Free Research Paper On Proposed Changes And Actions To Be Undertaken

Immigration Enforcement

Introduction
The greatest attraction to the United States is the lure of opportunities for anyone willing to go an extra mile. Many believe that upon setting foot on the American soil than their dreams would have been accomplished. Immigrants from across the world have made the United States a number one destination country. A person going through the statistics that are related to the visa application for movement into the United States is likely to be astounded.
With globalization and technology on the rise, the problem has become much worse (Hoefer 77). The legal way has been to make applications to the United States through its various embassies. However, not every single individual is willing to wait for the application process. Illegal and undocumented immigration is on the rise, and people are making advances and attempts to gain entry into the United States.
Illegal immigration is the aspect of individuals gaining entry and access into a foreign country without any proper documentation. It can however be experienced in another form where a person who might have been legally accepted into the country decides to prolong their stay, way after the expiry of the time of stay (Allport 65). Illegal immigration has been subject for debates for a while now, among the American citizens and within the leadership circles.
The disadvantages, risks and burdens that the United States has to incur form the most significant basis for these arguments. Over exploitation of resources and the various security risks posed by the illegal immigrant population are among the core problems that the American government has to deal with. The last few decades have been rampant with an increasing population of immigrants that are undocumented.
This essay paper is aimed at looking at the illegal immigration problem in the United States. It will go ahead and analyze the immigration reforms that have been enacted and implemented and any others that can be developed. However, one has to understand the scope of the illegal immigration menace before getting into the dynamics of reforms.

As expected, numerous opinions and ideas have been proposed by both the civil and government sides of the state. Prepositions vary from mass deportation to providing legal documentation to the undocumented immigrants. Rush and radical decisions may seem as the only way out, but effectiveness and permanence has to be given preeminence. However the doable and possible options are rather few.
For one, incentives should be developed by the government to ensure that the illegal immigrants come out of their hiding (Hoefer 66). By doing this, the government will be in a position to ascertain the exact number of illegal immigrants living within its borders. Incentives should be aimed at reducing the fear of deportation among the illegal immigrants or victimization from the enforcement authorities.
The call for a mass deportation is one that cannot be achieved as the radicals would want to argue. The effort of luring the illegal immigrants out of hiding is the first step of coming up with a working and lasting solution (Allport 43). The second option would be that the illegal immigrants be granted legal documentation for either permanent or residency status. Such a move of legalizing the illegal immigrant status would be crucial in ensuring that the safety within the borders is guaranteed.
It also means that previous tax exemptions would have been done away with. Maximum remittances being collected by the government are a direct translation to the growth of the economy. The most important aspect, however, would be that having legalized the undocumented immigrants, enforcement and immigration departments would then be left with enough resources to deal with the new illegal border entries. There has always been an outcry regarding the budget allocation to the immigration department.
Requests for a raise have been made on several occasions to the federal government through the Congress. The move of according legality and proper documentation to the illegal immigrants would be one way of allowing more resources to the immigration department by reducing the roles and tasks that they have to accomplish. Still basing on the legalization of the undocumented immigrants, a deeper analysis would uncover other significant advantages of such a move.
For one, the smuggling and fake document sectors thrive only due to the fact there is always a target market comprising of the illegal immigrants (Schwab, William and Gearhart 106). These two illegal sectors would greatly be diminished were it that the illegal immigrants were accorded proper documentation. Such businesses would easily die off and with them the illegal border crossings.
These proposed solutions may not be satisfying or fulfilling to all interested and partisan stakeholders, but they do offer avenues that can be exploited by the government and the immigration department. Gradual steps towards the expected and desired direction are much more important than waiting for on grand or drastic step that solves this problem. These measures do not entirely solve and eliminate the illegal immigration problem, but they do offer real time solutions that are much needed.

