Illegal Immigrants Pros and Cons: Which Side Are You On?

The issue of illegal immigrants has been debated by politicians over and over but with little results. The very sensitive nature of the issue has caused many politicians to steer clear of the issue, unless it could swing voters to support a particular political party. Truth be told, the push to enact new immigration laws is more of a political act rather than a show of sincerity to resolve an issue that has plagued the country for many decades now.

59% of Americans believe that the U.S. should continue to build a fence along the Mexican border. Just 26% believe the U.S. should stop building the fence (Rasmussen, March 2010).

We have been told of illegal immigrants pros and cons but little has been done to address the issues. It is easy to be swayed by arguments against illegal immigrants because the proponents underscore the threats to the American public and downplay the perceived benefits of having illegal immigrants. This is not to say that we are very forgiving of those who reached American soil by illegal means, but it would be foolish to dwell on that aspect when more than 20 million of them are already in the country.

Take the case of illegal immigrants from Mexico. Because of geographical reasons, Mexicans are far more inclined to get into the US borders easily than other groups of people. With that said, it is safe to say that majority of illegal immigrants are from the Mexican borders. Hence, they are the most affected when immigration laws are passed and the government starts to hunt down illegal immigrants.

68% of likely voters think that securing the border is more important than granting amnesty to illegal aliens, but only 20% believe that Congress will take steps to secure the border in within the next year (Rasmussen, March 2010).

Arizona has recently enacted a new immigration law, which primarily targets Mexicans. This law sternly requires all immigrants to carry their registration documents all the time. This way, the police can have an easier task to identify illegal immigrants.

This is actually an effective way to get rid of illegal aliens. However, we still have to consider the aspect of racial discrimination. And there is the reality of the possibility that some of the police enforcers could use and abuse their authority, which is just one of the many reasons why Mexicans and other immigrants cannot help but feel threatened.

Although this law can be perceived as the answer to the increasing problems with illegal immigration, it will definitely open up opportunities for racists to harass immigrants. This could be an extreme case but we cannot eliminate the big possibility and knowing about illegal immigrants pros and cons may not be enough to save immigrants from the harsh reality of racial discrimination.

The truth is, illegal immigration has only one major positive point – and that is its effect on the business sector. Illegal immigrants work long hours for low-income rates and businesses that hire illegal immigrants do not have to pay taxes and health care.

68% of African-Americans, 56% of Hispanics, and 57% of Asian-Americans believe that immigration is too high (Zogby, February 2010).

And that’s it. This point should not be a reason to be lenient when it comes to the issue of illegal immigration. Harassment and racial discrimination are just empty excuses, which can be easily dealt with. If we always think about the issue of racism and harassment, our problem with illegal immigration will never end.

We have been dealing with illegal immigrants pros and cons for the longest time and what we need are strict laws to get rid of these illegal immigrants who have been taking advantage of our resources.

Tagged with: american soil • geographical reasons • illegal aliens • illegal immigrants • mexican borders • new immigration law • new immigration laws • political act • registration documents • sensitive nature

Filed under: illegal immigration pros

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!