Abstract
The Development, Relief, and Education for Minors (The Dream Act), was first introduced in 2001. When introduced, it was a bill in congress that would give certain undocumented immigrants the opportunity to be legalised in the States, unfortunately, the act was not passed. Over the past few years, it has been revised and slowly expanded in its meaning. One of the most common expansions of The Dream Act, is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). In DACA, undocumented immigrants are given the opportunity to have a social security number, obtain a driver's license, become politically active, get a job with benefits, and apply for a credit card. Under President Obama, this bill was first established and had been passed with exceptions of a renewal every two years, certain requirements had to be met, and the dreamers had to remain consistent with the original requisites.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals:
Immigration
All over the world, people move from one place to another for various reasons. Some of these reasons could include education, work, leisure, or other personal or official business. In some instances, individuals move from one country to another in search of greener pastures, while others move as refugees or seeking political asylum. Immigration refers to the movement of people or a person, into a new country with the aim of seeking permanent residence (Martinez, 2015). An immigrant is a person who seeks permanent residence in another country which he did not live in before. In the United States, and other countries across the world, immigration is a common occurrence on a daily basis. This paper seeks to examine immigration in the United States. It will present the contribution of immigrants and public perceptions towards immigrants. At the end, one aspect of immigration that is largely ignored will be focused on, before a conclusion of the paper is made.
Thousands of American families across the United States of America trace their origins and heritage to American immigrants. Wherever each of these families came from, it is clear that all these people had a common goal in mind. A high percentage of immigrants into America come into the country with the aim of improving their quality of life as well as get quality education for their children and families. Thousands of immigrants have helped to build the American economy in various ways ( Zong & Batalova, 2015). It is for this reason that extra effort needs to be out into the fixing and reforms in the immigration system in the country. This will enable the building of a strong economic foundation in America that will address both the present as well as the future needs of the American population.
Contrary to what many political leaders have been feeding Americans about the dangers of allowing more immigrants into the country, they do more good than harm. There are many benefits which are associated with immigration to the nation. This is despite the existence of a n immigration department that is ineffective. In America, around 15% of the labor force is provided by immigrants who now live and work within the country. Out of the 15%, majority of these workers are persons between the ages of 25 and 44 (Meissner, et al, 2013). This age group consists of people who can actively engage in productive work and contribute towards economic growth of the nation.
Due to the determination and dedication of immigrants to have a better life, they engage in almost any occupation as long as it is able to cater for bills as well as manage to make some savings. Some of the occupations in which immigrants have worked and continue to work include teaching, engineering, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, science, management, among others (Brady & Finnigan, 2014). In many lower skilled industries, migrants have also taken up their positions. Many migrant workers are also revitalizing rural areas with the different sectors where they work. As a result they help to fuel population growth in America.
As a result of population growth in areas where migrant workers have settled, there arises a demand for the provision of certain services and products. This leads to pumping of job creation opportunities as many businesses spring up in order to meet the needs of this community. A study conducted in regard to the effect of immigrant workers to the American economy shows that over a period of the next 75 years, the documented immigrants in America will provide a net benefit of around $611 billion in current value to the American Social Security System (Zong & Batalova, 2015).
While some immigrants arrive in the Unites States as semi skilled laborers, other immigrants have come to America to pursue higher education. On the other hand, some of these immigrants have come into the United States as professionals seeking better terms of employment or business. According to data provided by Census, in every eight immigrants, there is at least one professional immigrant with an advanced degree. Statistics further indicate that, roughly 28% of doctoral degrees awarded in all fields are taken by immigrants. Out of these, at least 40% of these degrees are in science and technology (Zong & Batalova, 2015). These statistics show that not only are immigrants part of the professional body, but it shows that the United States is benefitting from brain drain in other parts of the world. When these professional immigrants decide to live and work in America, then they only help to advance the United States with their knowledge and experience, instead of going back to their home countries.