What the Government is already doing

It is not all gloom regarding the immigration department in the United States. A number of steps have been taken and put in place to ensure that they the immigration loopholes have been sealed. The aim is to deal with the existing population of illegal immigrants and not to have an ever increasing number that they deal with. The government, through the Homeland Security department, has tried to increase and beef up the security in all the access points of the American border (Hoefer 67).
The American Congress has been involved in the creation of a fence on the country’s border to ensure that the ease of access and entry is significantly reduced. These measures have been achieved at fairly minimal budgets of the taxpayers’ money if compared to the cost of dealing with illegal immigrants within the country. The greatest gesture with the current administration is that it does recognize the problem that illegal immigration posits.
For this reason, it is willing and ready to allow the executive arm of government to work with the Congress in finding a lasting solution (Allport 45). Among the most important steps that are being undertaken by the government is the increase in budget of the immigration control department. As a result, the department has gained more resources at its disposal and works at improving the security checks involved in various border points.
The increased funding is a great advantage as it allows the immigration department to achieve its goals effortlessly. The American government did also bring into creation the Immigration Customs Enforcement and the Border Protection bodies (Schwab, William and Gearhart 88). These two entities have proved to be significantly beneficial in that they have been instrumental in reducing the number of illegal immigrants within the United States.
For instance, these two bodies have doubled the number of illegal immigrants being caught and deported from America since the year 2002. Such activities and outcomes shine a ray of hope to the American citizens who have desire to see an end to the illegal immigration problem. The federal government, through the immigration department, has been involved in training enforcement officials.
The aim is to build capacity among the new recruits into immigration enforcement such that they get to understand fully and comprehend the dynamics of illegal immigration (Schwab, William and Gearhart 96). A well-informed enforcement team is a great resource for the immigration department. The current government is one that looks focus on dealing with the immigration problem once and for all. It has the backing and the power of the Congress at its disposal.
This means that it at a position where it can pass legislations, enactments and amendments regarding any arising issue or problem. The government has enjoyed a fair share of trouble in trying to develop measures that will ensure the complete death of illegal immigration. However, the greatest advantage that it has is that it has the ability to easily plan for a number of years ahead. The efforts of the government have to be acknowledged in every right.
Each and every action holds an important aspect and step towards the right direction. Critics and radical believer aiming at and expecting drastic changes have to understand the concept of lasting solutions that have to be built over time (Schwab, William and Gearhart 71). A sense of weakness and lackluster elements can be identified within the moves and actions that the government has taken. A few hitches and loopholes have to be sealed before further moves are made.

Weaknesses by the United States Immigration Department

A number of loopholes and weaknesses have been identified within the immigration department. The ever rising number of immigrants is proof enough of this fact. A number of incentives such as us employment opportunities offer great attraction to illegal immigrants to move to the United States. However, the current structure of governance is heavily flawed. Developing and implementing a policy is such a hard task as no serious policies have been passed in relation to immigration and undocumented residents in America.
There is a need to come up with and embrace a structure that has more streamlined approach and strategy towards making decisions. It is also evident that a number of the enforcement and immigration staff lacks adequate training and capacity to tackle the ever-changing dynamics of the border crossing and illegal entry into the country. Even after the discovery that employers prefer undocumented immigrants to Native Americans due to the wages that they have to pay, not enough measures have been taken to deal with such employers.
Embracing technological systems that have databases containing information about workers could go a long way in reducing this problem. The above mentioned weaknesses are also the greatest potential that the American government has. It is often the weakest point that offers individuals important insights into their strength.
The listed points that show the shortcomings of either the government or the immigration departments offer great information regarding the areas that have to be improved to guarantee success within immigration. The various efforts aimed at curbing the problem of illegal immigration, have a greater chance at being successful owing to the fact that they work from a point of strength.

