Research essay 5/10/2018

Julia Labbe

ENG 100

Dr. Sabine Klein

10 May 2018

    According to the Federation For American Immigration Reform there is an estimated 12.5 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. This number was obtained by census bureau data. In 2017 there were approximately 226,000 undocumented immigrants deported. There is a big problem with undocumented immigrants being deported. Another problem that comes along with this is that a lot of the undocumented immigrants are employed and they are trying to support themselves and a family here in the United States since they can’t financially get the support they need in their home country. A solution to this problem is a green card, but not all undocumented immigrants can get a green card, and it is a hard, big, and slow process to obtain one. A green card is “a permit allowing a foreign national to live and work permanently in the US.” When and if an undocumented immigrant receives a green card to live and work in the United States, they do not receive everything a US citizen could. People with green cards cannot vote in the US election, they don’t receive the same benefits, they cannot go out of the country for too long, and if they commit a crime or act of terrorism they will lose their green card. The only way an undocumented immigrant can obtain a green card is if they already work in the US, or have a job offer in the US. Applying for a green card is a long and difficult process and if someone breaks the US laws, such as fraud while getting their green card, then it can result in deportation. So even though a green card means “permanent” it also in another way does not guarantee permanent, since if the individual breaks a law or commits a crime, they will be deported back.

    Society's views on immigration, according to a PEW research survey “45% of Americans are saying they are making society better in the long run and 37% saying they are making it worse”. These are based on specific issues such as: Crime, economy, becoming a part of society, views of immigrants by region of origin, and how much immigration. PEW research included the democratic party as well as the republic party on these issues. The results were this: For crime “Republicans, 71% say immigrants in the U.S. are making crime worse, compared with just 34% of Democrats”, for economy “71% of Republicans say immigrants are making the economy worse, compared with 34% of Democrats who say the same.”. As for becoming a part of society “Republicans; 81% say immigrants in our country today generally want to hold on to the customs and way of life of their home country, compared with 66% of independents and 55% of Democrats who say the same. Some three-quarters of Republicans (74%) say immigrants do not learn English in a reasonable amount of time, compared with 45% of Democrats.”, for views of immigrants by region of origin “Americans on both sides of the partisan line have mostly positive or neutral views of Asian and European immigrants. But when it comes to those from Latin America, 58% of Republicans say these immigrants have had a mostly negative impact on society, compared with 23% of Democrats.” And lastly for how much immigration “ Two-thirds (67%) of Republicans say immigration to the U.S. should be decreased, compared with one-third (33%) of Democrats.” Another survey by PEW found that “about half of Americans (49%) say immigration should be decreased.” What republicans and democrats have agreed upon is that the immigration system is broken, and there needs to be a completely new solution of problems need to be addressed and fixed.

    A problem that arises is not only applying for a green card when out of the country, but for undocumented immigrants who have been here undocumented and need to be documented to the US. There are a few solutions to this. One of them being the undocumented immigrant being in the US for a minimum of ten years, the person having a no crime history during their time being in the US, having a family member in the US that would go through hardship without the care of the person (cancer, etc). This would allow for the undocumented immigrants to apply for a green card and have a more likely chance of being able to receive the green card and stay here.

    The immigration topic in the United States is obviously an issue, and everyone has some kind of opinion about it, whether they are republican, democratic, or other. Some people see it as a big problem and the way to solve this problem is to deport everyone, and some people see it as a new beginning for families and individuals, and being here is a great opportunity for them. Either way, there has to be some changes regarding the problem and the best way to solve this issue would be to do a background check and let people come to the United States and work in the United States, and be able to stay here as long as they follow the law just as everyone else in the United States has to.

Works cited

• Bray, I., & J. (2015). Legal Options for an Undocumented (Illegal) Immigrant to Stay in the U.S. Retrieved from http://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/us-immigration/legal-options-undocumented-illegal-immigrant-stay.html
• Krogstad, J. and Krogstad, J. (2015). On views of immigrants, Americans largely split along party lines. [online] Pew Research Center. Available at: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/09/30/on-views-of-immigrants-americans-largely-split-along-party-lines/ [Accessed 10 May 2018].
• Torbati, Y. (2017). U.S. deportations down in 2017 but immigration arrests up. [online] Reuters. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration/u-s-deportations-down-in-2017-but-immigration-arrests-up-idUSKBN1DZ2O5 [Accessed 10 May 2018].