The United States is one of the most recipient countries of immigrants around the world. In fact, the U. S is considered as the world’s leading destination for immigrant population. Immigration has formed part of the U.
S. history and has continued to shape the American culture even today (Mills, 1994). The immigration has however elicited a controversial debate within the United States considering that there are many incidences of illegal immigrants coming to the country each year.Despite all this, there are other millions of legal immigrants who follow the right channel of coming to the United States. This paper shall look at the immigration situation in the United States and whether it should be encouraged or restricted.
Argument in support of immigration: The United States owes its past to immigrants. Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas during his voyages in the late 15th century and this was to be followed by immigration to the new world years later (Wilson, 2000).History demonstrates that the United States became what it is from the replenishing wave of immigrants that was witnessed more than a century ago. During this period, many immigrants from different parts of the world flocked to the United States and made permanent residence (Mills, 1994).
The immigrants to the U. S are credited for their economical contribution to the nation. It must also be noted that the immigrants bring with them that unique culture and knowledge that is integrated within the United States making it a unique entity in the whole world.The superpower status that America has earned can be attributed to the immigration to the U. S.
(Powell, 2006). Arguments against the immigration: Those opposed to immigration argue that the immigrants only seek economic advantages and do not integrate into the American culture by refusing to learn English. They are also accused of burdening the public services and bringing unnecessary competition to job opportunities available to Americans (Powell, 2006).Immigration has also been accused of opening the door for illegal immigration that has become rampant in the recent past. It is estimated that close to 12 million individuals resides in the U. S.
as undocumented immigrants (BBC, 2007). Those calling for a strict measure to be enforced in curbing illegal migration have argued that even those who came to America a century ago had to follow the legal procedure as Peggy Noonan noted, “They waited in line. They passed the tests. They had to get permission to come . . They had to get through Ellis Island .
. . get questioned and eyeballed by a bureaucrat with a badge,” (Powell, 2006, Para 8).Conclusion: Immigration is a delicate issue in the United States. The U. S.
has continued to attract many immigrants from all corners of the earth due to the freedoms, rights and opportunities that are available to the people. However, the concept of illegal migration has cropped up and poses a great challenge to the current immigration policies. It is irrefutable that the U. S.
owes its historical existence to the immigrants who settled there many years back but things have changed since then. The free style movement of people can no longer be tolerated in the current times and therefore there is need for a stricter legislation that can be put in place to offer guidelines on who is eligible to immigrate into the U. S. With the incidences of illegal migration reaching worrying levels, there is need for action from the respective authorities to keep the issue under control.
