200 WORDS OR LESS AND NO APA FORMAT

DISCUSSION ONE

Describe the political issues regarding illegal immigration. What conflicts exist?

One of the main political issues associated with illegal immigration is that it has become a necessity for most politicians’ political agenda as defined by our textbook: ” The political agenda consists of issues that the people believe require government action.” (Wilson, Dilulio Jr., Bose, Levendusky, P.7) . The need for this issue to be addressed by the government is due to the growing concern amongst the citizens of the United States; this is particularly true in the states of Texas, Arizona and California. This growing concern is best exemplified by this statement “In fall 2016, just before that year’s historical presidential election, only 7% of California’s likely voters called illegal immigration the state’s most pressing problem. By the beginning of 2019, it had tripled and become the top answer for Californians.”(Meyers, 2019).

Exacerbating the political issue is the complex entanglement and wide variations in how the voting public feels about the issue of illegal immigration and immigration in general. Some will cite national security as an issue, some will cite protecting the job market as an issue, and others will cite the drain of resources and taxpayers monies as reasons to deport all illegal immigrants. On the flip side of these issues are those that feel we have not had meaningful immigration reform since Ronald Regan was president, and as a nation have a moral obligation to help and accept people seeking asylum from war torn countries; this is particularly true when it comes to children. Finally, some people feel these immigrants, even if here illegally, bring value to our work force and culture and therefore should be granted citizenship. These differences of opinion are at the root of the issue’s conflict and political divide. (Thompson, 2018).

Putting aside how we may feel emotionally as a nation about illegal immigrants, the truth is the estimated 11 million people that are here illegally is simply too large of a number to deport. (ProCon,org, 2019). Consequently the subject of what to do about illegal immigration quickly turns into a circular argument about the overall immigration policy, which in turn polarizes the voting public and paralyzes political process.

Do States Play A Role In Setting Immigration Policy?

While it is clear the immigration policies of the United States come from the federal government, there are ways in which states can influence immigration rules and activities; these activities are typically centered on education and employment regulations. (Findlaw, 2020). There are however other methods in which a state can take a stance that makes it very difficult for the federal government to enforce its regulations; California is one such state.

California has declared itself a Sanctuary State by “Establishing statewide non-cooperative policies between state law enforcement officials and federal immigration authorities.” (Findlaw, 2020). Currently in state of California it is illegal to:

1. Detain an individual on a hold request by the federal government unless there is a felony warrant

2. Transfer undocumented immigrants into federal custody unless they’ve been convicted in the last 15 year of a crime listed on California’s Trust Act

3. Asking about a person’s immigration status or sharing any information with the federal government that is not readily available to the general public.

This is an example of where the state did not make the immigration policy, but is certainly doing its best to negatively influence the policy set by the federal government, (FindLaw, 2020)

In Caring For Undocumented Children, Who Pays?

We all pay a bit of the bill for undocumented children; either as taxpayers, or through increased medical costs passed on to us by the medical community to help offset the costs of their legal obligations. This is because under federal law hospitals are required to screen and stabilize every patient who seeks emergency care.( Some of these costs are offset by Medicaid, but in all reality it is we as taxpayers that fund Medicaid. (Artiga, Diaz, 2019)

DISCUSSION TWO

Political issues that exist regarding illegal immigration into America have effects on the

systems of the United States. Education, the labor market, and citizen’s resources are among the

systems that are affected by illegal immigration. A conflict that exists in our education system is

taxpayers pay for undocumented children to attend schools. This burdens the education

system by affecting class sizes and changing the allocation of resources to support children in

public schools. Resources such as books, teaching equipment, teachers, and facilities are

allocated differently to support children of illegal immigrants. Over the last four decades the

The U.S. has seen a 16% increase in illegal immigrants attending schools in areas already struggling

to educate their own students coming from disadvantaged homes and backgrounds. This puts an

extra burden on all the educational resources in those schools, especially in certain states such as

Florida, New York, Texas, and California.

Illegal immigration has an effect on the labor market as well, reducing the opportunity for

legal immigrants and American citizens to obtain jobs. Conversely, research suggests that the

U.S. labor market has become dependent on illegal immigrant workers, and if the government

was to stop the migration of illegal immigrants it could have a negative effect on the economy.

Jobs would be lost and businesses would not exist as they once did. According to the Pew

Research Center illegal immigrants are contributing to the workforce and account for 5% of all

the workers in the U.S. labor force.

States play a role in setting immigration policy at the local level and within the state, but

the federal government holds most of the power pertaining to immigration policy. The

federal government has the authority to grant citizenship, visas, and green cards. While states

have the authority to police drivers’ licenses, business licenses, state benefits, and

employment. The role the state plays affects the people that reside and do business in that state.

States also have the authority to enforce criminal violations of federal law. Ultimately, the

federal government has power over immigration laws granted by the U.S Constitution.

Tax-payers pay for the care of undocumented children. Tax money pays for education

and resources to support all children in our school system including undocumented children.

According to the department of education over 4.6 million English learners were added to the

education and over 840,000 immigrant students, most of whom come from Central America.