Entrepreneurship is another areas where immigrants have contributed in towards sustaining and improving the status of the American economy. Currently, immigrant entrepreneurs are credited with almost 24% of patents. At the same time, the same entrepreneurs are credited with founding or confounding more than 25% of companies involved with engineering and technology between the years 1995 and 2005 (Spring, 2016). These and more figures continue to show the importance of immigration and immigrants into the country. In one of his speeches during his term in office, former President Obama claimed that America need to start production of all necessary goods and services instead of depending on exporting readymade items all the time. He urged the American population to make use of the bold entrepreneurs, who should be encouraged to develop new ideas for business. The former President also commented on the capacity and ability of all Americans, both foreign born and those living within the borders, to work together towards making America greater than any other nation (Hainmueller & Hopkins, 2014). It is important to notice the appeal that the former President made to the American immigrants by urging them to first develop and serve their country. He realized the importance of immigrants in the economy of a nation.
Despite the commendable contribution of immigrants to the United States, the public has not yet received the immigrants with open arms. Due to recent attacks on the United States as a result of terrorist activities, immigrants, especially those of Islamic origin are looked upon suspiciously. In the political scene, there have been disagreements between the Democrats and the Republicans over certain policies concerning immigration. One particular issue that has proven controversial is the building of a wall along the U.S and the Mexico border (Hainmueller & Hopkins, 2014). Unfortunately, the underlying issues in these matters are largely partisan opinions affiliated to the party from which a person supports. There is also public confusion as to whether immigrants are an asset or a liability to the nation.
Some Americans however feel that immigrants are a burden to the United States. The reasons given for disliking and disapproving immigrants include taking away the jobs of the Americans as well as congesting their health care facilities as well as taking over jobs. There are also generational differences in regards to how people think and talk about immigrants. More millennials are embracing the idea of immigrants that people in the older generation (Martinez, 2015). Unfortunately, when most Americans think of immigrants, the first thing that comes to their minds is “illegalâ€. It is such a sad affair that, generally, immigrants are associated with unlawful migration into the country. As a result, this attitude negatively affects the immigrants as they are looked down upon, especially by older members of the society. It causes the immigrants have a hard time settling down in the country, as well as developing a social life.
There are other names that are used to describe immigrants which include “overpopulationâ€, “jobsâ€, “deportationâ€, among others. When such terms are used to describe immigrants, they show the hostility in the Americans towards the immigrants (Spring, 2016). The words used also show the assumptions that the regular Americans have towards all immigrants. It is sad that to some people, the mere thought of immigrants causes them to think of people who have come to America to be a burden to others. Such perceptions are mostly as a result of negative attitudes towards immigrants. Some people view the immigrants as competition towards job acquisitions or in business hence developing such attitudes and perceptions.
One of the issues that is not commonly discussed is the benefit or advantage of allowing undocumented immigrants to stay legally in the country. Majority of these people are very hardworking members of the community who have small businesses that help to feed and sustain their families. Most of these undocumented immigrants are people who have managed to interact with the local community around them. It is interesting to note that a majority of these immigrants have nowhere else to go in the event that they would be deported back to their countries. In any case, it would be unfair to disrupt their livelihoods especially if they have no criminal records and they are community members who coexist peacefully with their neighbors. As mentioned earlier in the essay, most immigrants are very hardworking in various sectors of the economy. This begs the question as to whether they take up jobs that Americans do not want or they are competing fairly with the Americans. While the answer to this question is debatable, some researchers argue that most undocumented immigrants prefer to take up jobs that most Americans shun away from. This is because such jobs require little or no documentation, but helps them to get by their daily lives.
From the above discussion, it is clear that immigrants are necessarily not a bad influence in America. In any case, immigrants have the ability and capacity to motivate an individual to be proactive in their lives and business or professions. Immigrants have greatly contributed to the economy of America over the years. It would therefore be unfair to label them as illegal immigrants or a burden to the American economy. In any case, their involvement in various sectors has caused a significant change in the American economy. The negative attitudes and perceptions toward immigrants make them to feel unwelcome and threatened. However, this negativity is mostly from a section of older people in the society, as younger adults seem to be more accommodative of various persons with diverse nationalities in the society. As long as immigrants are peaceful and help towards advancing the United States, then they should be allowed to stay in the country.