Illegal Immigration

Illegal immigration refers to individuals from other countries that enter the United States without the required documents for entry, for instance a visa. In addition, illegal immigration can also refer to individuals who violate immigration laws or stay longer than the departure date identified on their visa. Immigration enforcement is a huge concern in the United States; in 2012, the country spent $18 billion USD on programs that enforce immigration laws. It was estimated in 2008 that there were a total of 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. However, other figures have indicated that the population is between 7 and 30 million. Naturally, the phenomenon is difficult to document. The vast majority of illegal immigrants come from Mexico, while others come from Central and Latin America, Asia, and Canada.

Legal Background

There are several types of foreign persons in the United States, including: citizens born outside of the country, citizens born as citizens outside the country, foreign-born non-citizens who have non-permanent statuses to work, reside, study, or travel in the United States and foreign-born non-citizens who reside in the United States illegally. Legal immigrants are those foreign-born non-citizens who are allowed to apply for citizenship. Foreign-born non-citizens may become illegal immigrants through unauthorized entry or by overstaying a visa or other violating the conditions of another entry document, such as a temporary work permit. Those that enter by crossing the border illegally usually come from neighboring countries, namely Mexico. It is believed that 0.5 million people cross the Mexico-United States border illegally every year. “Coyotes” are people who work to smuggle illegal immigrants across the border.

Affected Groups

Illegal immigration is a complex issue. Those that try to stay in the United States usually do so because they cannot obtain a visa. They may believe that they will have better or higher-paying work opportunities in the United States, even if only as undocumented workers. Most do so to send money back to family living in the home country, where it goes further. However, those employers who employ workers illegally are less likely to offer fair pay or employee benefits. Workers who become injured may have few options for obtaining medical care. The employer gains by not having to pay taxes and getting cheap labor, but Americans may lose jobs to workers who are willing to work for cheaper than set minimum wages.

Challenges

Immigration in the United States is a topic that has garnered a lot of debate in recent years. Some Americans believe that illegal immigrants are beneficial to the U.S. economy; migrant workers are often required to fill labor jobs on farms or in businesses that are unattractive to the majority of Americans. However, in areas of the country where unemployment rates are high, the public sentiment is that illegal immigrants take jobs from otherwise willing Americans. Instead of forcing companies to pay workers salaries that adequately account for the cost of living in the United States, illegal workers are a source of cheap labor, which negatively affects the overall structure of the labor market.