I Immigration Debra A. Miller, Book Editor GREENHAVEN PRESS A part ofgale, Cengage Leaming ~*,GALE # * CENGAGE Leaming* Farmington Hills, Mich San Francisco New York Waterville, Maine Menden, Conn Mason, Ohio Chicago
Contents Foreword Introduction Chapter 1: Is Immigration a Serious Problem in the United States? Chapter Preface Yes: Immigration Is a Serious Problem in the United States Illegal Immigration Creates Large Fiscal Costs for US Taxpayers Robert Rector and Jason Richwine Unlawfiil Immigration in the United States currently results in significant costs, including public education, welfare, and health care for children born in the country, as well as Community costs such as police, fire, parks, and highways. If amnesty is enacted, these costs will eventually double from about $14,000 per household to about $28,000 per household. Criminal Illegal Immigrants Are a Growing Problem Federation for American Immigration Reform Illegal immigrants who commit crimes threaten public safety and pose an increasing cost to US taxpayers. The number of criminal immigrants housed in US prisons has grown dramatically over the past thirty years, costing both federal and State governments billions of dollars each year. US Legal Immigration Policies Are a Problem Too Ann Coulter In addition to the problem of illegal Immigration, America's legal Immigration policies fail to discriminate in favor of highly skilled workers who will contribute to the country. Examples include the two brothers who bombed the Boston Marathon both of whom were legal immigrants on welfare failing to achieve success in the United States.
No: Immigration Is Not a Serious Problem in the United States Illegal Immigration Benefits America Johnny Angel Wendeil Both Democrats and Republicans argue that illegal Immigration is a big problem that must be solved, but illegal immigrants are not hurting America. They do not steal American jobs; they help with the problem of an aging workforce; they contribute billions to State and federal governments; and they keep food and service costs low for American consumers. There Is No Immigration Crisis Kurt Schlichter Despite the uproar over the Immigration issue in Congress, it is not a crisis that people who have no legal right to be in this country lack the Privileges of citizenship. And the Solution is not to let these people achieve legal status, because this will only provide cheap labor to corporations and dilute the voting rights of real Americans. Illegal Immigrants Are Really Guest Workers. We Just Pretend Otherwise Eric Posner Congress is about to pass legislation to address the illegal Immigration issue, but no one really wants to solve this so-called problem. Illegal Immigration is really a wellfunctioning guest worker system that provides US companies with cheap, unskilled labor, allows us to keep those who work and stay out of trouble, and gives the government the right to oust those who commit crimes. Chapter 2: Does the US Government Adequately Enforce Immigration Laws? Chapter Preface Yes: The US Government Adequately Enforces Immigration Laws Immigration Laws Are Enforced Now More than Ever Immigration Policy Center
US Immigration enforcement is better than ever before in the nation's history, with the government reporting large numbers of noncitizens deported or voluntarily returned to their own countries. This success can be attributed to various enforcement improvements, including the creation of a program that allows checks of criminal records and the use of administrative rather than judicial procedures to remove illegal immigrants with criminal convictions. President Barack Obama Has Merely Shifted Priorities in Immigration Enforcement PolitiFact.com Certain Republicans criticize President Barack Obama for a reluctance to enforce Immigration laws, citing fewer workplace raids and decisions to target criminal offenders but not illegal immigrants who pose no threat to public safety or those brought to the United States as children. Deportations have increased, however, under this administration, and in truth the president has merely reprioritized enforcement goals, not turned his back on immigration laws. No: The US Government Does Not Adequately Enforce Immigration Laws President Barack Obama Has Dismantled US Immigration Enforcement Laws Bob Dane and Kristen Williamson From the moment President Barack Obama took office, his administration has sought to erode immigration enforcement. Examples include his refusal to expand the E-Verify system of workplace enforcement, his focus on removing only illegal immigrants with criminal records, and his executive decision to implement the DREAM Act for young illegal immigrants. President Barack Obama's Deferred Action Program Has Weakened Immigration Enforcement Jessica Vaughan
Immigration agents have challenged in court President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) which exempts from deportation certain young illegal immigrants who were brought to the country as children. Testimony in that case indicated that DACA has resulted in the release of large numbers of illegal immigrants, including criminals, and that the administration has manipulated data to give the Impression that enforcement has improved. The Obama Administration Has Weakened Interior Enforcement of Immigration Laws Federation for American Immigration Reform President Barack Obama has weakened interior Immigration enforcement in five ways: (1) by weakening 287(g) agreements to limit the participation of local law enforcement officers; (2) by almost ending workplace enforcement; (3) by prioritizing removal of criminal aliens; (4) by providing amnesty in certain cases such as young illegal immigrants; and (5) by dismissing thousands of deportation cases where the illegal Immigrant has a legal family member and no criminal record. Chapter 3: Should Illegal Immigrants Be Granted a Path to Citizenship? Chapter Preface Yes: Illegal Immigrants Should Be Granted a Path to Citizenship Granting Illegal Immigrants a Path to Citizenship Would Boost US and State Economies Robert Lynch and Patrick Oakford Providing legal status and a path to citizenship for America's eleven million illegal immigrants will provide economic benehts to both the United States and individual State economies. Over ten years, this policy could create an $832 billion increase in the federal gross domestic product as well as important gains for many states, such as Arizona, which would see a ten-year increase in gross State product of $23.1 billion.
