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Pros And Cons Of Undocumented Immigrants In The United States

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The following research paper will focus on the difficulties faced by undocumented immigrants in the United States whom are attempting to obtain quality healthcare coverage. It is estimated that there were over eleven million undocumented immigrants residing in the United States as of 2010, which has since slowly increased overtime (Wallace, 2012). Research has found that undocumented immigrants are less likely to impose burden on the United States healthcare system for various reasons including the feel of lack of authority due to their citizen status (Wallace, 2012). According to a recent research study, immigrants were found to be higher at risk of severe and long-lasting illnesses due to avoiding the process of attempting to receive …show more content…

The term “illegal immigrant” has become extremely controversial among a variety of groups because a person cannot be illegal, only actions can be (VISANOW, 2013). The term "illegal" is not only offensive to undocumented immigrants but it is also considered dehumanizing. The term “undocumented immigrant” is more widely used because it fits the understanding of being a native-born person from a country other than the United States without the proper forms of government documents …show more content…

There were no federal laws in place that put a restraint on immigration until the late 1800s (VISANOW, 2013). There was freedom to immigrate to the United States without questions asked, unless the government could prove an individual had committed criminal acts. As years continued, the Chinese Exclusion Act was put into place by the government in 1882, which prohibited all immigration of Chinese workers (VISANOW, 2013). During the early twentieth century, the Quota Act had been passed which focused more specifically on certain countries. The Japanese and Mexican populations seemed to be the main focus of restriction for immigrants. The Immigrant and Nationality Act of 1965 repealed the Quota Act. This new immigrant act focused closely on immigrant job skills and reunification of families (VISANOW, 2013). After the immigration act of 1965, the Immigration Reform and Control Act, passed in 1986, allowed four million undocumented immigrants into the United States to access legal citizenship (VISANOW, 2013). As one can understand, the laws and restrictions on immigration have been greatly changed over time. Comparing the past to the present, immigration was widely more accepted in the past with fewer restrictions and laws. As time has continued, the government focused greatly on being less accepting of undocumented immigrants by putting more restraints and laws into

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Undocumented Aliens are defined by the IRS (Internal Service Revenue), which is an agency responsible for the collection and enforcement of taxes, as individuals who are not United States citizens or United States Nationals. As of 2012, the population of immigrants in the United states is roughly 11.43 million people and approximately 59% of these illegal immigrants in the United States come from Mexico. (ProCon.org) Nobody really knows how to treat them or what they should even do with them. They affect society, businesses and people including: many parents, low-skill workers, schools, employers, politicians, and even children.

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But, China was an ally to America in World War 2, so the Chinese Exclusion Act was lifted(Immigration, 82-83). The Immigration and Nationality Act was modified in 1965, causing the establishment of a preference system that issued visas(Immigration, 83).IRCA(Immigration Reform and Control Act) created a program for the legalization of aliens in 1986(Carrasco). The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 offered amnesty to illegal aliens who had lived in the United States continuously since before January 1 or who had worked at least 90 days at farm labor in the United States between May 1, 1985 and May 1, 1986(Immigration, 83).The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 put into effect stronger penalties against illegal immigration and provided funding for enhanced border enforcement(Carrasco).Immigrants have been victims of laws that were created to keep them away from their freedom, but they have also been the recipients of acts that were created to help them have a fighting chance on their journey to

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Prior to 1965, immigration was set up on a quota system and allowed 2% of nationalities that America favored, which was Western Europe. Some countries were not allowed to immigrate to the U.S., such as China and the Philippines. From 1924-1965 approximately 6 million people legally immigrated to the United States. By 1960 some countries were claiming that the U.S. immigration policy was discriminating against them. With the civil rights movement happening, President John F. Kennedy and the Democratic Party moved to change the immigration policy.

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Family reunification and labor force needs play a major role in creating said problem (Massey 2012). Ten years after the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 was enacted, public fear of unauthorized immigration grew. Starting in the mid 70s, congressional debate over the issue ensued. After ten year of debate, starting in the mid 70s, Congress passed new legislation to resolve the issue of unauthorized immigration (DeSipio, de la Garza 80). Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986

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The quota allowed entry into the USA for only two percent of the total number of people of each nationality and completely excluded immigrants from Asia. At its roots, the 1924 Immigration Act was established only to preserve the ideal of U.S. homogeneity. Nativism has since inspired similar policy action, the most recent of which includes an attempted ban of refugees to the United States, suggestions of a physical wall, preventing immigrants from Latin America from entering our country, and the removal of legislation that protects the children of illegal immigrants. The Washington Post reports that the current administration's travel ban has denied over 90,000 individuals entry into the United States. America glorifies the wholesome business-oriented, white identity which directly contrasts the reality of immigrants today.

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