Immigration Reform

Immigration reform has been an issue in previous and current administrations. Policy makers experience difficulties in setting policies/ programs in place to address the issue. This policy was chosen for analysis because it affects us all. Immigration has always played a central role in the life and growth of the nation. (Civilright.org). In selecting this policy for analysis, I took into consideration that I, too, was an immigrant before I became a naturalized citizen. I was able to benefit from the policies in place at the time of my arrival in this

​Immigration is defined as the act of leaving your country of origin and going to another different one to stay there permanently (Dictionary.com). Reasons, why people escape or leave their original countries, are varied; ranging from war, poverty, natural occurrences such as earthquakes while others just take the step for fun purposes. A reform is a change from the way things were done originally and make them better. Therefore, immigration reform is a term that is frequently used in political talks that refer to the alteration of the immigration policy of the nation. The debate is currently prevalent in the United States of America. It is a topic that has been discussed and reforms put across since around 1986 but it’s never addressed fully due to the conflicting stands taken by the leaders, the democrats, and the Republicans always have different views. Recently, the President Obama tenure has reawakened the issue. Some people support the reforms while others do not. It is a time the United States of America undertook immigration reforms as a solution to its porous borders.

Immigration Reform At this time, the United States has allowed more immigrants to enter the country than at any time in its history. Over a million legal and illegal immigrants take up residence in the United States each year. Immigration at its current magnitude is not fulfilling the interests or demands of this country.

Immigration Reform is obviously a big issue in America today. I mean everywhere you go; you either see something about or read about it. There is no exact number as to how many illegal immigrants cross the border, but it is estimated to be around 11 to 12 million. This has become a major political and social issue because of the continued flow of illegal immigrants. There is nothing really around that will stop this problem. Nothing has really been done, I mean there are borders and all, but who watches the borders to stop the immigration and even so there is no one there to protect the people who are there trying to prevent it. Anything can happen to the people who are watching the borders such as being shot at and things of the nature,

The immigration reform, an important issue for the U.S. government has accelerated significantly in the past few years. It has been debated between the democratic and republican senators to reform a framework for the immigration. President Obama gave a speech to push for an immigration reform in favor of undocumented 11 million immigrants in the USA, as well as a road map for their legal citizenship. It has also been suggested that a sub citizenship could be an option instead of providing full citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Immigration has become a very relevant topic in the past few years and has sparked various arguments between Americans. No agreement has been reached regarding immigration reform, possibly because many people view it as an immediate amnesty rather than a possibility of legalization for hard-working immigrants. Despite of the negative meaning associated with it, an immigration reform would be beneficial to the U.S. in social aspects, such as having undivided families, and by stimulating economic growth.

Immigration reform has been a big debate since 1790. The Naturalization Act of 1790 was the first act to established rules for naturalized citizenship. The citizenship was only granted to those who has live in America for at least two years and is a free white person of good character. Although some rules were set, the policy of immigration reform are full of comprehensiveness (Soergel). Some believe that immigration is a dreadful thing because they take up jobs and bring in terrorists; Other consider it a marvelous event because it builds up the nation and it let the world sees America as the land of the free. On July 4, 1776 America declare freedom from Great Britain. Just like American, countless of immigrant came seeking for freedom.

The Democratic Party has fiercely advocated for the enactment of the DREAM Act. Republicans however have strongly opposed it and have left little hope for any reform for illegal immigrants. However not passing the DREAM Act and stalling on reform for illegal immigrants is doing an injustice to these immigrants and most importantly to American citizens. Today many US citizens suffer from a depleting economy and anything that can help revive it should and must be done. I see the DREAM Act as a great opportunity to aid and provide relief to the economy.

Imagine a world with an educated youth. Now imagine a parallel world where children are fighting to keep a smile on their faces, because, in truth, it is the only thing they have. In reality, this is what is happening. Youth, who have the privilege to be American citizens, are granted a very fulfilling education with a promise of a career. Children of illegal and undocumented immigrants do not have such luck. Some undocumented children in America have very promising futures and even a degree under their belts, but they cannot apply for a job because they have no proof of citizenship. A controversial topic is the matter of the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education, for Alien Minors) which permits undocumented immigrants to obtain

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

The public engagement of the white House posted on their web 10 reasons why they needed the Dream Act. Summarizing argument's that two secretaries including other people have made for the act. The dream act will help our economy marketing easier for immigration enforcements efforts on undocumented immigrants "Who pose a threat to our country" (Zehr, 2010,). The development relief and education for aliens minors act or dream act provide a path for legalization for undocumented high school graduates who meet the requirements of completing two years of college, military service, have entered United States before the age of 16, must be between the age of 12 and 35 to complete the application, good moral character, and no criminal record. If the congress passed the dream act it would add $329 billion to U.S. economy impacting it by $181 billion creating 1.4 million new jobs and more than $10 billion increase revenue by 2030. Many Dream Act opponents call it an immigration amnesty. They say the proposal would immediately reward immigrant children with conditional lawful permanent resident status – and, in just a few years, they would become U.S. Citizens. Their criticisms do not reflect how immigration agencies operate immigration reform will be addressed by the Obama administration this year. Republican senators they were ready to announce the outline of a broad immigration reform bill that would include a path to “earned legalization”

The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act of 2011, proposes to allow children of undocumented immigrants that were brought to the United States before their fifteenth birthday who have lived in America for at least five years straight to apply for permanent residency once they graduate from high school or achieve a GED. Conditionally, these children must be admitted into a college and complete a two-year degree or serve two years in the military. They must also be free of criminal convictions and have an honorable character. In addition, the DREAM Act would reverse current law to allow states to provide taxpayer subsidized in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants. An estimated 1.1-2.1 million illegal

“We are nation of immigrants. Some came here willingly, some unwillingly. Nonetheless, we are immigrants, or the descendants of immigrants, one, and all. Even the natives came from somewhere else, originally. All of the people who come to this country come for freedom, or for some product of that extraordinary, illusory condition. That is what we offer here—freedom and opportunity in a land of relative plenty.” (Middletown Journal 2005)

I think the immigration reform is a question of the anticipated costs and benefits of the reform. Assessing the impact of various elements of reform on the economic growth, budgeting and the wages are the critical issues which needs to be discussed whether enactment of reform is in the best interests of the country.

Immigration reform is the old yet new revitalized hot topic being discussed in the media which will not seem to fade away from the spot light despite its drawbacks. The reality of that ongoing debate is that this country, and the State of California in particular, was founded by immigrants fleeing an oppressive government, yet this same country and state now oppress immigrants fleeing from similar situations trying to reestablish new lives within its borders. We cannot forget where we originated from and the foundation this great nation and state was built upon. In this age of progressive thinkers, it is time to