Illegal Immigration

A costly and lengthily legal immigration process has forced those wishing to find opportunities in America to do so illegally, facing dangerous obstacles and even death. Those who do arrive in the United States illegal make up a large portion of all immigrants and many are concerned about the negative implications their presence has created. Not only being illegal in nature, illegal immigration creates issues of displacement for American workers and drains American funding for social services, presenting damaging effects to the welfare and economy of our nation. At a time of economic uncertainty, it is vital to significantly reduce the number of illegal immigrants in the United States.

Exercising one’s rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” by getting a college education, owning a home, or having a job that allows one to provide for his or her family are all examples of what many would consider “living the American dream.” The United States is commonly known as “the melting pot” as its citizens have all descended from immigrants at one time or another. It is this collaboration of races, languages, and cultures that make America uniquely diverse from any other country in the world. For decades, people have flocked to the United States to partake in this dream, with the perception that America holds riches and opportunities abound. After the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2011, however, immigration has become an even greater concern, particularly in the arena of illegal immigration.

Not only being illegal in nature, illegal immigration creates issues of displacement for American workers and drains American funding for social services, presenting damaging effects to the wel-fare and economy of our nation. At a time of economic uncertainty, I feel it is vital to significantly reduce the number of illegal immigrants in the United States.

BACKGROUND ON IMMIGRATION

In 1996 Beck reported “more than 30 million foreign citizens and their...