A Bird's Eye View of Federal Policy on Immigration - Research Paper

Introduction

The immigration system in American has broken for years. The issue of immigration is a hot debate in the United States and every day the federal government passes strict policies to curb illegal immigration but they eventually fail and millions of undocumented aliens live in the shadows. The issue has gone out of hand and the country cannot go on ignoring the issue of illegal migration. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), there are approximately 12.5 million illegal aliens in our country and the number has been increasing since 1971. This is a great number of people living in the shadow and signifies a huge problem that we should address intelligently and urgently. Members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives have recorded immigration reform as a legislative precedence in the 113th Congress. The Congress proposes the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act (CIRA) to reduce the number of illegal aliens who enter the border every day. The policy involves increase immigration enforcement, border security, and enhanced verification of employment eligibility verification. The policy also involves legal immigration revision and legalization of unauthorized aliens living in the country. In 2013, President Obama emphasized on these elements when he requested the 113th Congress to take up CIR legislation. The Republicans and Democrats do not agree on how to solve the problem. The Immigration Reform policy proposes for stricter border enforcement and the legalization of authorized aliens. It was proposed by President Bush at it "entirely concerns the immigrants, civil laws, and the border patrol" (Lakoff 4). The essay will conduct a high-level view on Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act.

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Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act is a necessity in America. The Congress wants to curb immigration and all cost because of its effects on the nation. Authorized Immigrants break the law by entering our nation illegally. According to Light, Lopez, and Gonzalez-Barrera, illegal immigration is a crime and anyone found should be prosecuted. Many of Americans try to sympathize with these offenders without knowing the harm they cause to their nation. Illegal immigration drains public funds that would be used to develop our nation. The National Academy of Sciences carried out a research that proved that taxes paid by immigrants are not enough to cover the expenditure of services they receive such as healthcare, quality education among others (Light, Lopez, and Gonzalez-Barrera 54). This deficit is covered by the government with public revenue and therefore they live at the expense of American citizens and other legal immigrants. According to FAIR estimates, there are 12.5 million illegal aliens in America (Federation for American Immigration Reform). This is a worrying number of people since they increase the net population of the country. If something is not done now, the population will continue to grow dramatically. There are large numbers of children who get enrolled in schools every day causing crowding in school classrooms. Illegal aliens have occupied all affordable houses in all states. They are making it hard for Americans since they are spending most of our time searching for affordable houses to stay. They are also causing strain on precious resources such as energy, water, and forestland. Illegal aliens are desperate for any job at any pay and this cause the average wage to decrease. Nowadays, citizens with a degree are paid poorly when working for long hours due to the availability of cheap labor. Terrorism is a threat to human life and should be prevented at all costs. According to a risk analysis conducted by Alex Nowrastech, aliens who entered our bodies illegally were responsible for 88 % of deaths committed by terrorists from 1975 to 2015 (Nowrasteh, 4). Americas cannot forget the 9/11 terrorist attack which was committed in 2001 by an alien. The federal government should ensure that is a proper screening of aliens who come into the country.

The current policy is the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. It was introduced in the Senate of the 113th Congress on 16th April 2013. The policy was passed by the Senate in May 2013 but it was rejected by the House of Representatives and therefore it died. If the bill passed both houses, it would have allowed many authorized aliens to gain American citizenship because it would have given them legal status. The bill would have enhanced border security by increasing the number of patrol agents by 40,000. It would have given new visas to entrepreneurs and other low skilled workers in the United States.

The policy border security programs include document integrity, enhancements of biometric data through a biometric entry-exit system, and compulsory confinement of immigrants apprehended at or between ports of entry. The policy also focused on the Central America gangs because they are in most cases responsible for drugs and aliens smuggling to America. The southern body which most immigrants use to cross into the U.S. would be funded by the national government for enforcement. Border Law Enforcement Relief Act of 2007 - Authorizes a border relief grant program for a tribal, state, or local law enforcement agency in a county: (1) no more than 100 miles from a U.S. border with Canada or Mexico; or (2) more than 100 miles from any such border but which is a high impact area. The policy also sets forward interior enforcement priorities such as alien terrorists such as the 9/11 who enters the country illegally to commit terrorist crimes. Gang members contribute to illegal immigration by transporting people across the border for a high price. Corruption in the immigration offices enables illegal immigrants to acquire passports.

