Amnesty for Undocumented Immigrants

Amnesty refers to rewarding individuals who break the law. Illegal immigrants enter a country without permission. Allowing aliens to live to attend school and work in the United States government is not easy. There have been various discussions concerning the issue of providing amnesty to illegal immigrants. Amnesty aims at providing legalization to immigrants; this may raise the question as to why illegal immigrants should get the right to live freely in the United States. For over 200 years, the United States government has granted amnesty to only individuals with specific cases (Bansak). In 1986, an Immigration Reform and Control Act was passed to allow undocumented migrants to continue working in the agricultural sector for four years; this act resulted into 2.8 million illegal immigrants to live in the United States. The families of the illegal immigrants followed them and lived in the United States. Most of the immigrants who live in the United States do invest their funds in the country; they work and send their income to their countries. On the other hand, it is important to understand the significance of giving amnesty to illegal immigrants in the society. Amnesty neither helps the community nor the people in amnesty, but benefits employers who need low wage workers (Caminero-Santangelo 449-471). We need another Amnesty Act (like the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986) which will legalize undocumented immigrants). This argumentative essay will discuss whether amnesty act should be introduced for illegal immigrants.

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Reasons against Amnesty

There are various reasons why illegal immigrants should not get amnesty. First, the legalization of illegal immigrants is unfair (McGuire 3). The government punishes individuals who engage themselves in illegal activities; it is therefore important to provide punishment for undocumented immigrants. There should be fair treatment for all criminals. In addition, immigrants do not invest in the United States. Supporting the illegal immigrants does not promote investment in the country because they save their financial income in their countries (Orrenius and Zavodny 442). The United States economy does not benefit from the stay of the undocumented immigrants; the immigrants add advantages in their countries.

Amnesty in the United States will worsen the problem. The legalization of undocumented immigrants will provide an open door for more immigrants into the country; people believe that the nation will give amnesty to criminals (Orrenius and Zavodny 437). Vices like terrorism would increase; hence, there is insecurity in the country. The pass of the act of amnesty will promote a drain on the governments funds. The immigrants will require government assistance; this is uneconomical because the people will belong to the undocumented population that will not be in the states budget (Pena 99). The provision of support for the welfare programs will reduce the funds that would help the United States citizens that require government aid.

Illegal immigrants promote high employment rates in the country. If amnesty is not granted, legal residents will get the opportunities of employment while the legalization of illegal immigrants would encourage scrambling of the few available jobs (Caminero-Santangelo 454). The citizens of America will not get jobs; hence, there is a decrease in the living standards.

Overpopulation is a crucial issue in the United States because of the increased number of undocumented immigrants. The available few resources are not enough for everyone in the society. Therefore, amnesty will enhance the immigration of people into the United States.

Illegal immigrants cause the conflict of culture. American citizens will get bad cultural traits from the immigrants (Pena 110). Young children will copy the habits that will have an adverse impact on their social and academic lives. Amnesty is a bad idea because the individuals that are advocating for the legalization of illegal immigrants want to favor themselves or their friends. The undocumented immigrants want to get recognition at the expense of law-abiding citizens. Most people believe that the law should not be passed under any circumstances.

Reasons That Support Amnesty

Amnesty on the undocumented immigrants would increase the taxes for the government. The illegal immigrants evade the payment of taxes; this is because they are avoiding trouble with the government (Pena 107). The recognition of undocumented individuals would encourage payment of taxes, hence, increasing the governments income. The taxes paid will contribute to the medical care and security in the United States. The United States government will gain the welfare dollars that go to illegal immigrants; this will only be achievable through the provision of amnesty to illegal immigrants (Caminero-Santangelo 456). Every year, the government set funds that help undocumented immigrants. Legalization of immigrants would help the government to save the money that would benefit the American Citizens and not foreigners.

Amnesty promotes diversity. The legalization of undocumented immigrants will support immigration into the country (Pena 108). People will come from all over the world; this contributes to the exchange of cultural beliefs and practices. There is also strengthening of individuals creativity and innovation through sharing from different people. Illegal immigrants become part of the community. The majority of the American citizens view immigrants as criminals (Orrenius and Zavodny 449). Hence, they isolate themselves from the society. The provision of the permission for them to live and work in the United States will encourage the immigrants to participate in the protection of their neighbors and country.

There is a reduction in crime through the legalization of the undocumented immigrants. Most individuals believe that illegal immigrants contribute to criminal activities (Caminero-Santangelo 467). The society is not at peace because of the fear of terrorism and drug trafficking in the community. Amnesty ensures that recognition of unauthorized individuals is encouraged, and they become part of the society. There is a sense of accountability because the undocumented individuals are now recognized and allowed to carry on their activities in the country; they will protect their nation and not destroy it. Amnesty is the correct thing to do. The States is the country that welcomes individuals from all regions of the world. Amnesty is ethical because most immigrants bear children while in the United States (McGuire 3). The children become citizens of the country. It is unethical to deport the parents of the children born in the United States; the effects would include suffering and even death of either the children or the parents. Amnesty provides a second chance to individuals (Orrenius and Zavodny 447). The world would become a better place when everyone is offered the chance of changing their behaviors and becoming prominent people in the society, condemning people will eventually make them worse.

Amnesty ensures that employers who provide low wages do not exploit undocumented immigrants (McGuire 2). Legalization of the illegal immigrants will protect undocumented immigrants who work at low wages to sustain themselves. Illegal immigrants are introduced into prostitution; this is a violation of human rights. Undocumented immigrants do not choose the kind of jobs to work; this is an important aspect of the economy because there is a continuous supply of labor (Orrenius and Zavodny 437). The immigrants that work also pay their taxes; they should be legalized, for them to enjoy similar treatment like the other citizens. The deportation of undocumented immigrants can cost the United States government; it is, therefore, better to legalize them to stay; the economy depends on the labor provided by the immigrants.

Conclusion

Amnesty is crucial to the undocumented individuals. The States government needs to come up with ways to improve the economy, where everyone pays taxes. Illegal immigration is a critical issue that the government needs to address. The problem about controlling immigration rates is that it will take long before there is a success in the prevention of illegal immigrants into the country; the process is also expensive. Amnesty should highly be encouraged because every individual has the right to live and the freedom to express themselves. People have the right to migrate from their countries into other nations and live there. It is ethical to protect everyone from persecution and discrimination. The suggested solution to illegal immigration is to ask the current illegal immigrants to leave the country and apply admission in the legal method; this way, there will be a decrease in the number of illegal immigrants in the United States.

Overall, amnesty act should be passed to ensure the promotion of a country where there is peace, love and harmony. The amnesty laws will enhance respect and protect every individual regardless of their origin. The United States needs to help developing countries to develop economically, this, in turn, will reduce illegal immigration.

Works Cited

Bansak, Cynthia. "Legalizing Undocumented Immigrants". IZA World of Labor (2016): n. pag. Web.

Caminero-Santangelo, Marta. "Documenting the Undocumented: Life Narratives of Unauthorized Immigrants". Biography 35.3 (2012): 449-471. Web.

McGuire, Sharon. "Ethical Considerations for Undocumented Immigrants and Health". Nursing Outlook 63.1 (2015): 1-5. Web.

Orrenius, Pia M. and Madeline Zavodny. "Do Amnesty Programs Reduce Undocumented Immigration? Evidence from IRCA". Demography 40.3 (2003): 437-450. Web.

Pena, Anita Alves. "UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS AND THE WELFARE STATE: THE CASE OF REGIONAL MIGRATION AND U.S. AGRICULTURAL LABOR". Journal of Regional Science 54.1 (2013): 96-113. Web.