Issue 3: Politics

POLITICS

Are you with us?

On Immigration ReformBy Micaela Aragon

Everyone has heard the particular story of America being a nation founded by immigrants. In recent years, it has been used to push an agenda. The fact is, America was indeed created by immigrants, by those who came to a land foreign to them in hopes that they would find something better. From the Irish escaping famines to the Germans escaping political tension, the country once opened its doors to those who needed it. Despite the hypocrisy, each wave of immigration post-colonization has also brought about its own repercussions of nativism. Today, we are repeating history in nativist attitudes towards those seeking refuge; however, we are also creating our own history with the harshest regulations and penalties for immigrants. America’s current immigration system is incomprehensive, focused more on keeping foreigners out than on implementing legislature that reflects the so-called American values of freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Our immigration system is in need of a reform that will create a fair system that not only makes immigration an easier process, but prioritizes human rights regardless of nationality or status.

Despite claims and outrage over immigration’s negative effect on the economy, a vast majority of evidence from several organizations can easily debunk that. The idea that immigrants steal jobs from American citizens stems from a belief that the set number of jobs in the country is small enough that it cannot handle the pressure of more competitors. The effect of immigration on the economy in regards to jobs is actually the opposite of depressing. The CATO Institute, a nonpartisan public research organization, has found through statistics that in years when immigration has reached a peak, the unemployment rate of the overall nation has dropped 5.5% lower than on average years. The

relationship is not coincidental at all - its significance is great and only increases when the numbers are narrowed solely to economic migrants. Often working low-wage jobs in the agricultural field, migrant workers contribute heavily to the economy, providing us affordable produce while only making close to $10,000 annually. The positive impact they have on the employment sector of the economy is one reason for us to seek out more immigrants in our country, providing them a system where they can become legal residents and receive protection from underpayment and other forms of exploitation.

Despite the positive impact of immigration on the job sector of the economy, there is one aspect where they are certainly costing Americans far more than we should like. This, however, is not their faults at all. Under the current system, and more specifically under this administration, immigration detention has been the preferred method of settling disputes of legality. American nativists and its hate-fueling leadership have developed a harsh and low tolerance policy that celebrates the detention of immigrants, going as far as separating children from their parents in centers. Although this is seen as a victory by the administration and by many civilians supporting it, it does not come for free. Detention centers have been estimated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, to cost around $126.46 per bed per night. The allotted number of beds is 29,953, and that is simply for adult detention centers. In family detention centers, the nightly bed rate is $161.36 for its 960 beds. The National Immigration Forum has found that even these estimations from ICE should be considered low as they do not account for the payrolls and other operational expenses for ICE. These figures then calculate that the U.S. government was set to spend $3.076 billion on detention centers in the 2018 fiscal year. This cost naturally falls upon taxpayers’ shoulders and such a large amount is detracted from funds that could be used to improve other social issues within the country. Detention centers are not directly to be blamed on however, they are a mere reflection of our incomprehensive and thus unnecessarily expensive system. There are other alternatives to detention that have proven themselves to have a 95% success rate, while only costing a maximum of $17 a day per immigrant. Even from a pragmatic standpoint, detention centers are the opposite of beneficial to the system. By sticking to our so-called values and not looking

to alternatives outside of detention centers, the United States allows a xenophobic narrative not only tocreate social problems, but also to affect taxpayers heavily.

The progressive strides this country has been attempting to take for many years will never truly work until we have a drastic change in our immigration system. Despite the failures previously identified within it, current events are transpiring in ways that worsen the situation. The migrant caravan from Honduras that is now at the Mexican border has received response from the military, not from social workers. They have been tear-gassed rather than spoken to, and the current President has threatened the use of lethal force. Rather than looking to reform in a new and positive light, administrations are looking to set even more barriers and roadblocks, complicating our already broken system further. My first hand experience with the system has given me direct insight into the lengthy and expensive process in place. My father came to the United States before I was born and I did not know him for five years until we were able to come legally. In those five years, my mother, now raising a school aged child and an infant on her own in a third world country, applied for citizenship three separate times. She had no criminal record whatsoever and was working full time for a nonprofit in Peru. Nonetheless, she along with my brother and I, were denied entry all three times. Each application cost $450 in processing fees and took up months simply to be acknowledged. After five years and several attempts to enter the country the legal way, my mother was ready to enter the country with us through the Mexican border. As plans were being finalized for that, my father’s residence was processed and he could begin to ask for our visa applications to be expedited. In a final attempt, and now with an immediate relative being a permanent resident, we applied again. Within months, we had approval to enter the country and were set to come. It was fortunate for us that my father’s residency was approved with that timing. The majority of immigrants who enter the country undocumented lack the same family connection that turned our three time rejection into an expedited approval. This does not mention how many undocumented immigrants may lack the money to continue to apply again and again, losing close to $500 each time. Needless to say, there are also those in such a desperate state, their situations are time

sensitive and they cannot wait for several years to be considered. There is a clear problem with a systemthat allows countless individuals to spend hundreds of dollars on an application that then takes months,even years to process to no avail, but then gives unfair advantages to those with a connection.

The United States has prided itself on its constitutional values of liberty and pursuit of happiness for many years. However, the current immigration system fails to reflect either of those, and the penalties are at inhumane levels. America needs a reform that implements a comprehensive immigration system that prioritizes the advancement of people and the importance of human rights for all. A system that prioritizes those values - and reflects us as a nation - will also result in a positive economic impact, all the while ending penalties that cost us billions. Until this reform occurs, the United States cannot move forward.