to proponents of this option, illegal immigrants are destroying the economy by creating irregularities in the conduct of businesses. Since workers who came illegally to the country cannot be declared as earners, they do not pay taxes. These concerns point to the grim picture of a crisis in the economy when the numbers of these undocumented individuals reached unmanageable heights.

The third argument involves the retention of the IRCA but with stricter border controls. The problem, according to this argument, is that there is the inefficient implementation of border control laws and immigration laws. Borders should be improved and trespassers should be vigilantly monitored. In addition, prosecution of illegal immigrants should be pursued more actively with harsher punishments to those that are proven guilty to discourage others who are planning to undertake the same illegal means of entering the country.

The number of illegal immigrants

Immigration to the United States had been observed as early as the 1820s. The average number of immigrants for every 1000 US residents was estimated at 1.3. During the 1860s and the 1910s, immigration was noted to reach its peak at 9.5 and 10.5, respectively. These figures dramatically dipped during the 1940s, apparently due to the war. After the 1950s, the rate again picked up and continued to rise until 2005 where the figure stood still at 5.1 per 1000 US residents.

The said data indicate that the number of illegal immigrants is not alarmingly increasing since there were other periods in the history of the United States wherein the rates were many times higher than the present figures. There is no drastic increase; instead, there is an even lower rate in the entry of non-US-born persons into the country.

During the past economic crises that the United States economy experienced, immigrants helped it tackle these declines. Immigrant workers augmented the country’s growth rate in the past and will continue to do so shortly. In other words, instead of negatively affecting the US economy, illegal immigrants are helping support the declining growth rate. Their absence shortly will invariably deal a drastic blow to the whole economy. Instead of blaming illegal immigrants for the woes of the economy, they should be instead thanked for the services they provide.

Illegal immigrants are filling positions in different industries in the United States which residents cannot fill up. They are not competing with US-born residents but are merely bridging the labor gap that is being created by a growing economy. Their positions are mostly in the services sector or those positions of menial nature. On the other hand, US-born residents are getting a better education because of the increase in wealth thus enabling them to apply for higher positions. Therefore, illegal immigrants and US-born residents are not competing for jobs since there are significant differences in the preference of these two types.

If the current immigration laws are not amended, the illegal workers, businesses, and the economy will all suffer. First, illegal workers are only trying to earn decent money. They willingly take up hard work to send money to their family outside the country. They do not primarily enter the United States to be part of the problem but they only wished to get a job that pays. Beefing up border patrols and fiercely tracking illegal immigrants is not the solution. More people will still traverse the desert facing danger and death in the process. The situation is a daily tragedy for the poor workers but putting barbed wires will not prevent them from crossing the desert since jobs are waiting for them.

The negative effects for business

Businesses are also taking the negative effects of insufficient worker visas being given to immigrants. They are forced to recruit illegal immigrants since there is no other choice. It is either they hire illegal immigrants or they close altogether. This situation of small and medium businesses is not good for the economy. Therefore, helping the workers would help the businesses and consequently the whole US economy.

Conclusion

Upon review of the above arguments regarding the validity of an amendment or retention of the IRCA, I formed the following position. Since there is an undeniably great impact on the workers and businesses if the current situation continues, I think these two players must be considered. The death and demise of workers traversing the desert is enough reason to look into the effects of the current policies. The negative effects on the businesses can be considered of significant value whereas the effect on the overall economy is certainly long-term.

At present, while the fate of the three major stakeholders in the issue is being deliberated upon, the exodus of illegal workers must be addressed by increasing legal avenues instead of crossing dangerous borders while at the same time putting in place effective policies for businesses to hire adequate personnel. The Visa number of skilled workers should be increased to accommodate the hordes of skilled people planning to go to the United States. In consultation with businesses, other types of visas should be assessed for applicability to balance the influx of workers in the country.

The differences from the arguments in the two-point of view presented above stem from the unfounded fears of inundation of foreign workers with lack of information aggravating the problem. If the real issues are to be taken into consideration, it should be clear that foreign workers will greatly benefit the United States since business establishments are being catered to. Not only the owners but their customers will also benefit from better services. The first side which pushes for the reinforcement of the immigration law provides only a superficial solution while the second side which rallies for a change in the immigration law provides a solution that goes into the root of the problem which is the lack of visas for legitimate workers.

In summary, the pro-amendment reasoning recognizes the impact on businesses. Since these units know the real problem, they should be asked about their options and the policies that may help them grow. The other option does not take into consideration the impact of the current policies on the different stockholders in the issue. It only aims to stop illegal immigration without providing an answer for the labor gap which is the root of the problem.

References

Golub, Judith. “Immigration Reform and the Current Debate.” 2007. Immigrant Legal Resource Center. Web.

Griswold, Daniel. “Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Finally Getting It Right.” 2007. Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute. Web.

U.S. Census Bureau. “2005 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics.” Web.

U.S. Census Bureau. “Components of Population Change.” Web.

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