Illegal Immigration Issues

783 Words4 Pages

The United States illegal immigration issue is on a massive scale. Ten million, and counting, undocumented immigrants reside in the United States. While this presents the United States as alluring, it shows that our national borders remain too open. The United States Border Patrol captures those who cross our borders via entering without inspection or extending visa visits. Crossing our borders via these manners is a misdemeanor, or upon prior deportation, a worse punishment.
The United States Border Patrol is crucial to combating illegal immigration, but this issue is present at our borders, as well as within our borders. In the present moment, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is limited to capturing, and then removing, illegal immigrants …show more content…

I’ve witnessed illegal immigrants working in restaurants, in particular, and it is astonishing to those who’ve never worked in a restaurant to learn how common this is. Finding sustainable employment is challenging enough for many Americans. Illegal immigrants are disrupting today’s workforce by working under the table, or in other words, getting compensated in cash. It is common practice for illegal immigrants to perform work, no matter what type of work, for significantly less than either minimum wage or less than what an American would expect to be compensated. Business owners obviously appreciate cheap labour. But that cheap labour comes at a cost and subsequently affects working class Americans. Working for less than minimum wage, in turn, forces many Americans to work for less than they initially would work for. The short term effects impact workers, but the long term effects could potentially affect the business owners if and when punishment is bestowed upon. Ultimately, there is a reduction to staff, which adds to our nation’s unemployment, or the business itself could be shut …show more content…

Punishments could increase in severity if the business owner is a repeat offender, and the number of illegal immigrants employed would determine what punishment is best suited. Furthermore, not only should the business owner be held accountable for such actions. I believe it takes two to tango, and so the illegal immigrants that willingly and knowingly signed up for their illegal employment should also be held accountable for violating the labour laws of the United States.
Illegal immigration is an issue that is between power, to be, or not to be. Illegal immigration is systemic in that sense. While the United States wants to commit to combating illegal immigration, capturing and removing illegal immigrants in an intrusive manner, the United States also wants to be viewed as standing as one with race neutrality. This power imbalance is what divides our nation, as biases will be exposed at state, or other levels in locating illegal