The “immigration issue” has long been a point of contention about whether the flow of immigrants to the U.S. should be inhibited. The real issue that can be overlooked is the defective immigration system in our country which some say is doing more harm than good. A recent article by Tyler Moran explains that the “broken” immigration system is having negative effects on people in the workforce-- both immigrants and native-born alike.
Under the current system, employers hire undocumented immigrants who fear deportation at any time. Therefore these immigrants face dangerous working conditions, extremely low wages, or no payment at all but they cannot do anything about it because they do not want to face deportation. They cannot join unions or try to improve their working conditions at all. Is it their own fault for coming to this country? Or is it the faulty immigration system of America?
According to Moran, the majority of corrupt employers do not face consequences for their actions. They are able to make a bigger profit by using unlawful practices. This means that employers who do abide to the law are put at a competitive disadvantage to those who don’t. This also results in authorized workers being subject to the same unsafe working conditions and low wages because it becomes acceptable.
The system as it is promotes abuse of unauthorized workers, lower standards for safe conditions and fair wages for all workers (immigrant and natives), and major disadvantages for employers who run equitable businesses. What is the solution to these problems? If labor and employment laws are modified and most importantly, enforced, will these problems still be so prevalent? It is so easy to blame these problems on immigrants and say that they should be deported. America is a nation of immigrants. Are immigrants really the issue or is it corrupt non-enforcement of current policies?
I absolutely agree with the idea that it is the corrupt non-enforcement of current policies that is the issue. I believe this due to the fact that it has been statistically proven. Illegal aliens are displacing American and immigrants in the United States workforce. Thus as a result, a chain effect follows. Competition is skewed both between companies and the prospect of obtaining jobs.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I believe this, I have sympathy for illegal immigrants. I am sure that some of them work hard. However, I have relatives that have properly obtained their visa. They worked hard and struggled to get this. Hence, it is unfair that illegal aliens are sliding by and getting paid.
I think both sides are corrupt, immigrants shouldn't be coming here illegally and the US shouldn't be so strict with their immigration laws. However, if immigrants were to stop coming here illegally, maybe the US would stop being so rough, and maybe if the US weren't so rough, less people would feel that they had to sneak in. I feel that both sides need to be more easy going in order to negotiate a compromise with the issue of immigration. Yes, it's true that because of immigrants not making enough money with their jobs and not being able to say anything they are living poorly, but at the same time they shouldn't come here without permission.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the American immigration laws are a little too strict. We should be encouraging people to come find a better life in America. Working conditions are so poor for the immigrants right now, which is ultimately hurting everyone else. I definitely would not say that we should blame illegal immigrants because many of them are escaping horrible conditions by coming to the U.S. However, the U.S. needs to be supportive of immigrants and help them gain citizenship. Overall, the immigration system is corrupt and we should be trying to fix the issue before anyone else is hurt by working conditions.
ReplyDeleteLindsey makes a good point when she says that we should be encouraging people to find a better life in America. For so many people around the world The United States is seen as a beacon of hope that promises success and prosperation. I feel that working conditions need to improve for immigrants and that if this does not happen we can't expect to be thought of as a promising land. Immigrants come to this country to escape poor living conditions and if they feel mistreated here the will not find the comfort they expected from the country.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lauren that both sides are corrupt. Yes, american employers want illegal immigrants working for them because they work cheap. But these immigrants should become legal because they are taking jobs that americans could have and they don't have to pay taxes or health care. We should promote finding a better life in America, but that includes becoming a legal citizen. The whole system needs to be changed because it is unfair to the law abiding citizens. They need to become legal and then they could complain about their working conditions if they wanted to. Americans would treat immigrants better if they weren't illegal.
ReplyDeleteOk, what ever happened to "Give me your tired, your poor..."? It's on the Statue of Liberty! I understand that, to a certain extent, we can't take everyone; but maybe we could do other things to help. We could make it easier to obtain a visa. Think about it. These people are willing to work hard and happily accept minimum wage. Another thing I'd like to say as a reponse to a prior post is that the U.S. isn't being very "rough." If America was rough, there would be NO illegal immigrants crossing the border. I'm not saying that we're not the bad guys in all this either. Crack down on these corrupt business owners. It's not like we can't do it. It's that we're not putting enough effort into it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I look at this issue, I find it very difficult to choose a side. America had always been an immigrant country and I find it hard to understand why we make it so difficult for those who want to come here, because when we do this we're really saying "aha, beat ya!" If our immigration laws werent so strict, people wouldnt be trying to sneak in here illegally.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, who is reinforcing these labor laws? There should be government officials checking into this and if found out, that company should be shut down. It is not fair to other companies and its unjust to be paying such low wages and making such high profits.
As much as I would love to see the government welcome all immigrants who want entry into the U.S., it just isn't realistic. Our population is rising rapidly and the unemployment rate is going up right along with it. The people who are already here are in need of jobs and good oppurtunities too. Don't you think those people who are born here should be thought of and taken care of first before we even think about these things for immigrants?
ReplyDeleteI think it is wrong that employers of the illegal immigrants do not face the same kind of severe punishments that the illegal aliens do. They too should suffer consequences. It is not okay that they are feeding off of people who have no other option but to work under these harsh conditions. Our government should definitly be looking into these things.