There Are Many Reasons to Grant 95 Amnesty to Illegal Immigrants Ed Krayewski Amnesty for illegal immigrants is a good Solution to the nation's immigration problem because it would grow the economy, increase the number of people paying taxes, have no effect on crime, and support freedom of movement. In addition, deporting eleven million people would be very difficult and would hurt families and reduce the US labor pool. Most Americans Support Allowing Illegal 99 Immigrants to Stay in the United States Pew Center for People and the Press A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in March 2013 suggests that Americans are increasingly viewing immigration as a positive force. The survey found that 71 percent of Americans think there should be some way provided for illegal immigrants to stay in the United States 24 percent favoring permanent legal residency and 43 percent supporting a path to citizenship. No: Illegal Immigrants Should Not Be Granted a Path to Citizenship A Path to Citizenship for 104 Illegal Immigrants Would Cost US Taxpayers Trillions Carrie Dann According to the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, granting amnesty to eleven million illegal immigrants in the United States will cost the federal government about $6.3 trillion. This number was calculated by estimating the federal benefits these immigrants will receive over their lifetime minus the taxes they can be expected to pay. The DREAM Act Would Cost Taxpayers 107 Billions of Dollars Steven A. Camarota
The DREAM Act offers legal status to young illegal immigrants who complete two years of College, but since most illegal immigrants have very low incomes, they would likely attend State universities and Community Colleges and benefit from in-state tuition rates. This would be costly to taxpayers, could potentially limit enrollment of US Citizens in those institutions, and the tax benefits may be limited. Chapter 4: Will Proposed Immigration Reform Improve the US Immigration System? Chapter Overview Brianna Lee President Barack Obama and Congress appear Willing to enact Immigration reform legislation. The issues include how to curb illegal immigration, how to secure borders, how to attract more high-skilled immigrants, and whether to legalize and offer citizenship to illegal immigrants already in the United States. In early 2013, a bipartisan group in the Senate proposed comprehensive immigration reform legislation to address these issues, but so far the bill has not been taken up by the House of Representatives. Yes: Proposed Immigration Reform Will Improve the US Immigration System The Facts Support Immigration Reform with a Path to Citizenship Ann Garcia America has a large and diverse Immigrant population, including 11.1 million undocumented immigrants, many of whom are educated and own homes. Along with continued border security and immigration enforcement, granting legal status and citizenship to these undocumented immigrants would benefit the US economy. The Senate s Proposed Immigration Reform Will Shrink the Deficit and Grow the US Economy Doug Elmendorf
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Senate immigration reform bill the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744) would, over time, increase the US population, decrease federal deficits by $197 billion, and boost the US economy. Proposed Immigration Reforms Will Bring More Highly Skilied Workers into the US Economy Marco Rubio The current immigration system discourages highly educated and skilled foreign workers from settling in the United States. Legislation being considered in the Senate would fix this problem by expanding the highly skilled Hl-B visa program, eliminating certain family preferences that encouraged chain migration, and exempting immigrants with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math. Just and Humane Immigration Reform Will Bring Immigrants Out of the Shadows Timothy Dolati America has a long history of welcoming immigrants and their families, but the current immigration system separates parents from children, imprisons migrants in substandard conditions, and contributes to horrible deaths as immigrants try to cross the boarder illegally. The Senate immigration reform legislation will help to correct this unjust immigration system by providing an earned path to citizenship and other humane safeguards. No: Proposed Immigration Reform Will Not Improve the US Immigration System The Senate's Proposed Immigration Reform Reinforces Failed Immigration Policies Rosemary fenks
The Senate immigration reform bill does not fix the Problems in the current immigration system. Instead it calls for amnesty combined with promises of future enforcement, just like the 1986 amnesty law; weakens the current biometric entry-and-exit system; fails to quickly implement an employment verification system; and results in millions of new legal immigrants and guest workers without considering national priorities. Comprehensive Immigration Reform Will 155 Not Fix Our Immigration System James Carafano The Senate immigration legislation is a massive bill that calls for comprehensive immigration reform, but it is too big and will not fix the nation's immigration problems. The bill's amnesty provision is open to fraud, and the legislation would increase government spending on welfare and benefits, authorize unlimited spending on border security, and set up border triggers that are impossible to measure and will have little impact on real boarder security. Immigration Reform Will Not 159 Solve the Problem of Declining Cheap Labor from Mexico Daniel B. Wood One of the main problems immigration reform seeks to fix is the migrant labor system that provides cheap labor to US-based agricultural companies and farmers. Two recent studies, however, conclude that increasing prosperity and urbanization in Mexico may stem the tide of illegal immigration, create labor shortages in the United States, and force US farmers to transition to other means of production, such as labor-saving crops and technology, to survive. Organizations to Contact 164 Bibliography 169 Index 175