Immigration

Immigration has many positive and negative effects to impact both American citizens and immigrants. According to the article How Many Illegal Aliens are in the U.S. published on the Social Contract approximately 700,000 illegal immigrants enter the United States each year. The definition of deportation, as stated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is the formal removal of an alien from the United States when the alien has been found removable for violating immigration laws. Deportation law goes as far back as 1798 when the Alien Act and Naturalization Act were passed. The Alien Act states that the President of the United States had the power to deport any alien who was deemed dangerous. The Naturalization Act states that an immigrant had to reside in the United States for fourteen years; previously it had been five, before being eligible for naturalization. Immigration is a very controversial issue; in order to have a better understanding of immigration one must be able to comprehend the different perspectives and their opposing sides.

Throughout the history of the United States individuals have been deported for many different reasons. The most common are acts against the government, having a criminal record, and fraudulently obtaining legal residency.

There is a process that the government must go through to deport an alien. The first step is to issue an “Order to Show Cause.” This document formally declares the government’s reason for deporting someone. Then a hearing before an immigration judge is scheduled, and in most hearings both parties can be represented by an attorney. However, because the alien is not a citizen they are not appointed a public defender and have to find and hire their own lawyer. Finally, the immigration judge, after hearing both sides evidence, makes a ruling on the case. Like all other cases, the ruling can be appealed by either side through federal courts. However, because the alien is responsible for their own...