ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Increases Worldwide
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"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."*
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By Vanessa Puig
Stricter immigration polices are a hot topic worldwide. The United States is not alone with its illegal immigration problems. The European Union, England, Japan even Russia are forced to tighten and secure their borders. Recently British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced new plans to have migrants show a "demonstration of commitment" when applying for UK citizenship. Migrants will now have to undergo testing for English proficiency, provide proof of integration into communities and pay more for visas that will go toward a "transitional impact" fund to improve public services in the country, which is expected to raise £15 million annually.
In Europe, French President Nicolas Sarkozy met with South African Parliament members to ask for their help in curbing migration from Africa. Sarkozy stated that 65 percent of the 200,000 foreign nationals that take residence in France every year come from Africa, putting a strain on economic resources.
Perhaps the most rigid immigration policies are found in Japan, where all foreigners entering the country (including foreign residents) must be fingerprinted and photographed in an effort to fight terrorism. Anyone who refuses is denied access into the country, and anyone wishing to stay in Japan for more than 90 days must apply for an alien registration card. Without one, an immigrant cannot apply for a bank account or even purchase a cell phone.
With 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, stricter immigration policies have become a hot issue, particularly among presidential hopefuls. The focus falls primarily on preventing an influx of illegal immigrants, mainly from Mexico, and deciding how to handle the immigrants who are already in the U.S.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform reports that U.S. taxpayers help pay for services illegal immigrants may receive while living here, including education ($28.6 billion annually) and healthcare ($3.2 billion). In addition, Americans pay $376 million a year to incarcerate illegal immigrants who have committed felonies or misdemeanors.
Additionally there is the economic impact when dollars are moved from of our economy and sent back to the illegal worker’s country. Mexico alone receives over 10 billion dollars annually from workers in the U.S.
In an effort to cease illegal immigration and control U.S. borders, a virtual fence has been proposed to secure one third of the Mexican border. There’s no official government estimate of what the cost would be to build the fence but some estimate the project to cost 2.2 billion or 3 mile per mile, according to NPR.org. Attorney General Michael Mukasey also commented that fines for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants will increase by 25 percent. However, with arrests of undocumented workers increasing by 750 percent since 2002, many activist groups are protesting. They argue that more discrimination, racial profiling and family separations among legal and illegal aliens are the tragic results of government raids and a contradiction of America’s immigrant roots. With money draining out of taxpayers’ pockets, they add that presidential candidates have offered countless proposals, from guest worker programs to punishing employers who exploit immigrants.
While the U.S. is securing its borders and searching for answers to its illegal immigrant problem, it annually accepts more legal immigrants as permanent residents than any other country in the world.
For more information on illegal immigration problems:
abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3701738&page=1
article.nationalreview.com/?q=YmIxZWY
www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/us/10immig.html
www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2188419,00.html
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2017650.stm
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2017650.stm
www.fairus.org
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