- Published: January 7, 2022
- Updated: January 7, 2022
- University / College: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Level: Masters
- Language: English
- Downloads: 12
American Society and Politics Nowadays
Immigration reform in the United States to facilitate either stricter or open policies has received arguments both for and against it. However, a general outlook of the argument is that there need to be a more conservative approach in terms of enforcing immigration law to reduce illegal entry but remain liberal enough to admit more immigrants. Proponents of open policies argue that qualified immigrants, who include foreign students, should be issued with visas. A particular argument supporting this notion is that technology and engineering firms are not able to get enough qualified personnel among Americans alone in this highly industrialized era (Kerwin, Chishti & Bergeron 12). Those supporting stricter policies assert that illegal immigrants perpetuate poverty because they undermine benefits and wages stipulated for unskilled labor. When the laws are lenient, liberals and business owners in construction, food processing and hotel industries conspire to ignore the process of enforcing immigration law. In politics, an influx of immigrants is a crucial boost to the forces that facilitated their entry into the country. As an example, in the 2012 elections, there were over 12 million Latinos that cast votes (Kerwin, Chishti & Bergeron 69). According to statistics, that figure represents 10 percent of the body of voters in the US and is capable of changing the political landscape. Census forecasts indicate that the Latino electorate alonSe is estimated to reach 29 million voters in 2016, which sets in motion the scramble for both the Democratic and Republican parties to court them and other smaller immigrant groups (Kerwin, Chishti & Bergeron 74). However, when the immigration is not controlled, some unintended consequences may include higher crime rates, drug trafficking and the threat of terrorism. Therefore, this still leaves the debate for either stricter or lenient immigration policies open.
Works Cited
Kerwin, Donald M., Chishti, Muzaffar, & Bergeron, Claire. Immigration Enforcement in the United States: The Rise of a Formidable Machinery. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute, 2013. Print.
