2. OVERVIEW
Outside of the war on terrorism, there has never been a more heated debate and topic than that of
immigration. The United States has a long standing history built on the foundation of
immigration into the U.S. Since the days of settlement, the United States has opened its borders
and welcomed tens of thousands of immigrants into this country. However, over the last 40
decades, a rise in the number of illegal immigrants into this country has been astronomical. This
has sparked controversy throughout the U.S. as both sides rage against one another.
There are those who feel that immigrants are a cornerstone of the Unite States and to lose that
part of the population would be detrimental to the way we live and do business. Immigrants hold
many of the jobs that make this country function. Many immigrants work as day laborers in
factories, construction sites, farms and more. On the other hand, are those who feel that
immigrants that are here illegally should be deported and not allowed admittance into this
country. They fell that this population is here illegally and taking jobs that should be obtained by
someone who is either a natural born citizen or someone who has taken the steps to be in this
country legally.
On the flip-side, employers see the use of immigrants, whether legal or illegal, as a must in order
to run their businesses. By using illegal immigrants, business owners can pay them lower wages
without having to provide them with benefits such as health and vacation time, as well as they
don’t have to pay taxes on the money they pay them because they are generally paid as “day
laborers” and are paid in cash. This has stirred the controversy even further as natural born and
legalized citizens are required to pay their taxes and feel it’s unfair for someone to come into this
country illegally, work and pay no taxes.
Today there are more than 11 million immigrants here in the United States illegally. While many
are here to simply earn money to support their families or they are here because they’ve
3. overstayed on their visas, the truth is they are here illegally. They are here without going through
the proper channels and procedures in order to secure their right to be here. This has caused
severe strain within our society and how to tackle this problem is of growing concern no matter
which side you support.
All of this simply touches the tip of the iceberg where this issue is concerned. This in-depth
study into the subject of immigration reform seeks to give you a better understanding on the
topic, the debates and the laws that are being discussed to combat this every growing problem.
The issue can be hard to follow in the media and the understanding of laws in the political sector
can be even more difficult to digest. This study will look at many of the areas being discussed so
that you can gain a better understanding of the causes and concerns of immigration and can make
a more informed decision where this issue is concerned overall.
4. THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
Recently, President Obama gave a speech in El Paso, Texas on the topic of immigration reform.
He discussed the need for reform and how it would benefit the United States not only from
within but would also make the U.S. an economic powerhouse across the world. He gave an
excellent example of how we aren’t using the power of immigration to our full advantage in the
following scenario:
The U.S. grants student visa to students from all over the world so that they can come to the
United States and attend some of the finest institutions to learn science and engineering.
However, when these students graduate, as a society we don’t want to give them the opportunity
to open a business in the U.S. which would not only stimulate the economy but provide a service
to us. Instead we send them back to where they came from and watch from afar as they create
businesses that provide products and services for our competition.
This is but one example of how immigration reform could be used to the advantage of the U.S.
public and governmental sectors. President Obama was quoted as saying:
"We are not going to ship back 12 million people, we're not going to do it as a practical matter.
We would have to take all our law enforcement that we have available and we would have to use
it and put people on buses, and rip families apart, and that's not who we are, that's not what
America is about. So what I've proposed... is you say we're going to bring these folks out of the
shadows. We're going to make them pay a fine, they are going to have to learn English, they are
going to have to go to the back of the line...but they will have a pathway to citizenship over the
course of 10 years."
It may be surprising to know but in his speech, President Obama made it point to state that U.S.
companies like Intel, Google, Yahoo and Ebay were all founded by an immigrant. These
5. businesses have created numerous jobs for millions of American and have allowed America to
become a powerhouse in the high tech industry. These are some of the advantages that
immigration reform can have on the U.S. economy. It allows the United States to maintain its
competitive edge and according to President Obama, “it’s smart for our economy.”
Immigration reform is seeking to cover various areas:
Border Security
Worksite Enforcements
Guest Worker Programs
Improving the Current Immigration Program
Streamlining the Naturalization Process
Each of these areas plays an important part in immigration reform. Depending on how you view
the issues there are sure to be positives and negatives in each of these areas. Only after reviewing
each area in more detail can someone make an informed decision.
6. THE ISSUES
Border Security
Security for the U.S. borders has been a t the top of the list when it comes to immigration reform.
Many of the American public feels that border security is lacking. Not only for the safety of U.S.
citizens is border security important but in order to secure admittance into the U.S. to only those
who have the right to be here.
“Under Secretary Napolitano’s leadership, we have strengthened border security beyond what many
believed was possible. They wanted more agents on the border. Well, we now have more boots on the
ground on the southwest border than at any time in our history. The Border Patrol has 20,000 agents –
more than twice as many as there were in 2004, a buildup that began under President Bush and that we
have continued.” (Obama Administration Boasting About Border Security, The Washington Post)
--President Obama, May 10, 2011
The United States Border Patrol was formed to patrol the borders of Mexico and Canada, as well
as the coastal waters of the Florida borders. However, over the years, the bulk of the U.S. Border
Patrols concentration was focused on the Mexican border. It wasn’t until the September 11th
attacks in 2001 that border security became a hot topic. Before 9/11, the border patrol was
limited to hiring about 500 new border patrol agents a year. With the development of the
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 20041, the U.S. Border Patrols hiring limit
was raised to 2000 a year. This is subjected of course to funding. By 2009, under the guidance of
then President Bush, the U.S. Border Patrol had increased to well over 20,000 officers
nationwide.
Under immigration reform, the goal for border security is to:
Increase the protection of the U.S. borders.
