Immigration Problems Illegal immigration has been one of the problems that had started many years ago and no one found the right way to solve it yet. There are abundant opinions about this topic. In The Norton Reader book, an essay by Jo-Ann Pilardi titled “Immigration Problem Is about Us, not Them,” explain the problem and show its effects on different aspects. The essay addresses how the illegal immigration problem has touched everyone living in the U. S and how it affects America.
Pilardi focuses on the effect of illegal workers, who are hired by exploited employers, on the economy, and the effect on the federal government laws, and the effect of T. V. news on the issue. Jo-Ann Pilardi started the essay by explaining the term “illegal” that had been used only for illegal workers and never used with their employers. She referred to the employers of the illegal workers as “Illegal Native Employers” who own many of the businesses in the United States. Wondering why does the T. V. news focus on the illegal workers and avoid reporting the INEs.
The author suggest is to isolate the thousands of INE’s businesses who are looking for ways to save money, instead of isolating their workers who are looking for freedom. However, it is very unpleasant to think about this suggestion because most people living in America know someone who employs some of the 12 million illegal workers. Pilardi ended her essay showing some of the governmental actions toward this issue and giving her opinion about the “temporary workers” program with a mention to the European guest workers program.
Illegal workers have important effect on the economy and on the rate of labor wages. Pilardi states, “We use and exploit the labor of these millions every day. In doing so, we also weaken the wages, benefits and organizing power of all our workers. ” (Pilardi 387). They are hired by exploited employers who prefer them over other native citizens because of the low wages and less benefits that they ask for. Illegal native employers also affect the economy by welcoming undocumented workers instead of Americans and more professional labors. If 12 million undocumented workers toil in this country as construction workers, gardeners, housekeepers, nannies, agricultural workers, food processors, then thousands of business owners, homeowners, politicians and government officials condone or welcome their work – and look the other way at their illegal status. ” (Pilardi 387). The illegal workers are solving the problem of labor in the United States, which is a very big issue in America, on the other hand, they are negatively affecting American workers.
Immigrant workers are more available and more affordable than native laborers who ask for expensive wages, full insurance, and specific working environment. Pilardi also pointed the federal laws and programs that were established in order to solve this issue. However, she thinks that there are better solutions that would be fairer and would drive more help for the community. “We need to create a fair immigration program for those who want to stay, not one that separates them by creating a national caste system of “guest workers” (Pilardi 387). It is a huge concern because of the different opinions among political groups.
They have been working on this case for years and no one found the way to satisfy everyone. The author mentioned the program that was in Germany which ended up making many problems instead of solving the immigrant issue. “Noting the problems that arose from Germany’s guest-worker program, which imported masses of Turkish and southern European workers… ” (Pilardi 388). It would be smarter to learn from others mistake and to not repeat the same process again because it will cost America money and time. According to the author, T. V. news is responsible for displaying all the sides and opinions of this issue to the public.
Pilardi asks if the T. V. news is brave enough to represent the INE as part of the problem rather than the immigrants. “Where are the TV news videotapes of those illegals? Let’s film them as they leave their homes and arrive at their corporate headquarters, their law offices, their retail establishments, their hotels, their construction sites. Do we dare humiliate them with our cameras – and call them felons? ” (Pilardi 386). In Pilardi’s opinion, media should be part of the solution and they need to start reporting the problem in a new perspective.
Surely, it is not fair to show the worst about the illegal workers and the best about the employers. “Conservatives describe the bill as “amnesty” for undocumented workers. So, once again, virtually all of the media attention centers on the workers, not the employers. ” (Pilardi 387). In 2013, Foreign Affairs magazine posted an article titled “A Kinder, Gentler Immigration Policy” by two Columbia University professors. Batiz Rivera, and Jagdish Bhagwati, who had received some awards such as a Padma Vibhushan, Guggenheim Fellowship for Social Sciences, US & Canada, and Francisco.
Overall, this article is about situations, laws, and experiences that have happened in the past and what their results were. Rivera and Bhagwati write: Even if a bill did manage to pass, the sad fact is that it would work no better than the 1986 law did. That act was based on the assumption that punishments, such as sanctions on employers and heightened border security, and incentives, such as an increase in the number of legal immigrants allowed to enter the country and amnesty for illegal immigrants already there, could eliminate illegal immigration altogether.
The authors are almost hopeless of the bills that will never solve the immigrants’ issues. This problem had been in America for so long and many laws were made for it but unfortunately none of them solved it. The authors of this article give their opinion when they said, “The United States should stop attempting to eliminate illegal immigrants — since that will never work — and focus instead on policies that treat them with humanity. ” The illegal immigrants’ problem has many points of view, as Pilardi mentioned, and each one could look at it from their own perspective.
However, there are always some ways that may solve the problem or may be the beginning of the solution. “There are a number of steps states can take to make life easier for illegal immigrants, such as issuing them driver’s licenses and making accessible to them everything from healthcare to university scholarships. ” “America without Migrants” is an article was wrote by DW Gibson who is a graduate from Columbia University School of Journalism. His article is about Bernabe who moved to the United States illegally.
He explained the effects that illegal immigrants have on American jobs and businesses, and how their life looks like in perspective of everyday danger. There are some areas full of immigrants which will be completely empty if they had to leave. Gibson mentions some other important sources that have evidence on the impact of Illegal immigrants. “Maggie Gray, who spent 10 years visiting New York farms while researching her book Labor and the Locavore, puts it this way: “What would it look like if all the undocumented workers in New York were deported?
Most agriculture would just shut down. ” For her book, Gray visited 28 farms; only one didn’t employ undocumented workers” (Gibson). Illegal workers have a very significant effect on American economy which will decrease if they left their jobs, echoed by Pilardi. “Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and Peoria, Illinoiscities and towns that have undergone economic depression and are now seeing migrants and refugees help to revitalize the local economy. ”
In conclusion, as Pilardi’s piece noted, deporting llegal immigrants would impact all the aspects of the country because they are a huge part of the United States’ economy, community, and society. Most of big companies are based on illegal workers who cannot live their lives as any other American because they are undocumented. On the other hand, through the history, many bills were made to solve this issue but they were not enough to eliminate the immigrants. Solving this issue would need to look outside of the box and try to find some new ways for it.