The Effect of a Comprehensive Immigration Law on Crime in the United States



Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the comprehensive immigration reform and the criminalization of the illegal immigrants. The number of illegal immigrants has been increasing in United States and following this trend, the government is trying to outline the reforms and the acts that can help coping with the cost associated with illegal immigrants arrest deportation and detention, the DREAM Act has been one of the significant measure to handle the immigration issues that provides the right of citizenship to students who come to USA for studies or serve military for a certain period of time. The paper examines these problems comprehensively to identify the current problems associated with the illegal immigration and criminal justice system. The Effect of a Comprehensive Immigration Law on Crime in the United States

Introduction

Immigration laws of United States have been immensely controversial in the recent decades. In contrast, international migration often arouses heated controversies and inflammatory rhetoric. That may seem odd in the context of the United States since we like to think of ourselves as a nation of immigrants. Why are there such passionate arguments about people who seem to like our country so much that they want to move here? Immigration laws put stress on society, on the environment, on the economy, and on government. More people mean more crime, more crowding, and more need for government services (Weissbrodt,2005). Americans take pride in their immigrant history, but they are also concerned about the impact of large-scale immigration, particularly when much of it seems to be illegal and uncontrollable. They are empathetic with immigrants, but they also are concerned about their own citizens and their own national identity. The conflict explains the intensity of the debate about U.S. immigration policy. Americans are caught between competing ideals, and neither side of the debate is obviously right (Weissbrodt,2005).

Currently, it is estimated that there are approximately eleven million undocumented immigrants from around the world living in the United States; the vast majority of them are of Hispanic descent. In the last two years, this entire population has faced new multiple challenges that have been making it more difficult to live in this country because of their legal status. Since the federal government has failed to produce comprehensive immigration reform, undocumented immigrants have to deal with tremendous pressure from lawmakers at the state levels, most of which are enacting legislation aimed at this group of people by criminalizing the very act of living in certain states across the country (Swain,2007).

Need of Comprehensive Immigration Reform

The current immigration system is established in accordance with the current immigration law, regulated in detail and is designed to serve U.S. national interests. With this system, U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents have the opportunity to reunite with family members and U.S. employers hired skilled foreign professionals. This contributed to the development of the U.S. economy and maintains a high ranking in the global ...