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Illegal Immigration

Illegal immigration creates many problems for American society. Illegal immigrants often find work under-the-table or for less pay than legal Americans which creates job losses. Many illegal immigrants pay no taxes but often need to use social welfare programs, including medical, educational, and nutritional costs. Employers also are harmed when they are found to hire illegal immigrants through fines and other sanctions. The 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act was passed to address some of these issues and more, and it was amended with sweeping changes in 1990 and 1996 as The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act.

Illegal immigration became a public concern during the 1990s because many Americans wrongly view illegal immigrants as the source of all social ills. They are perceived as creating economic loss, furthering the gap between rich and poor, perpetrators of crime, and underlying it all is a brand of racism that views immigrants as undesirable. One of the problems with assessing the actual economic damage caused by illegal immigrants is their undocumented status. Nonetheless, the Urban Institute conducted a study among seven states to assess systematically the fiscal impact of undocumented aliens. The study found that “3.4 million undocumented aliens lived in the U.S. as of 1992, 34% of them in California alone, representing 5% of its population” (Zimmerman, 1995, 151).

Many who oppose illegal immigrants blame freer trade and borders (NAFTA, etc.) as one of the biggest causes of the problem. Deplorable social and economic conditions act as a push factor from the native country and the promise of the American dream acts as a pull factor. Other relatives who have come to America often help those who have remained behind enter the country illegally. Despite political pressure, American opposition, and increased enforcement, large groups of immigrants continue to cross into America illegal...

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Illegal Immigration. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 09:51, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1684865.html