Guanzon 1

Joseph Guanzon Professor Dursema English 1010 5 December 2013 Immigration Reform The United States of America is a country founded on immigration. Since Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, the country has continued to be a beacon to those who want to start a new life. Whether escaping religious oppression, searching for political amnesty, leaving a war torn country behind, or simply searching for a better opportunity, the U.S.A. has long been the destination for many immigrants. With a modern society comes modern problems, this is no different with immigration. To complicate matters further immigration has become a hot button topic for politicians at both the state and national level. In the national political arena there are Republicans who tend to view immigration from the viewpoint of law enforcement and in terms of additional users of resources. Democrats, and more specifically President Obama, are more concerned with keeping families together, while trying to streamline the convoluted process. On the state level we see governors enacting legislation, essentially taking matters into their own hands, due to the federal governments inability to act on the issue. But what is the answer? Do state governments need to lead the way before the U.S. congress acts? Will Republicans and Democrats find some common ground on which to begin building comprehensive reform? Perhaps there may be some international examples we should be investigating. There has not been any major immigration reform at the national level since The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (Jones-Correa andde Graauw 210). There have been minor changes to the law during the decades since the IRCA passed. This bill was a

Guanzon 2

compromise between the two political parties that dealt with long term immigration and also to discourage future unauthorized migration. Since then, the most comprehensive changes have come by way of enforcement. Both Republican and Democratic administrations have seen increases in border patrol agents, arrests, deportations, and raids (Jones-Correa and de Graauw 211). Since the passage of the IRCA, the United States has allowed an average of nearly one million legal residents annually (dhs.gov). With that amount of legal residents migrating to the U.S. every year, many may wonder why immigration needs to be reformed at all. While it is difficult to find many topics both political parties agree on in this country, one that seems to get bipartisan support is the fact that immigration policy needs to be fixed, though each side has different reasons why they feel reform is required. Republicans do not want to allow those who have come to the U.S. illegally to be able to profit from breaking the law, while Democrats want to increase immigration as a human rights principal (Matthews, Robertson, and Griffin 33). An additional issue Republicans raise is that unauthorized migration has a negative economic effect. The estimated number of unauthorized immigrants in a 2011 Department of Homeland Security report was 11,100,000 (Donato and Armenta 531). Republicans like Senate Mike Lee are concerned that giving that many people amnesty would be a drain on resources as that would increase the amount of people needing government assistance. They also argue that rewarding those who have broken the law would provide motivation for someone who may not be able to obtain authorized status to enter the country illegally. In addition, conservatives feel this punishes those who have entered the country legally and have followed our rules. Representative Steve King and many other Republicans in congress also back the mandatory usage of a verification system called E-verify prior to gaining employment. This

Guanzon 3

would allow agencies not only to ensure only authorized immigrants are being employed, but would also allow the status of guest worker programs to be tracked. In the same vein as E-verify, the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (S.A.V.E.) system would also check the legal status for those requesting State or federal entitlement programs or receiving an IRS refund. The view of the Republican Party, perhaps due to the ever-present gridlock in Congress, has shifted immigration reform from a federal to a state level. Throughout the country red states have begun their own immigration legislation in an effort to bypass the impasse in Washington. As an overall party strategy, this is a means to the progress the party is looking to achieve. Border states like Texas and Arizona have advocated for tighter security by placing additional agents along the border and building a fence the length of the U.S. border with Mexico (Nowicki). Within the party, however, there may be some call for allowing additional immigrants to enter the country. Representative Paul Ryan has recently been quoted by the National Journal as saying, We are educating people here and not letting them stay when they could actually contribute and create businesses; instead, they go overseas and end up competing against us. Were going to have labor shortages when the baby boomers are fully retired (Cook). Ryan also advocated for different visa categories to distinguish needs between high and low skilled workers. Democrats tend to look at immigration through a different lens than Republicans. To Democrats, immigration is a civil rights issue. They are hesitant to break up families, especially when children were born here in the U.S. to unauthorized parents. While Republicans in the House advocate for a more piece-meal approach to passing immigration reform, a recent bipartisan bill passed the Democratic-controlled Senate would be more wide-sweeping. John