Importance of Immigration Reforms

At the center of the values and belief system of the American people is the family. It holds so much significance and importance that for it to be under threat makes no sense at whole. Illegal immigration is a problem that the United States downplays, but which has a significant impact on its citizen population. A number of risks and costs are incurred by the ever increasing number of undocumented immigrants moving into the United States.
The immigration reforms do not only benefit the Native American citizen but also go a long way in easing the pressure that illegal immigrants have to face on a daily basis (Hoefer 33). This argument hints at the numerous benefits and beneficiaries of the immigration reforms. The American worker, for a start, will get to enjoy the benefits and protection from unfair competition.
The minimum wage has long been flaunted and discarded by a number of American employers seeking to exploit its employees. The reason behind this type of exploitation is that the illegal immigrants are willing to take any amount of wages for their services. They are ready and willing to accept any amount of pay as long as they have a job (Hoefer 43). This in turn negatively affects the Native American worker who is forced to work and receive wages that are way below the minimum owing to the unfair competition presented by the illegal immigrants.
The competition for the low-wage jobs spirals downwards, and the immigration reforms would come in handy for improving such scenarios. The American economy is another sector that is greatly hurting from the influx of the illegal immigrant population. The federal government continues to strain with the taxpayers remittances to provide for individuals that do not contribute to the national income.
A few, if any, of the undocumented immigrants submit their taxes through the IRS system. However, a significant number goes without remitting a penny. Resources are spent in providing a number of basic needs for this population such as healthcare and education. It benefits the American government a great deal if it implements and comes up with a solution to the illegal immigration problem. The security of the American people is also at risk; this is the single most important threat to the American citizen that the federal government has to keenly and deeply consider (Hoefer 56).
Over ten million immigrants live in the United States; meaning to control such problems is quite a daunting task. Drugs and weapons are trafficked by smugglers who are involved in moving undocumented immigrants across borders. The outcome is violence, chaos and anarchy at the border points. Public Safety is also at a great risk, owing the fact that no one knows the intentions of every illegal immigrant. Most of them have nothing to lose considering the fact that they are not even recognized by the government. However, the American family should be at the heart of the immigration reforms.

Conclusion

The immigration department is the single most important stakeholder in the entire tussle of illegal immigration. It holds the greatest potential of helping the federal government of the United States to come up with a lasting solution. However, in the meantime it is instrumental in trying to curb the continued entry of illegal immigrants into the united states. Reforms within the immigration sector hold the only solution to the cancer that is undocumented immigrants.
A lasting and final solution has to be developed, but gradual steps and deliberations are crucial in ensuring effectiveness and efficiency. It is also necessary to plan for ages ahead to avoid reoccurrence of such a problem. The American dream appeals to many within and beyond the borders of the American state. The government has made a number of important steps towards dealing with the problem of undocumented immigrants.
Border point securities have been beefed up, a number of enactments and legislations have been passed regarding immigration, just a few of the points that suggest a move in the right direction. the greatest drive for a change and a difference in the immigration reforms should be based on the strain that is placed on the economy. Tax remittances are not collected from the undocumented immigrants, yet most of them get to enjoy services that the federal governments have to offer.
The explored areas within this paper hint at the importance that should be accorded to the illegal immigration problem. Urgency and speediness has to be observed to ensure that it curbs the menace before it blows into a bigger problem that will be too costly to handle. The important factor that has to be put in mind by the various stakeholders involved in the immigration department is that permanence and long–lasting are the most crucial elements that have to be observed.
The resounding information that can be found in almost every subtopic is the fact that lasting and permanent solutions are of greater importance. Short-term and quick fix solutions may sound appealing for the time being, but in the long they would negatively impact and affect the American nation and its citizens. The underlying factor is that various departments and stakeholders should interlink to come up with a multi-faceted approach. A multi-sectorial approach that allows the cohesion of various interested parties to develop and make solutions stands a greater chance of success.

Works Cited

Allport, Alan. Immigration Policy. New York: Infobase Pub, 2004. Internet resource.
Graham, Otis L. Immigration Reform and America's Unchosen Future. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2008. Print.
Hoefer, Rick. "Immigration Policy in the United States." Journal of Policy Practice 13.1 (2014): 1-2.
Schwab, William A, and G D. Gearhart. Right to Dream: Immigration Reform and America's Future. Fayetteville, Ark: University of Arkansas Press, 2013. Internet resource.