1
http://intelligence.senate.gov/laws/pl108-458.pdf
7. Continue to increase the number of U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Add over 350 miles of border fencing along the U.S./Mexican border.
Increase cameras and radar towers.
Deny visas to those with criminal histories.
Implement the US-VISIT Exit Requirement System which will keep a more accurate
track of when an alien enters and exits the U.S.
Implementation of an effective immigration biometric system along the borders which
will include a database of immigration status and fingerprints of individuals arrested.
This system is already being used by nine states across the U.S. and has become an
effective tool for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
By implementing these and other measures, the U.S. will be better equipped to secure the borders
of this country as well as maintain an effective immigration and naturalization program. When
combined with the other areas of immigration reform, a powerful and effective tool is developed
that will enhance our nation’s security and economy.
Worksite Enforcements2
Thousands of immigrants enter into the United States illegally each year in anticipation of
finding employment to help them support themselves and their families. While the intent is
noble; the approach is illegal. This is one of the major reasons for illegal immigration. Numerous
businesses throughout the United States hire illegal workforces. This not only strains the work of
the U.S. Border Patrol as well as ICE officers but it limits the amount of work that should go to
the legal workforce.
According to a recent ICE report3:
2
http://www.ice.gov/doclib/foia/dro_policy_memos/worksite_enforcement_strategy4_30_2009.pdf
8. It has been determined that merely capturing and deporting illegal immigrants is not enough.
Stricter penalties must be handed down to the employers who are hiring these individuals.
Without the promise of possible work, the need to cross the U.S. border is not as high for an
illegal alien. By financially hitting these businesses at the heart, their income, it will cut back on
these employers hiring illegal workers. As a part of the worksite enforcement strategy,
employers who hire illegal immigrants will be penalized in several ways including fines as well
as possible debarment from obtaining any federal contracts. This strategy is not only about
penalizing those businesses that violate worksite enforcement policies but also to assist those that
want to be compliant with the training and tools that they need to remain compliant.
As a part of immigration reform, the worksite enforcement seeks to:
Insure that all workers hold legal status in order to work in the U.S.
Letters will be sent by the Social Security Administration that will outline the penalties
for hiring illegal workers as well as implement “No-Match” letters when an employer’s
records do not match up with that of Social Security.
3
Worksite_Enforcement_Strategy4_30_2009
9. Reduction of the amount of papers accepted to verify a person’s identity and work
eligibility. The stricter the requirement on these acceptable documents, the less chance of
an illegal worker being hired as they generally will not have these documents.
Increasing fines for those who hire illegal workers.
Increase the investigative process for employers who hire illegal workers.
Federal contractors will be required to utilize a federal verification system to verify the
identity and work eligibility status of all workers.
Integrating an E-Verify system that will span across business industries as well as places
like the DMV to limit the hiring of illegal workers as well as avoiding them obtaining or
using illegal documents.
By utilizing these various strategies, employers will be held more accountable for hiring illegal
workers. With so many of these strategies in place, there will be no excuse for hiring illegal
workers.
Guest Worker Programs
During the Bush Administration, it was stressed on how as a society, economically the U.S.
needed the immigrant population to function at full capacity. Immigrants tend to do the work that
many Americans steer clear of. Farms across the United States are worked daily by immigrants.
This allows the food needed to sustain our population to be grown and distributed. As a part of
the Guest Worker Program, immigrants would be allowed into the U.S. on a provisional and
temporary status. This allows them to work and allows employers the ability to hire them. This
would benefit the immigrant because they can make money to support themselves and their
families as well as limit them being taken advantage of. Many illegal workers are compromised
by being paid lower wages than traditional workers. The fear of being deported during a work
10. raid is no longer a concern with the implementation of the Guest Worker Program. When a
workers visa expires, the program is looking at the possibility of their country of origin offering
them incentives to return home. The Guest Worker Program benefits all sides by giving the U.S.
the workforce it needs and allowing immigrants the chance to come into this country and make a
living on a temporary basis. Under this program a temporary visa for up to 3 years could be
issued. In addition, fees may possibly be assessed in order to participate in this program. Any
immigrant who violates the terms of the program will risk deportation.
Improving the Immigration System and Naturalization Process
Improving the overall process of the immigration and naturalization process is important to
decreasing the chances for illegal immigrants to gain access to the United States. As part of
immigration reform, the following is considered a vital part of this process:
Streamlining the background checks and process implemented by the FBI when required.
Insuring the illegal immigrants “are not” receiving credits towards the U.S. Social
Security system.
Revising the U.S. Naturalization test to include areas on U.S. democracy, U.S. history
and other areas applicable to citizenship in the U.S.
Better training for coaches who assist immigrants through the naturalization process.
Development of an on-line program designed to enhance learning the English language.
Implementation of all these processes will make the immigration and naturalization processes a
smooth one and will insure that the rules are being followed by everyone. Immigration reform
has been discussed for years but now more than ever it is at the forefront of our nation’s political
core. It has never been more important to our society than it is today. The goal of this study is to
educate the general public on the issues at the heart of immigration reform. Being informed on
11. these issues will allow the citizens of the United States to make decisions based on a thorough
understanding of how immigration reform will impact their lives.
Fairness in Immigration Reform Movement was developed to inform the public on the current
laws and political battles that are raging in this country. In addition, we serve as an education
outlet for those who want to learn more about immigrations past, present and future. Immigration
laws can be hard to understand and we are dedicated to helping the everyday man and woman
understand this political battle. To learn more about the Immigrant Reform Movement, visit our
website for more information at http://newimmigrationrules.org./.