The Congress first intervened in this policy in 2006 after President Bush persistent urge to the two houses to take up comprehensive reforms. Bush was proposing that the illegal aliens residing in America should be given legal status and eventually become American citizens. He also emphasized on border enforcement and security. Border patrol agents should be increased in number so that they can arrest those who tries to enter the border illegally. In Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act 2006, there was an introduction of workers programs to legalize aliens who are working in America. Those who were not working were to fill less-skilled jobs that they can perform without an experience of expertise.

During this time, the White House worked with Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and on lawmaking that included border security, authorization and documentation of aliens, and temporary work visas. The bill was successfully moving forward with but the legislative process of temporary visas for authorized aliens was delayed because the Senate felt that needed some amendments. The Senate felt that the process would be cumbersome since all the aliens would be granted temporary visas. They also felt that this was not an effective way of reducing illegal immigration but instead it would attract others so that they could be registered as citizens of America. However, the Senate passed the bill eventually and it was recorded in the Senate records. The house of representative had a different opinion on the bill and hence it took a different path. The house has not in support of the bill and the House Republicans such as Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Judiciary Committee Chair Representative rejected any attempts of legalizing unauthorized aliens in America (Anderson 1). The house urged that passing the bill would mean more burdens for the country since it would be forced to provide education, healthcare and other public services provided by the government. It would also increase the population of the country which would in turn increase strain on amenities. Americans would also lose their identity and this is something of great value in America. The bill proposed by Senate included pro-immigration measures on and high-skill immigration and family but that of the house of representatives had no provisions on legal migration and the two houses failed to agree. The Republicans refused any negotiations with the Senate by ignoring the phone calls and faxes sent from the Senate. In the end, they could not reconcile on the two bills and this effectively killed the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (Anderson 1).

The policy was first introduced by President George W. Bush. Being a former Texas governor he felt that he had the best measures to curb immoral immigration. His plan included negotiation with the Mexico government, legalization of aliens and border enforcement. Bush was proposing that the illegal aliens residing in America should be given legal status and eventually become American citizens (Leal 42). He also emphasized on border enforcement and security. Border patrol agents should be increased in number so that they can arrest those who tries to enter the border illegally. However, Bush attention on administration system was interrupted by the 9/11 the terrorist attacks. The country also faced economic recessions and unemployment anxieties making less concentration on immigration. Bush also supported the idea for illegal immigration in 2004 and 2005 although he never proposed for legislation (Anderson 2).

After his reelection in 2004, President Bush publicized his own immigration reform policy. The policy extended from the immigration reform of 1986. The plan was essentially an extension of the previous immigration reform from 1986.The House of Representatives legislated HR 4437 in 2005 and it is referred to as the Sensenbrenner Bill. According to the bill, it is a crime to enter the country illegally. It was also a crime to employ an illegal alien. In 2006 the Senate passed the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006. The policy proposed increased security on the southern border of Mexico. It also proposed giving legal status to unauthorized aliens residing in the U.S. In 2007, Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 was introduced to the Senate but it was never passed. In 2013, a two-party group of Senators suggested a framework for CIR that would address these issues and contain new temporary employee visas (Wasem 5).

There are several problems in the current immigration system that makes it difficult for these reforms to curb the issue of illegal immigration and the Congress needs to address them. The failure of legal immigration systems for provisional green cards and visas for international students at American Universities (Anderson 2). The system exhaust all H-1B temporary visas each fiscal year and it takes longer for a student from a foreign county to know if he would get it or not. The long wait discourages students from choosing their career in America. Another major problem is the immigration law does not allow for skilled workers to enter the legally and fill jobs in restaurants, construction and other occupations where the work long-term. Their temporary visa is provided in seasons, for instance, H-2B for nonagricultural and H-2A for agriculture. The process of filling them is considered bureaucratic (Anderson 3). This has really contributed to the illegal immigration that is currently uncontrollable in the U.S.

The last problem is that most undocumented aliens have been residing in America for more than ten years and therefore they have established roots (Anderson 3). They call their friends and family to come stay with them since they can afford to cater to them.

To solve this problem the Congress should make sure all undocumented aliens are sent back to their home or develop a system that will record them. The Congress should pass policies that allow foreigners to enter the country legally so that t...