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Have you watched T.V in the last three months, and heard a lot of controversy on the new
Arizona Immigration Law? Currently immigration has become a hot topic in United States.
There are a lot of immigration problems and issues that need to be solved. There are a lot of laws
going on in the Senate, and they are still being debated. Washington is too concerned on the
games they play and not working together to move forward on immigration policies which affect
millions.Illegalimmigrants are not just people without papers but most are coming for the
American dream. Therefore, immigration reform is needed in America.
Many immigrants are coming to the states! “Our illegal immigration numbers are based
on an estimated twenty million illegal alien having been present in our nation as of January 1,
2004”. According to the current news on T.V, there are fewer illegal immigrants coming to the
United States? There are 2 major reasons illegals come which include jobs and education. For
example, many of my relatives in Mexico comment on the high unemployment rate. In some
parts of Mexico parents have to pay for students’ books and some schools charge tuition for
middle and high school, but in United States is different because we don’t have to pay tuition,
and you don’t have to pay for lunch or materials (How).
There is one major problem if illegals stop coming to America and that is a work
shortage. This situation is already occurring in Alabama. It could affect all Americans regarding
groceries. Unless a solution to the worker shortage that has arisen since passage of the state’s
new immigration law comes long, produce available in Alabama stores and farmers markets may
be different than before and less of it may be grown on Alabama farms. Another situation to
consider is how much the undocumented population contributes to the economy. In North
Carolina, for example, the undocumented farm workers contribute about 1.8 million annually to
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the economy. Without immigrants the American economy would drop and we may face a sever
farm work shortage. Right now we have a large drop in immigration do to the recitation that
started approximately in 2009.
There has been a Federal Law that has been created because of the illegal immigration
situation they can approve it and it would be worse.“ The high number of immigrants from many
nation led president Reagan to sign the illegal immigration reform and control Act ( IRCA ) of
1986” The IRCA consist of 4 requirements which are legalization of undocumented aliens,
legalization of certain agriculture workers, punish those who knowingly hire undocumented
works, and increased enforcement at United States borders. Unfortunately IRCA did not work.
This Federal law did not work because American business continued to hire low wage foreign
labor . Also currently, the Federal Government is not implementing the current law which
causes a lot of confusion for the country.(Student).
There are millions of illegal immigrants who attend United State Public schools. Most
United States Public School requires information for enrollment. For instance, schools may
require most the recent report cards, transcripts, copy of birth certificate, and immunization
records. However, most United States Public Schools do not require proof of legal status. In
contrast, illegal students have problems attending collegesbecause they are considered out of
state. In Mexico, to attend to school you have to pay your own materials, and have to pay so you
can continue in college. The cost to attend is therefore much higher than in-state students. This
situation is why many illegal students do not go to college. Many are trying to implement the
Dream Act which would provide public financial aid to the undocumented. According to activist
Raul Gomez, “The Dream Act is a federal legislation that if approved would have allowed
undocumented students to continue on to higher education and out them on a path towards
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citizenship. Currently 11 states have passed law that allowed undocumented students to attend
college in state tuition. Some states that have a form of the Dream Act are California, New
Mexico, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin. In the other 39 states if the Dream Act would not
come legal the immigrants would go back to their state and United State would be in a big
problem, and they can have a big drop in economy(Gamez).
Beside federal law, there have been many state laws created because of the illegal
immigration problem. For example, Arizona has created a law in which the police can pull
anyone over if they have reasonably suspect of being illegal aliens. Recently Alabama has passed
the toughest immigration law in the United States. According to Government Robert Bentley,
“Authorities can question people suspected of being in the country illegally and hold them
without bond, and officials can check the immigration status of students in public school.”
Another state which is enforcingImmigration Laws is New York. Many parents are being
deported without their children. Families are being divided. One effect of this law has also
affected legal residents of Hispanic heritage and has caused a lot of anger because of profiling.
Massachusetts has been supportive towards illegal immigrants; however, recently this state is
also passing stricter legislation regarding the issue (Alabama).
Many people agree with the Dream Act because they can continue with the American
dream. Their hopes are high because they want to continue with bettering their life through
education. If the Dream Act becomes a reality in our Hispanic community them we will be better
prepared to give back great things to the American society. Without the Dream Act the Hispanic
community would not continue with their dream. Also without the Dream Act the steps to
becoming a legal resident would become much more difficult to attain. If they don’t approve the
Dream Act United States would lost a lot of hard workers, and intelligent illegal immigrants
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andit would be better than it is. United States is making the Dream Act worse, because there are
many Hispanics with good ability to do this country more powerful. The Dream Act is very
important to immigrants because they can help them to be someone in life, to have a better
future, and to be legalizing in the state.
In conclusion, inthe climate for illegal immigrants has remained a hot topic in the United
States. Federal laws have been writtenhowever; the Federal Government has not enforced them.
Now, many states are creating stiff Immigration laws because of the lack of Federal Government
leadership. If the Dream Act passes one someday the life of immigrants greatly improves. Illegal
immigrants are not just people without papers but most are coming for the American Dream
therefore, immigration reform is needed in America.