Several years ago I was part of a group project for a class. The class was an Mexican American relations class. I and my two other group members chose to take on a broader subject than what the class was asking for, but the teacher allowed for it. I do not claim this is the only solution and only offer it as one thought that might work. I encourage any discussion on the subject. I hope this is not taken as anything more than another voice of reason. It is open for criticism, I would hope you might add to the conversation. We need more solutions to the problem, not more criticism for what is being done. We need to stop listening to what New Yorkers, or Washingtonians report to us and take it into our own hands to find out what those who are closest to the problem are dealing with. It is easy for us to sit back in our "Arm Chairs" and call the plays and scream about what they should have done, or what they should do, but for heavens sake and for the sake of our sovereignty lets start giving Washington some of our own ideas, not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans who have compassion, but also can understand the responsibilities our our leaders have to protect its citizens from outside invasions whether they be armed, unarmed; whether they have intent to do harm, or don't have intent to do harm. So here is what we came up with.
Running Head: IMMIGRATION REFORM
Immigration
Reform
Cory Milligan
Britt Hawke
Anna Sukupova
Fall
Semester 2008
Immigration needs reform. Our paper
will focus on the solution to immigration reform, as we have found this must
start at the federal level followed up by state policy and enforcement. We will
introduce the current law and make suggestions that may further benefit our
state and national interest concerning immigration. We will also look at ways
to help assimilate immigrants into our society, accepting the good each of our
cultures as a positive influence on each other.
Immigration reform has been a
concern not only in Utah but in the United States Utah United States
Financially
the costs of illegal immigration out weigh the benefits of cheap labor. Illegal immigrants increase the cost of
healthcare by taking advantage of our policy not to turn away anyone in need of
care. One of the greater costs related
to health care is the high rate of unwed teen pregnancy among the Latino
population who subsequently then use the system to pay for the hospital care. Many immigrants cross the border for the very
purpose of baring children in the United States
knowing that we will not turn them away and that their children will gain
immediate citizenship into the United
States
Socially,
illegal immigrants tend to keep to themselves or cling tightly to those within
the Latino culture. This prevents the
opportunity of the greater society to get to know them and their culture. It leaves many suspicious, whether justified
or not, of what their intentions are. It
also promotes racism on both sides of the cultural divides. Also illegal immigration has strong ties to
other illegal activities such as drug smuggling, as evidenced in a PBS
interview of Arizona’s Governor Janet Napolitano and New Mexico’s Governor Bill
Richardson as well as Mexican Ambassador Carlos De Icaza performed by Gwen
Ifill (2005), and identification theft as cited in Bob Sullivan’s blog article,
Hidden costs of illegal immigration: ID Theft (2006).
Educationally,
the greatest cost, approximately 12 billion dollars, comes in the creation of
bilingual classes. These classes seem to create a major distraction for
everyone. And with a high drop out rate
we may question its effectiveness as a culturally effective program. The other aspect of Education that must be
overcome is the Class system which they have come from. Freedom is not
something that is given and received immediately. The mental process of freedom
requires much more than a “key to the kingdom.” When all your life you have been
taught that you are of the lower class and you can’t change that. When you
enter a free society where you are expected to progress, it may clash
culturally at first. It takes time to comprehend and believe this principle. Many
who have been born here understand this principle even less.
Our
Proposal
Because
immigration law comes from the federal government we found that anything we did
within the State of Utah U.S. Utah
We
propose that the State of Utah create a
coalition of states to petition the Federal government for property or
properties across the southern border for the United States United States Ellis Island ” in the desert, where papers are processed
the medical exams are performed. We could set up different opportunities to
speed the process of citizenship by offering those who wished to join the
military for a minimum of 6 years. This would allow them an opportunity to gain
skills and get an education that they might not otherwise receive. While they
are in the military their families could be taken care of on a military base
where they can learn English, this would also be desirable in that their health
care costs would be taken care of through the military.
We could use these
locations to teach them the basic dos and don’ts of our society that may conflict
with customs they are used to living. Instilling in them the principles of
American freedoms and a sense of pride in the journey they are about embark on.
We can teach them how to use their culture to help our culture. Promote and
encourage them to reach out and participate in society.
To save money on
this project, immigrants could provide some of the services required while they
go through the process. Such as food services and general house keeping for
those who are going through the process. The National Guard and reserve units
who are already receiving pay from the government, could man the facilities as
part of the Homeland Security. This in conjunction with border patrol could
increase our presence for the purpose of slowing the drug smuggling. Where
immigrants could enter legitimately for much less or the same money that it
would cost to hire a coyote, it could hopefully break the back of the human
smuggling business, a practice that is not only illegal but extremely dangerous
as well.
