The Best Solutions to Illegal Immigration – Term Paper

The Best Solutions to Illegal Immigration

         The present state of the world is characterized by the ever-evolving world economy. As such, there are more job opportunities arising every day as a result of advances in science, technology, and business. However, it is important to note that such advancements are chiefly associated with the developed countries, and as a result, these countries become major victims of illegal immigration. However, there are also other causes of illegal immigration, such as wars and civil unrest. Illegal immigration has been associated with an increase in the number of terrorist attacks in the United States and the European Union. Furthermore, illegal immigration poses a threat to the economy of a country, as such, illegal immigrants are a source of cheap labor thus, they take jobs from the citizens of the host country. Although there are individuals that see immigration as a benefit to the government via additional taxes, expansion of the labor pool which leads to the increase in the amount of money in circulation, there is a need to regulate and monitor the issue. Thus, in order to better manage and tackle the impacts of illegal immigration, effective solutions have to be put in place to mitigate the effect of illegal immigration. Such solutions include deportation, government policies, and legalizing illegal immigrants.

Deportation of illegal immigrants is one of the most supported solution to illegal immigration. The view is widely supported in that it was the major strategy for President Trump during the last years election campaign. However, this solution is not feasible. For instance, in the United States, there are millions of illegal immigrants. Thus, the country does not have enough resources and workforce to find and deport all the illegal immigrants from the country (Razar). Furthermore, the financial strain on the economy as a result of deporting all illegal immigrants would be irreparable. It is thus impossible for deportation to be a solution to illegal immigration.

         Furthermore, according to Addington, deportation would also lead to the country losing numerous resources that have been cultivated over the years. Therefore, finding a better solution to illegal immigration is crucial. In this regard, the best-suited solution is through attrition. That means to make sure that no more illegal immigrants can cross the border and in addition, make sure that it is impossible for the illegal immigrants already living in the country to acquire jobs and reap benefits. Thus, via these actions, illegal immigrants in the country will go back to their homelands on their own volition.

However, for attrition to work, border security has to be effective and efficient. There have been debates over the years on the improvement of border security in order to manage the issue of illegal immigration. However, enough resources have not been availed to make border security a reality. To this end, the utilization of unmanned aerial vehicles, sensors, and cameras would provide border patrols with enhanced detection and monitoring capabilities (Djajic and Michael 810). Furthermore, for border security to be effective, there also needs to be cooperation between different neighboring states, for instance, cooperation between the US and Mexico is paramount to manage the immigration problem. Also, in the case of the United States, the government should ensure that the coast guard has appropriate and adequate resources to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country from the sea.

Consequently, opponents of migration propose numerous solutions to this problem, yet none of these solutions are job-related proposals (The Heritage Foundation). Such advocates forget the main reason why people migrate to the United States is the search for a better life. Thus, instead of dedicating and employing vast resources on the enhancement of border security, similar efforts should be targeted at creating and fostering effective job programs that seek to create and make available more opportunities for immigrants thus, entering the United States illegally would not be the only channel to access a better life.

On the other hand, not all immigrants in the United States enter the country illegally. The countrys entry system is to a degree flawed, and as a result, the majority of non-natives take advantage of this fact. Up to half of the illegal immigrants in the United States initially entered the country legally. Such immigrants have legal documents such as passports and visas that allow them enter the United States (Addington). However, such legal documents do not allow them permanent residence, they are only viable for a specified duration of time. Thus, such individuals should return to their home countries once their temporary visas expire. However, this is not usually the case. Most do not return home but rather stay in the United States as illegal immigrants. They are able to live in the United States undetected as the country does not have strict rules that apply to those who overstay in the country.

         Thus, a solution to this problem would be to put in place mechanisms that keep in constant communication with those in the country on a temporary basis. Furthermore, the government can implement systems that are able to effectively track down people who are overstaying in illegally. In addition, the government should put in place strict immigration rules. For instance, the immigration process should involve verification of employment, background checks and extensive interviews on the exact purpose of visiting the United States. Unless the government and other relevant stakeholders implement better and effective entry systems, it will be difficult to eliminate illegal immigration and its effect.

One of the most favored solutions to the eradication of illegal immigrants is to legalize those that are already in the country. Former President Obama made an announcement of legalizing illegal immigrants provided that they passed a criminal background check and paid their taxes. This action did not bode well with many as they saw it as making the problem worse as opposed to alleviating it. However, instead of questioning this solution, more effort should be put in understanding its benefits. Illegal immigrants provide much-needed resources to the country and its economy. Legalizing them would allow them to contribute more to the economy without any fear or restrictions. Furthermore, this group would make the economy more flexible, provide more job opportunities, increase the countrys productivity and offer a variety of cultural benefits (Addington).

However, legalizing illegal immigrants is not a popular point of view and many people propose enhancing border security .In this regards, there are those that are of the idea that the present border patrols are not effective in the prevention of illegal immigration. This notion is supported by a rising number, and as a result, other ways to enhance security at the borders are being explored. Among the solutions proposed, the use of armed forces at the borders has garnered more popularity as compared to the others. In the United States, the deployment of the national guard on the southern border has not had any significant impact on the number of illegal immigrants entering the states (Kim, Sei-hill, et al. 300).

         Thus, the use of the military is seen as the ultimate solution as they have the manpower and resources required to constantly monitor the barrier constructed to eradicate illegal entry into the country. On the other, while the use of the armed forces may lead to an increase in violence along the border, in the long run, the presence of the military will act as a deterrence to anyone contemplating entering the country illegally. Furthermore, the military will provide more security thus ensuring terrorist elements rarely cross the border.

However, since the use of the military may not be readily accepted by most, other methods such as the use of civilian volunteer groups to patrol the border can also be effective in reducing illegal entry into the country. Although the government has put in place numerous strategies and mechanisms to eradicate illegal immigration, thousands of people still enter the United States illegally each day. As illegal immigrants cause various damage to those living near the border, such as destruction of fences, crops, vandalism and in extreme cases kidnapping and ransom, various civilian groups have thus emerged in a bid to try and solve the problem of illegal immigration. Consequently, although these civilian groups are not legally authorized, they are gaining more and more support from concerned citizens that encourage their activities in providing border security.

Overall, although illegal immigrants have been associated with such criminal activities as drug trafficking and terrorist activities, they also play a critical role in the economy of the country. They increase the labor pool thus, making the cost of labor relatively low. However, they contribute to the countrys revenue through taxes and provide cultural diversity in the society. Therefore, illegal immigrants can affect a countrys economy and its society both in a positive and negative ways. As such, certain measures have to be put in place so as to constantly monitor both legal and illegal immigrants

Works Cited

Addington, David. “Encouraging Lawful Immigration and Discouraging Unlawful Immigration.” 27 March 2013. The Heritage Foundation. Web. 15 February 2017.

Djajic, Slobodan, and Michael S. Michael. “Controlling Illegal Immigration: On the Scope for Cooperation with a Transit Country.” Review of International Economics 22.4 (2014): 808-824.

Kim, Sei-hill., et al. “The View of the Border: News Framing of the Definition, Causes, and Solutions to Illegal Immigration.” Mass Communication and Society 14.3 (2011): 292-314.

Razar, Mike. “A Simple Solution To The Illegal Immigrant Problem.” 19 May 2010. Red State. Web. 15 February 2017.

The Heritage Foundation. “Advancing the Immigration Nation: Heritages Positive Path to Immigration and Border Security Reform.” 14 June 2014. The Heritage Foundation. Web. 15 February 2017.