Guanzon 4

Fonte of The National Review states, the Schumer-Rubio bill would almost double both legal immigration and the number of guest workers in the next ten years. It would legalize current illegal immigrants by providing a probationary visa immediately. This means that approximately 33 million new green cards would be issues in the coming decade. That may not necessarily be a negative. 33 million more green cards means several million more employees in the workforce. More workers mean more taxes, and also means more money coming into the economy. In spite of Republican fears that newly legalized immigrants will create a burden on the entitlement programs, immigrants are not heavy users of welfare programs, and restrictions could be placed on legalized workers (Matthews, Robertson, and Griffin). President Obama would like to increase the amount of visas issued. They would also like to create additional categories for entrepreneurs, STEM graduates, and federal national security science and technology laboratories. Like Republicans, Democrats believe more should be done to allow high skilled workers the opportunity to stay in the country and make a significant contribution to society. While both the Republican and Democratic viewpoints hold merit, South Africa may be an example of how a more open immigration system could benefit our nation while allowing those who look to America as the land of opportunity the ability to come find out for themselves. While South Africas Nelson Mandela did not open the borders to those looking to come in from outside the country, he did break down economic and cultural borders that were enforced during apartheid. The result was allowing the black population, which was about nine times the size of the white population, the ability to compete for the same jobs and immigrate into previously prohibited areas (Kenny). The Republicans fear of a drain on the economy here, turned out to be 15 years of gains for the South Africans. Average household income in South Africa more than

Guanzon 5

doubled between 1993 and 2008. In the end, everyone benefited from an economy made stronger by the free movement of people and labor, writes Charles Kenny. This paper will illustrate how a more open immigration system could help the economy, keep families together, and prove them with the same basic human rights naturalized citizens receive; while at the same time using tough tracking and enforcement policies to ensure compliance with the law. South Africa showed that a more open immigration policy could result in economic gains. While this would satisfy the Democratic agenda of keeping families together, a Republican idea could also be used. While not a completely open immigration system, one that allows a higher number to come to the United States legally, through either permanent resident or many guest worker statuses, along with incorporating a tough enforcement policy for those who still choose to enter illegally. Using tools like E-verify and S.A.V.E. would assist the agencies to properly enforce guest worker timeframes and deal with any unauthorized migration. The motivation would be to allow such an easy path to authorized status into the U.S., that the only people not willing to come legally have a reason to want to be in the country illegally. Immigration is no simple issue to overcome. Any topic that so greatly affects so many people should always be handled with absolute care. The United States is a country to many immigrants want to come. What makes the country great is that it was founded on the ideal that a strong immigrant class, from the foundations of our country to today and every era in between. Allowing a more welcoming immigration policy, one that encourages authorized migration, while strictly enforcing unauthorized status will give both the Republicans and Democrats a win, though the real winners will be those who get the fresh start they so deserve.

Guanzon 6

Works Cited

Cook, Nancy. Immigrants Bring Labor to Our Economy So Jobs Can Get Done. National Journal (2013). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 Dec 2013. Donato, Katherine M. and Amada Armenta. What We Know About Unauthorized Migration. Annual Review of Sociology. 37:529-43. (2011): 529-543. Print. Fonte, John. Jack Kemps Huddled Masses: Idealists Forget That Immigration Needs Assimilation. National Review. 11 Nov. 2013: 32. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. Jones-Correa, Michael and Els de Graauw . Looking Back to See Ahead: Unanticipated Changes in Immigration from 1986 to the Present and Their Implications for American Politics Today. Annual Review of Political Science. 16:209-30. (2013): 209-230. Print. Kenny, Charles. Barriers To Entry: How Opening Borders Gives Economies a Lift. Foreign Policy 202 (2013): 32+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. Matthews, Robert B., Tommy Robertson, and Martin Griffin. Illegal Immigration: A WorldClass Solution. Journal of Diversity Management-Spring 2013. 8.1. 2013. 31-38. Print Nowicki, Dan. "GOP Governors Talk Immigration Reform." Azcentral.com. Azcentral.com. 23 Nov. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. United States Dept. of Homeland Security. U.S. Legal Permanent Residents: 2012. 2013. Dept. of Homeland Security. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.