Immigration to the United States: Overview of Legal and Illegal Migration - Essay Sample

Introduction

The United States has been viewed as a haven by people around the world, and as a result, the immigration rates in the country are among the highest in the world (Baver, 1996). Various individuals from neighboring countries migrate into the U.S in search of better employment and living conditions. While the country is open to taking immigrants from all over the world, some immigrants opt not to follow the outlined legal procedures and opt for other alternative illegal means to get in the country. The immigration office is obligated to develop laws and regulations that facilitate easy moving in and out of the country which could, in turn, alleviate the necessity of illegal immigrants sneaking in and out of the country periodically.

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The 1986 immigration services Act that was signed into law by President Ronald Regan identified this challenge and was aimed at ensuring that illegal immigration into the U.S was brought under control. The act made it illegal for anyone to knowingly hire or employ illegal immigrants in the country. Any companies or enterprises found guilty of breaching this outline was subject to financial penalties. Also referred to as the amnesty of 1986, the 1986 immigration services Act provided millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S with a chance to apply for legal immigration status (Baver, 1996).

Most immigrants in the U.S have been identified to come from the Latin American countries south of the border in Texas. New York is a significant employment hub as the city is a 24hrs economy, making it a favorite destination for most of the inhabitants. Given that most of the illegal immigrants lack any proper educational qualifications, they are taken into the informal employment sector. These include the hotel industry, manual labor, and other work areas that require less training and skills to operate. New York's Latinos are, therefore, a mixture of legal and illegal immigrants. They have been absorbed into the American workforce contributing to both the economic growth of the country and domestic output.

The illegal immigrants have, however, made it difficult for the U.S government to improve the type and quality of public services. Most of these immigrants do not file tax returns, which results in a lot of undocumented income that is either sent back to their countries of origin, thus draining the American economy. This is because, despite receiving public services such as transport, healthcare, housing, among other essential services provided by the state. This has, therefore seen the economy get bled out slowly, which has not been suitable for economic development.

It was approximated that more than a third of all immigrants of Latin origin are in the country illegally. This poses not only a challenge for the state but also the immigrants themselves. Without access to services such as comprehensive healthcare, among other essential social services, the Latinos in New York are quite disadvantaged. Children born to such immigrants also face challenges in the attempt to enrol in school as the required parental information risks exposing the immigration status of illegal immigrants.

The immigration Reform and control act (IRCA) of 1986 brought significant changes in the curbing of illegal immigration and the number of American jobs that were given to non-registered immigrants (Baver, Sherrie, Angelo Falcón, and Gabriel, 2017). The act ensured that there was the introduction of better oversight in the employment sector as well as the documentation of income generation. From these and other experiences, the Latino’s in the U.S have been shaped by the cultural settings in the U.S and have also brought about their cultural aspects into the U.S. With the Latino population in New York and other parts of the United States at a considerably high rate, labor supply is sufficient an aspect that has contributed to the faster development rates that are being observed across the U.S. On the other hand, the provision of illegal immigrants with the proper documentation status has enabled the state to collect tax returns more effectively.

The Latinos in New York is now a significant part of the American population, given that their services in both the formal and informal sector are essential. Today, employers in compliance with the 1986 IRCA Act have been able to ensure that they provide employment opportunities to immigrants who followed the correct immigration channels. In recent events, the Trump administration has even gone a step further to curb the spread of illegal immigrants in the country from south of the border. For instance, the wall built served as a physical barrier that helped to physically keep off illegal immigrants. Border patrol officers have also added to the reinforcements, which has made it difficult for illegal immigration into the country.

Cultural diversity is an important social aspect that helps to expose the members of society to different ways of life. Through embracing different cultures and practices, an organization becomes rich in ideas, concepts, and social cohesion. However, with the new economy based administration, it became relatively difficult for the government to allow for the free movements in and out of the borders. However, with reforms such as the IRCA Act, it has become possible to accommodate as many immigrants moving into the country and providing them with a stable source of livelihood and incorporating them into the national sustainable developmental goals.

The Latino community in the U.S can, therefore, be considered to be an asset in the American developmental agenda. Besides the provision of abundant labor supply, this community has also brought about communal integration and cohesion in American society. Despite there being some challenges on race and ethnicity in the American population, recent events across the 50 American states in condemning racial based abuse is expected to bring about some changes on the challenges associated with the racial profiling challenges.

Works Cited

Baver, Sherrie L. "New York's Latinos and the 1986 Immigration Act: The IRCA Experience and Future Trends." Latinos in New York: Communities in Transition (1996): 302.

Baver, Sherrie, Angelo Falcón, and Gabriel Haslip-Viera, eds. Latinos in New York: Communities in Transition. University of Notre Dame Press, 2017.