These campuses
could coordinate with individual states as to the need for more labor or even skilled
workers. This would immediately give immigrants a direction and a specific place
in society that would give them a foundation to work from. We could provide
testing to determine the level of skill and aptitudes to guide them into areas
that they may enjoy even if they hadn’t thought of it before. It may also place
them in positions that pay better than the bottom labor pool.
Once these
campuses are in place then it will be of the utmost benefit to the State to
come down on employers who are hiring illegal immigrants. We do not recommend
that the illegal immigrants be punished more than a trespass ticket, but fine
the business heavily the first offense with a follow up within 90 days and a
bigger fine if they continue to work with illegal immigrants. Those fines could
go directly to the border campuses to help fund the process.
The
purpose of coming down on business, rather than the illegal immigrants, is to
save money and discourage illegal immigrants from staying. With out jobs they
may return across the border on their own. This in conjunction with the easier
access to legal entrance would act like a atmospheric high pressure to low
pressure reaction; High pressure leading out of the country being replaced by
the low pressure of easy entrance into the country.
By
making it easier to get into this country and providing better opportunities for
work this may help legitimize the Latino community in the eyes of many, that
otherwise equate all Latinos, whether right or wrong, as illegal. Many have
been labeled as racist because of this attitude when in reality they are not
racist, but they are concerned about the heavy influx of illegal immigration
and the problems that come with it. By making it possible for these immigrants
to access our communities legally we may see many more people embrace the
Latino community and recognize their legitimate contributions to our society.
Many
in the community are not against immigration at all, but the concern is that
when illegal immigrants come into the country they have not gone through the
health screenings, as well as background checks. Many are concerned simply with
the potential of terrorists entering the country through this southern border,
and for good reason, border patrols have picked up Middle Eastern men entering
our country through the southern border (Carter, 2006). Another concern that
has been expressed is the illegal documents that are used by illegal immigrants
to further the deceit of their trespass. This aspect of illegal immigration
should be dealt with harshly. If an illegal immigrant is found using false
documents they should be prosecuted and fined according to the law. If it costs
more when they get caught using illegal papers, and employers won’t hire them,
it will increase the pressure for them to go back across the border.
The
costs of this plan would be enormous. However, if we take into consideration
the savings we would gain from not deporting individuals who likely would
return almost immediately anyways, as well as other expenses related to illegal
immigration. We must also take into consideration the immeasurable savings that
might come from the psychological effects on the immigrant population as they
are legitimized in a just manner. This might also cut down on employer abuse as
those who are wronged would feel much freer to express their complaints with
law enforcement. As was stated earlier the likelihood of education would
increase with legal entrance. We might further increase the likelihood by
encouraging the Latino community to create a media campaign promoting education
as a means to make a better life for their family. When education is taken
advantage of then greater opportunities to enter into the middle and upper
class of society will surely follow.
Another
way that we might be able to save money is by providing work assignments to
improve our communities in exchange for healthcare. Utah
As
we talked to the Mexican Consulate, they were unable to give us any opinion on
our proposed plan. However, he did tell us that most of those coming up want to
just live an average life and take care of their families. From this answer we
might surmise that there is not a lot of expectation among those coming up here
illegally. This is kind of disappointing, because they have so much to offer.
This is obviously not every case, but it seems to be a prevailing attitude. As
we have learned that the class system in Mexico Mexico
In
conclusion, we feel that our approach to this issue is the most compassionate
option to reform the immigration policy plaguing American Society today, while
remaining just to those who have sacrificed and patiently waited to enter this
country legally. The timeliness of this plan may work due to the fact that with
our current economic crisis, many illegal immigrants are voluntarily returning
to Mexico
Our
efforts to contact congressional members and Senators have largely been
unproductive as the holiday schedule has been somewhat of an obstacle to
meeting with aids or members themselves. Currently we do have requests with
Congressman elect Jason Chaffetz, and Senator Orrin Hatch to review our
proposal for an opinion or further suggestions.
Bibliography
Ifill, G(Host). (August 18, 2005 ). U.S.-Mexico border
disputes, Border disputes [Television series episode]. In A News Hour
with Jim Lehrer. Washington
D.C.
Sullivan, B (2006, March 31). [Weblog] Hidden costs of
illegal immigration: I.d theft. The Red Tape Chronicles. Retrieved 11/30/08 , from
http://redtape.msnbc.com/2006/03/hidden_cost_of_.html
Carter, S (2006 December 28). Links between illegal
immigration, terrorism, drug trade worry U.S officials. Inland Valley Daily
Bulletin, Retrieved November
30, 2008 , from http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_4917114
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