Illegal Immigration and the Need for a Road to Citizenship
Illegal immigration is one of the problems that affect the majority of developing nations around the world. The United States has seen an increase in illegal immigration in recent years, forcing Trump's administration to implement policies such as relocation and rigorous monitoring of those entering the country. It is past time for the United States to have a road to citizenship for all of the country's undocumented immigrants.
Reasons for Immigration to the United States
Immigration to the United States has increased over the last decade, which has been due to increased tensions and wars in the Middle East, especially in Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Other than escaping wars, immigration into the U.S. is driven by the search for greener pastures. The U.S. is portrayed as a land of opportunities, and it is because of that reason that immigrants from Africa, South America have infiltrated into the country. Out of these immigrants moving into the U.S. a majority of them are categorized as illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants lack the required documentations that allow them to stay in the country. One of the campaign agendas of the now U.S. president as a presidential candidate was the mitigation of the ever soaring illegal immigration in the U.S. According to Trump; the illegal immigrants were the reason behind the high crime rates in the country. He also argued that they scrambled for the job opportunities available in the U.S. After his election as president, he has taken a full course of action in ensuring that all the illegal immigrants are evicted from the country. This paper primarily focuses on the impacts of offering a path to citizenship to the illegal immigrants in the U.S.
Positive and Negative Impacts of Illegal Immigration
Discussion
Illegal immigration has in the past decade had both positive and negative effect to the U.S. Some of the positive impacts of the increase in the number of illegal immigrants in the country include the availability of labor that has in return been instrumental in the enhancement of the U.S. economy. The immigrants have blended into the system and are a representation of the U.S' care for humanity and its open doors to people from all ethnic backgrounds (Anderson, 2010). It should however be noted that the illegal immigrants have been linked to various vices. Some of the vices attached to the illegal immigrants include terrorism and increased crime rates and their engagement in human trafficking. Most of the terrorist attacks in the country, in the past few years, have been linked to the illegal immigrants. The immigrants have also been accused of human trafficking in the U.S. The illegal immigrants have also been accused of occupying employment positions in the country illegally (Alvarez, 2017). It is because of such accusations that the U.S. president has been on the frontline in deporting this group of persons.
Increase in Deportations and the Psychological Effects
In the past four months, Donald Trump has cracked a whip on the illegal immigrants in the country. Most of these illegal immigrants come from Mexico and the Middle East countries. The deportation of these immigrants has left most families psychologically affected. Those being deported argue that they have been unfairly targeted (Rahimi, 2017). A few weeks ago, some of the Iraq's illegal immigrants were arrested and are yet to face deportation. Most of these immigrants with an Iraq background argue that they are Christians yet Iraq is an Islamic country, and this means that their deportation will only but land them into a hostile environment in Iraq.
The Need for a Path to Citizenship for Illegal Immigrants
The treatment that has been directed to the illegal immigrants by the Trump administration has increasingly been harsh. The number of deportations has increased, and this has ended up declaring the U.S. as a country that hardly channels humanitarian support to the refugees and the humanity that require care and support. In the quest of dealing with the issue of deportation of the illegal immigrants, it is a high time that the U.S. offered a legal residency to the illegal immigrants. The immigration office needs to set up a date where the illegal immigrants will be granted a path to citizenship in the country. As a part of the requirements, the illegal immigrants will be supposed to have a clean crime record, and they will be required to ensure that they are ready to abide by the laws and regulations of the land. The path to citizenship will be one of the measures that will be vital in addressing the issue of immigration in the U.S.
Conclusion
It is a high time that the U.S. offered legal residency to the illegal immigrants. In so doing, this will help in enhancing the reputation of the country on the global map. The path to citizenship may also be vital in enhancing the country's economy since the immigrants will offer available labor. Finally, the U.S. will also improve its bilateral relations by offering a path to citizenship to the illegal immigrants.
References
Alvarez, P. (2017). Trump's Quiet Reversal on Deporting Young Undocumented Immigrants. The Atlantic. Retrieved 23 June 2017, from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/04/trumps-quiet-reversal-on-deporting-young-undocumented-immigrants/524367/
Anderson, S. (2010). Immigration. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood.
Rahimi, S. (2017). The undocumented immigrants deported under Trump. Aljazeera.com. Retrieved 23 June 2017, from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/05/undocumented-immigrants-deported-trump-170509111133083.html
