What exactly is Immigration? Immigration is the moving of people into a destination country which is not their native country of birth. People move with the intent of becoming permanent residents of that country and hopes of becoming citizens of that foreign country. The United states is a country built on immigration so much that the Declaration of Independence speaks directly on it.
More than 25 million immigrants have moved to the United States since the 1950s in search of a better standards of living, economic prosperity, natural disasters or war conflicts in their countries of birth. But with many uncertainties, immigration brings with it many barriers. People who come into the United States fall under different groups depending on their status when entering, some fall under the Family-based immigration, the Diversity visa program, Employment- based immigration and Refugees and Asylum.
Many would agree that Immigration is causing a big divide in America. This divide is so evident today; to understand the magnitude of the immigration debt in America ,we need to look at the actions of the three branches of government ,the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch which consist of the Congress and the House of Representatives , last but not least; the Judiciary Branch seem all have different views on how best to approach the controversies on immigration on how immigration powers would be handled between the three branches of Government .
127 our experts are availableright now
The Supreme court once took a lead in determining .In a doctrine known as “plenary power,” power over immigration was given to Congress and the Executive, this allows Congress to have an upper hand while allowing the Executive Branch through the president to use his Executive powers where applicable.
The George W Bush Presidential center states “America is strengthened by the contributions made by immigrants. For the U.S economy to flourish to its full potential, outdated immigration policy must be modernized.” (“A Nation Built by Immigrants”) The big issue is illegal immigration and how to contain it. The checks and balance system has shown great importance on the immigration policy.
The President can issue directive orders and enforce the law through his executive powers ,while the House of Representatives and Congress has the upper hand in decision making on most policies and can pass a new law to override the executive powers ,while the Supreme Court which is in charge of the Judicial branch has a big role of serving justice and protect the law.
From way back in time, people have migrated to the U.S using various means. Some come in legally and with merit, while others come in illegally and try to find ways of legalizing their stay. Therefore, with each new admiration that has come into power, policy on immigration seems to differ. One thing that all administration agree on is the prosecution of illegal entry in the federal court.
A look at the Obama administration through the Executive Branch supported the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act “Dreamers,” which focused on young undocumented children who were brought to America at a young age by their parents and call America their home.
In a statement President Obama said “over the years, politicians of both parties have worked together to write legislation that would have told these young people — our young people — that if your parents brought you here as a child, if you’ve been here a certain number of years, and if you’re willing to go to college or serve in our military, then you’ll get a chance to stay and earn your citizenship.” (“Obama Full Statement Daca”)
Between 2001 and 2013, the bill failed to make its way to congress due to political indifferences in the Congress, which has become a norm these days. The disagreement among parties I.e. the democrats and the republicans to agree on one policy for immigrants is a big problem. Right after that President Obama through his executive powers created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals “DACA” a different version of the Dream Act, which did not provide a path for citizenship like the Dream Act but instead provide a two-year renewable deferred action from deportation eligibility for a work permit in the U.S. However, with a Republican controlled House, this came with mixed feeling. Many states sued the administration to prevent an extension on DACA which led to a block by an already divided supreme court.
In a bid to overcome the immigration issue, the new administration under President Trump is trying to implement a new policy called zero tolerance towards immigration, Regardless of the age, color race or religion ,once found that person is illegal, he/she is sent to a detention camp or immediately deported without the proper legal proceedings through the courts .Throughout his president campaign, President Trump rhetoric on illegal immigration was negative.
He promised to have a wall built on the Mexican border, which he stated Mexico would pay for, but the Mexican government rejected the plea, President Trump then asked Congress for $5 billion for the wall between U.S.-Mexico border as part of the government spending bill (“Washingtonexaminer,Trump’s border wall,”) Another executive order that was caused a great divide in the country was the “Travel ban”. The ban affected several people from about seven countries that the Trump administration listed.
This includes restricted entry of green cards holders and visa holders from the various countries. The ban caused a nation up roar resulting in countrywide protests because most of the countries listed on the ban were from Muslim countries earning the name “Muslim ban”.
In a New York article by Adam Liptak and Michael D,Shear “The Supreme Court upheld the Presidents’ ban in a 5 to 4 vote, the courts said the President’s power to secure the country’s borders and authority to make national security. This decision by the courts gave Trump a political victory and an endorsement of his power to control immigration at a time of political upheaval about the treatment of migrants at the Mexican border.” Most people saw this as the Supreme court being tainted by an overwhelmingly Republican side. The Trump administration got sued by various lawyers representing people affected by the ban and the court started to weigh in and temporally lifted and blocked parts of the ban.
The political debt on how polices are implemented on immigration have reached a new high. Every country wants to protect its nation in the interest of national security, economic growth and stability. The right immigration policy will be beneficial to the future of the United States because there will be enough workforce to carry out the large demand for skilled and unskilled labor due to the increase in jobs being created.
The industrial movement to the United States is on the rise due to lower taxes and available market to sell their products. A great number of people who are come to America are willing to work hard and contribute to the growth of U.S. The strengthen the military to fight for American freedom, contribute to innovations, create a diverse culture for education and food industry. It is critical and of great urgency that all three branches of government work together and put aside party differences to ensure effective measures are implemented and restored for a greater United States and for Generations to come.
Work Cited
- Liptak Adam & Shear D. Michael, Trump;s Travel Ban Is Upheld by Supreme Court,Newyork times.
The George W Bush Presidential center states, A Nation Built by Immigrants.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_Action_for_Childhood_Arrivals
https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/05/politics/obama-full-statement-daca/index.html
blog.unidosus.org/2018/02/07/who-is-a-dreamer/?
References
- Migration Policy Institute – Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States
- Department of Homeland Security – Immigration Statistics
- Cato Institute – Immigration Research
- Migration Policy Institute
- Center for Immigration Studies
- The New York Times – U.S. Politics
- BBC News – U.S. & Canada
- NPR Politics
- CNN Politics
