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Re: Case Analysis
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Subject: Immigration Policy Memo
Immigration is a very sensitive topic in the United States. Specifically, it has, for a long time, attracted opinions from all categories of people ranging from politicians, religious people, foreign nations, and ordinary citizens, among others. Particularly, illegal immigration has been a major concern. The concerned parties aim at reconciling all the contrasting differences to come up with a profound solution. Disagreements run deeper some times on how immigration problems should be faced, but the one constant thing is that all the groups agree that something needs to be done (O’Sullivan, 2005). As such, I have thought it through and have come up with some policies that will help alleviate illegal immigration. It is irrefutable that the U.S is facing massive challenges with the immigration system. For a long time, the U.S boundaries have been porous; that is, the authorities have been unable to take full control of the borders.
Numerous surveys conducted around the country show that there could be more than 12 million illegal immigrants or rather undocumented foreigners (O’Sullivan, 2005). Stevenson (2005) states that this is a clear indication that our sovereignty is under attack because one of the measures to evaluate the sovereignty of a country is by viewing at its capability to guard its borders against illegal immigrants, terrorists, as well as drug dealers
Political and Policy Objectives
Guarding the national borders to curb illegal immigration
My objective of curbing illegal immigration through guarding our national borders is quite vivid and realistic. The current state of affairs regarding illegal immigration calls for a strict yet sensitive approach (“Business Leader Applaud,” 2005). This is because even though there have been illegalities in entering the U.S border, it is because the system has arguably failed. The United States is a greener pasture with a wide array of economic opportunities. In most of the cases, the immigrants are not dangerous people to the economy or the American natives. They put their lives in danger by crossing the borders illegally just to search for livelihoods in the U.S. In that regard, the proposed ammendments will not shut immigration completely; instead, this policy objectives will aim to ensure that only lawful immigration is permitted. Concisely, the policy will create a fairer system that is embedded in compassion and consistency. This will ensure that legal businesses across the U.S border are not disrupted whatsoever.
Technology
Deployment of advanced technology will play a very critical role in slowing down and stopping illegal immigration. In the proposed amendments, the administration will construct high-tech fences that are capable of conveying electric shocks at individual sections of the border, which are known for harboring illegal immigrants who trek across (Stevenson, 2005). Predictably, this will discourage a significant number of people who may wish to cross the borders illegally or, in other words, will encourage the usage of the rightful procedure of entering the United States.
Moreover, the administration will use infrared cameras, motion sensors, and unmanned aerial motor cars to bolster the patrolling teams to thwart illegal border-crossing. Undoubtedly, the United States is the leading country in terms of technology usage across the globe, and as such, it is high time we used that advantage to boost the surveillance at the borders. The usage of human efforts exclusively is proving less productive and, to some extent, outdated. Artificial intelligence and advanced technology are taking over several roles across almost all the sectors of the economy. The time has come for the National Security to diversify its approach to this immigration. A properly equipped patrol team is likely to perform better in solving the problem at hand. However, this calls for more funding. Despite increasing the funding for border security, the menace of illegal immigration persists.
Nevertheless, this team has done an amazing job in the last half a decade. They managed to apprehend and send approximately 1.1 million illegal immigrants back to their home countries in 2004 alone (Strohn, 2005). On another study, Sandler (2006) indicated that in 2005, 70,680 of the immigrants that were deported had criminal records. An increase in funding on border security could aid in hiring more patrol agents and the installation of the technologies mentioned earlier. Since this is a matter that will help the overall economy, the members of the congress and local authorities should carry the burden of increasing the funds directed to border security, especially to our southern border, which is more porous.
Ending the Catch and Release at the Borders
For a long time, illegal immigrants have ridden on the catch and release policy because it was lenient and convenient on their side. However, to discourage illegal immigration further, abolishing this policy will boost the U.S efforts of fighting this challenge. Although this step will need more funding, because of the expansion of bed capacity in the detention, it is likely to prove more beneficial in the long term. Instead of releasing the culprits apprehended, they will need to be detained for a specified period (Stevenson, 2005). This will inflict fear of potential illegal immigrants, and most of them will choose to follow the legitimate procedure of entering the United States of America. This will be yield positive results to the endeavors of keeping the boundaries safe.
Joining Forces with all the levels of governments
Power gained from togetherness should never be overlooked, particularly in matters of national concern like illegal immigration. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) possesses resources to acquaint 1500 officers at the local and states levels with the expertise required in matters regarding customs and immigration (Strohn, 2005). With more support from other departments such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Criminal Alien Program (CAP), among others, much can be done to avert illegal entry to the United States.
Using Expedited Removal
Regarding court-imposed order that the Federal Government to release dangerous criminal illegal immigrants if their countries fail to take them back after a certain specified period, the administration will be working closely with the members of the congress to mitigate this (Strohm, 2005). Although it is the responsibility of individual countries to take the responsibility of guarding the conduct of its citizens, no group of innocent citizens deserves living with dangerous people. Thus, the directions given by the court may put the citizens of the other nations in grave danger, and therefore, it requires to be reviewed. Safeguarding our borders safe stretches to other countries to some extent.
