The Social Problem of Illegal Immigration

This paper will be about the social problem of illegal immigration. Nowadays it is on of the most disputable social and political issues in America. I think that illegal immigration into the United States is a social problem that should be stopped as soon as possible. Historically illegal immigration is a crime. Criminal treatise of this notion gives the name to such kind of immigration; I mean that is why we call it “illegal” immigration. Moreover it is also unfair not only to Americans but also to the people of the country from which they illegally immigrated.

This social problem has historical roots and the first cause of illegal immigration is consists in poor life conditions and life problems in the native immigrants’ country. Illegal immigrants are poor and it has a place not due their illegal status, for example in America, but because of their low educational level and consequent inability to earn good money. The next cause of illegal immigration is concluded in a wish of family connection. There is even such slogan of illegal aliens: We did not cross the border, the border crossed us. This slogan reflects Mexican immigrants’ thoughts and situation. Statistic data on special central immigration studies website http://www.cis.org/Illegal  show that “there are approximately 11.3 million illegal aliens living in the United States. Estimate for the number of illegals included in the 2000 CPS is 7.3 million. This means that the illegal-alien population grew by four million between 2000 and 2007. We estimate that 57 percent of the illegal alien population comes from Mexico, 11 percent from Central America, 9 percent from East Asia, 8 percent from South America, and Europe and the Caribbean account for 4 percent. Of all immigrants from Mexico, 55 percent are illegal; for Central Americans it is 47 percent; and it is 33 percent for South Americans. It should be noted that these estimates only include illegal aliens captured by the March CPS, not those missed by the survey.” These data confirm previous two reasons of illegal immigration and explain the tsunami of illegal and impoverished immigrants.

American society understands that  it is time to change present situation and illegal immigrations from Mexico, for instance, must be stopped by means of different policies and other known methods of prevention. Summarizing well-known illegal immigration causes we can add to them global economic integration, inadequate provision for legal economic immigration and population growth in the native country. Moreover, illegal immigrants show themselves and citizens to dangers while arrived in illegal way to another country. What is the solution for this problem? I think that Binswanger (2006) in his article suggest a good solution: “The problem of “illegal” immigration can be solved at the stroke of a pen: legalize immigration. Screen all you want (though I want damn little), but remove the quotas. Phase them out over a 5- or 10-year period. Grant immediate, unconditional amnesty to all “illegal” immigrants.”

Thus, taking into account all above mentioned we see that illegal immigrants need a help and only right laws can help them to leave shadow and became visible. I agree that illegal immigration is a crime but not good life conditions push people to seek a better life (economically and politically) in another strange country. All immigrants want to change their life situation and they have no alternative variant how to do. I think that this problem is a worldwide problem and in high governmental circles should be devised methods for illegal immigration not only legalization but also variants how to help native immigrants countries that will stop illegal immigration process in future.