Immigration+Troubles

For the past twenty years, immigration has become a huge political hot-spot, much like it was 150 years ago. The issue is mostly whether or not foreigners can reside in the United States without papers. It is a very polarizing issue: most Democrats say yes and most Republicans say absolutely not. In 2007, an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants resided in the United States. These aliens are mostly Mexican migrant workers and cross the border illegally looking for work. Although they reside m ostly in the Southwest, these Mexicans are travelling all over our c ountry, many taking their families with them. All of this adds up to some serious tax evasions, overcrowded schools (especially in Texas, Arizona, and California), and wages being taken away from Unionized American laborers. But do these immigrants have a right to be here? Many argue that the United States is a nation made up by the diversity of immigrants—immigrants who were facing the same population caps and racism centuries ago that our modern Central Americans, Poles, and Middle Easterners are facing today. And they also provide an interesting investment into America’s economy and production rates…it’s hard not to think of these foreigners as numbers when most of them work for less than minimum wage (and even more doing hard labor). Some would argue that their commitment and work ethic almost makes up for their lack of citizenship, and even more of those people label the type of work they do as “the jobs that nobody wants”. And from an ethical standpoint, one could argue that the Declaration of Independence guarantees all //residents// of the United States the right to the pursuit of happiness; our Declaration outlines this as a //basic human right//, next to eating, drinking, sleeping, etc. (Archibold) Immigration was one of the top reigning issues in the Election of 2008. Mitt Romney, a Republican candidate, had a very strong opinion on immigration. He believed that all illegal aliens should be deported. However, before the primary elections, his policy was undermined by the discovery of more than half of his house-staff to be illegal immigrants, and almost all of them Mexican (he was one of the hardest pushers for an anti-amnesty policy). The two final candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, had almost completely opposing views on immigration. Many critics of John McCain have called his agenda “harsh”, “prejudiced”, and “impractical”: not only did John McCain vote amnesty down, but a huge part of his anti-illegal immigration campaign was based around an enormous and tall fence to be built along the entire length of US-Mexico border (McCain). Barack Obama, Democrat-elect, was more in favor for a very locally comprehensive view, and believed that the handling of illegal immigrants was more of a state issue, although he supported (and still does) increased surveillance of the border. He believes deporting the 12 million immigrants is impractical, and is a strong anti-xenophobe (Obama). Hopefully, under President Obama, the dysfunctional, bureaucratic immigration system will be eradicated. In the past ten years, hate crimes against Hispanics have risen over %45, and Barack Obama says that that is no coincidence. In the Southwest, many citizens, outraged by the enormous Hispanic populations in their communities, have taken on a sort of vigilante status where they and their peers “hunt” for Hispanics illegally crossing the border. This has often led to death, serious injuries on both parties, and an increase in prejudice in our Western brothers. Perhaps it is this mindset that prompted Arizona to pass a new, much more stringent law on immigrants. On April 23rd, 2010, Governor Jan Brewler signed a bill that aimed to persecute, interrogate, and eventually deport all illegal immigrants by giving police the power to question and detain anybody who they suspect of being in the country illegally (Archibold). This is by far the broadest and strictest immigration law in the past century. Many say that this will only promote Hispanic harassment and prejudice. Only time will tell where this law will lead.
 * __Reasoning: Yes or No?__**
 * __ Immigration in the Election of 2008 __**
 * __ Hate Crimes and the Arizona Immigration Law __**