Protecting the labor supply offered by the immigrants
Undoubtedly, the labor supplied by immigrants is invaluable in the sense that it has helped in fueling the growth of the U.S economy. As mentioned above, immigrants account for about 12 million people living in the U.S (O’Sullivan, 2005). This is about 4% of the population. When this 4% enter the labor market, it raises the productivity capacity of the nation, which in turn raises the gross domestic product (GDP). In turn, growth in the GDP means that the standards of living increase because governments get more revenues as the GDP increases. An increase in government expenditure is always an added advantage to the citizens because it means that some of the proceedings end up in incentivizing critical infrastructure such as the healthcare system. Therefore, chasing away all the illegal immigrants could cripple the U.S economy to a significant magnitude besides infringing some sections of human rights (Sandler, 2006).
Furthermore, immigrants play an essential part in boosting innovation in the business arena. As such, it is morally inappropriate to treat them like liabilities. Regardless of political orientations, nobody can refute that immigrants have been pivotal to where our country stands in terms of efficiency in business. They have heavily invested in the United States, politically, socially, and economically (O’Sullivan, 2005). As such, there should be policies that clear the dirty engagements that occur in immigration. In so doing, the administration will be creating a legal opportunity for the United States economy to thrive.
Holding Employers Accountable for the People they employ
The administration is addressing the challenge of employers employing undocumented individuals by deploying tough blending of forfeitures and criminal prosecution (Sandler, 2005). For decades, administrative hearings and fines have been deployed for worksite enforcement (“Immigration,” 2005). These fines have been meager that some employers somehow regarded them as a mere cost of operation. They took that chance to recruit illegal immigrants, a tendency that has gone for long without being debated. The immigration problem can be closely linked to high toleration levels by the previous administrations. Once undocumented immigrants get employed, there is a higher chance that they might refer their family members and friends from their countries to try their luck of crossing the border illegally. Holding the employer responsible for employing undocumented workers, and arresting them will help in bringing sanity in protecting the labor offered by immigrants. The major plan is not to smoke the immigrants out of the country, but to make things right. Let the rule of law be followed because that is what the Americans stand for.
Dismantling criminal groupings that produce fake documents
There are those groups that aid in tainting labor supply provided by immigrants by providing fake identity other documents. This unethical conduct jeopardizes the governments’ effort to bring sanity in the context of the essential labor offered by immigrants (“Immigration,” 2005). In order to protect what the government intended initially by allowing foreigners to live and work in the United States of America, the administration will use all the necessary means and force to get rid of those businesses and ensure that they are brought to book for violating the rules of the land.
Providing Temporary Worker program
Security measures alone might not solve the problem of immigration to its entirety. A significant number of people out there will still defy all the security measures put in place just to cross the borders and build a future in the United States. That posits a possible constant pressure on the U.S that calls for a different approach. Beyond any reasonable doubt, the rule of law will never sanctify the unlawful employment of people who lack proper documentation (“Business Leader Applaud,” 2005). This is even though there are hundreds of thousands of types of jobs that the Native Americans may not be willing to take, or at least not at the prevailing compensation rates, but the immigrants could gladly accept the jobs. Lack of people to take the jobs means that the economy will suffer both in the long term and short term (“Immigration,” 2005).
To avoid this, providing an official channel where immigrants get the legal documentation to enable them to work without compromising the rule of law, gives a win-win situation to all the parties involved. This can be achieved by coming up with a temporary worker program that meets all requirements of the rule of land whereby the employers will legally give jobs that are not taken by the natives to immigrants (“Business Leader Applaud,” 2005). Nevertheless, this program will be guided by a set of principles. Firstly, the native workers ought to be prioritized over the foreign worker. Precisely, the employers will not be allowed to employ foreigners while there are natives who have an interest in the job offered. Secondly, the program should be strictly temporary. This means that there should be a stipulation of the time that immigrants should stay in the U.S, after which they should pack and leave the country. Those who defy this specification will automatically become ineligible for citizenship of the U.S. Lastly, the market conditions shall dictate participation in this program. This means that, when the economic conditions are friendly for businesses, and they are booming, and the Americans are not enough, then the market is permitted to open more. On the contrary, when the economic times are tough, and the performance of businesses slow down, then the market for the program will be slowed down to ensure that more Americans are absorbed in the labor market
Bringing Undocumented employees in the U.S out of the Shadows
In order to comprehensively deal with the immigration problem and protect the labor supply offered by the legal immigrants, accounting for the undocumented labor force is utterly essential (Sandler, 2005). They should be called out of shadows under the rules envisaged in the U.S constitution. Nonetheless, amnesty or an automatic path to citizenship is inappropriate (“Business Leader Applaud,” 2005). Choices have consequences, and it is always fair to let people pay the price. Amnesty for entering or forging documentation can only be equated with rewarding lawbreakers. This, in turn, can only worsen the situation further besides disgracing the people who legally migrated to the United States and waited patiently for their citizenship. Instead of amnesty or mass deportation of the illegal immigrants, there could be a rationale middle ground where there each of the proposed solutions is not executed in absolute. In this case, the absence of amnesty means that illegal immigrants who have been working in the U.S illegally and whose visas have expired should pay a substantial penalty for their misconduct. Furthermore, after paying the penalty, these persons will be required to learn English, pay taxes, and stay in a job for a specified number of years before their status can be legalized. Lastly, all the undocumented workers who may wish to earn the U.S citizenship must go back to the line and start the process legally. In doing this, they will value the importance of following the laid rules and regulations and could offer invaluable advice to their friends and relatives who may want to sneak into the U.S illegally.
