The Pros And Cons Of Immigration Reform

Introduction The flow of immigration, like a river, is not a feature that seeks a dam, but a river bank to guide it along its journey. As Americans, we can shape policy that will construct a river bank that leads migrants to the US in a constructive way. Immigration has been at the forefront of the United States’ mind since its inception, making it a topic of astronomical importance. As of now, immigration has been propelled into the spotlight due to President Trump’s allegedly anti-immigration, pro-American ideology, a mentality that has directly influenced thousands of immigrants and opened the gate to further debate on immigration reform. Though immigration could pose a threat to national security, it is primarily a humanitarian crisis

Currently, asylum is sought because of high crime rates, drug trafficking, or economic difficulty in countries of origin. These diverse risks all provoke rehabilitation in the form of migration, a process that is opposed by many American citizens. Because of this opposition, immigrants from Mexico are rarely granted asylum-- there were only 667 in 2015 (Grava, 2017). Often times, immigrants are not seeking the “American dream,” but simply attempting to survive the circumstances they were born into, some of which are brutally violent and traumatizing. Regardless of an immigrants motive, their presence affects multiple communities within the United States. In 2012, Joanna Dreby commented on these effects as applicable to stakeholders within the foster system, police force, and businesses. When parents are deported, they often leave their children, resulting in their admittance into the US foster system. The United States spends approximately $26,000 per child in the system, meaning that immigrant children greatly affect the US’s distribution of resources. Additionally, because of fear of deportation, many immigrants are afraid of the police, resulting in minimal reporting of crime, abuse, and emergencies for fear of persecution. This lack of justice affects the community at large as well as the police force. Not only are governmental organizations affected, but private companies/businesses that employ undocumented immigrants. Immigration is multifaceted, and should therefore be seen as an issue for the community, not just for an illegal family/individual. Issues regarding immigration, such as the ones aforementioned, are being addressed by multiple nonprofits across America. The Latin American Association in Atlanta, for instance, represented 140 child immigrant cases in 2014. The Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition in Washington