Offering privileges to legal immigrants to become U.S citizens
It is noteworthy that immigration to the U.S is not a right; instead, it is a privilege extended by the government to foreigners. Based on the current statistics on the number of immigrants in the country, it is crystal clear that this privilege has been breached. This is proof that guarding the boarders alone is not sufficient to solve the challenges that come with illegal immigration. Undoubtedly, there is a portion of the immigrants that followed the right procedures to enter the U.S., and they deserve to be treated with the utmost dignity and respect (“Immigration,” 2005). Such immigrants deserve a meaningful and fair citizenship process when the need arises. For instance, some of the legal foreign temporary workers will love to remain in the United States and chase citizenship after the expiry of their contracts.
Based on political orientations, offering privileges to legal immigrants may seem controversial to others. Some would question why immigrants are given privileges of obtaining citizenship instead of being sent to their home countries. Well, the United has a heritage of hospitality. It has been part of our history for several decades. Most of the people who would like to see the aliens being evicted seem not to understand a few logic. For instance, some immigrants have blended with the native very intensively such that it is hard to distinguish them. Michelle Waslin argues that it is inhumane to bring discord in such a circumstance by sending the foreigner away (Sandler, 2005). Instead, giving them a priority when issuing the green cards could save the country a big deal.
Political strategy for achieving those objectives (Recommendation)
Although politics taint even the noblest movements in a nation most of the time, achieving these objectives is practical. This is owing to the fact that the problem is deepening, and the citizens, regardless of their political affiliations, could agree to most of these policy objectives. Unfortunately, their views and feeling may not be important because most of the objectives require funding, and the congress is the body entrusted with such mandates (“Business Leader Applaud,” 2005). Therefore, the best political strategy to deploy in this case is to use the presidential powers to persuade the members of the congress on the importance of criticality of funding objectives aimed at curbing illegal immigration. When something comes from the most powerful person in the U.S, it is likely to stir massive debate that may eventually yield. Particularly, problems of immigration are not overtly disputed amongst all the citizens as well as among the politicians. Therefore, strategic persuasion could yield positive results.
Conclusion
Immigration is a very sensitive topic in the United States. Particularly, illegal immigration has been a major problem due to the polarity of the U.S border, especially the Southern border. Several amendments have been made regarding the issue, yet the challenge persists. This prompts an overhaul in policy objectives. The critical proposed policy objectives in this study include guarding the national borders to curb illegal entrance into the U.S. To materialize this objective, modern technology will need to be deployed. Besides, some of the old policies that have proven to be less effective will be ended. For instance, the catch and release policy have accelerated the challenge instead of alleviating it, and therefore it will be ended. The other main policy objectives will entail offering privileges to legal immigrants to become U.S citizens and protecting the labor supply offered by the immigrants. These steps will ensure that those that follow the rightful procedure regarding immigration are not punished like those that enter illegally. Congress will be very pivotal in the materialization of these objectives because all the three main objectives require more funding, which only Congress can authorize.
References
Business Leaders Applaud Sens. Kennedy-Mccain Plan to Fix Our Broken Immigration System. (2005, October 18). U.S. Fed News. Retrieved from the Final_Case_Material_Immigration.pdf
Immigration May Be a Major Issue in the 2008 Election. (2005, June 1). Cox News Service Retrieved from the Final_Case_Material_Immigration.pdf
O’Sullivan, J. (2005, May 12). The GOP’s Immigration Problem – Will the elites get a clue? Retrieved from the Final_Case_Material_Immigration.pdf
Sandler, M. (2006, November 7). McCain, Graham Push House Republicans for Immigration Compromise. Retrieved from the Final_Case_Material_Immigration.pdf
Stevenson, R. (2005, November 29). Bush Renews Push to Overhaul Immigration. Retrieved from the Final_Case_Material_Immigration.pdf
Strohm, C. (2005, October 1). Special Report – The Wild, Wild Southwest. National Journal Group, Inc. Retrieved from the Final_Case_Material_Immigration.pdf