Question

Background

You are the President of a large industrialized country.

There are 12,000 foreigners from, mostly, poor economic countries trying to, illegally, enter your country.

A small % of these foreigners are seeking asylum but, the majority, are looking for a better life in USA.

According to ICE, and other security departments, in your government, a certain %, of these 12,000 foreigners, are actually, enemies of the your country and, others, have criminal records, in their own countries.

Facts about your country:

Once a "foreigner" gets into your country, illegally, they are entitled to certain benefits:

Illegals cannot, legally, work in the United States. However, the Pew Research Institute, found around 8 million unauthorized immigrants working, or looking for work, in your country.

As of January 2018, there are 12 states (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., in your country, which allow immigrants, without legal status, to obtain a driver’s license. Some of the states where unauthorized immigrants can drive: California, New Jersey, Illinois

Illegal immigrants are eligible for emergency assistance such as homeless accommodations, domestic violence shelters, and, some other forms of free housing.

In your country, It is possible for an, undocumented, immigrant to own a home, either by buying it outright, with cash, or by using something called an individual tax identification number (ITIN (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.) mortgage. This allows non-citizens (including undocumented immigrants) to bypass the usual requirement of having a social security number to take out a mortgage.

Illegal, immigrant children can attend public schools, for free, in your country.

While attending public schools, in your country, undocumented children can benefit from federal nutrition services like the School Breakfast Program (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and National School Lunch Program (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

In most states, in your country, illegal immigrants can attend public colleges, for free or, at the in-state tuition rate.

Since 2000 you, your country has granted about 12,000,000 immigrants legal entry. More than any other country in the world.

Discussion Question:

As President, what is you position on illegal immigration, to your country?

What are you going to do about the 12,000 immigrants, at your border?

Given the, "facts about your country," what, if any, strategic changes would you make?

Answer 1

ILLEGAL immigration is a an act of unlawful crossing of a countries border by foreign nationals with an intention of living full-time in that country. These undocumented immigrants lives in a place without permission and the authorities have no record of them. It also includes people who visited the country for tourism or educational purposes legally, but do not go back. Since they have outstayed the time they were given they are illegal immigrants even though they made the visit on a legal basis . Likewise, immigrants who have expired documents or who came in with fake documents also come under this category.

According to New York Times poll most Americans believed that US immigration policy needed either fundamental changes(41%) or to be completely rebuilt(49%). Majority of the people in the country believed that the US was not taking enough actions to prevent illegal immigrants from coming into the country. Several citizen led Anti-illegal migration organizations like Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (n.d) were thus formed with the purpose of patrolling the border and lobbying legislative bodies to reduce illegal immigration. Another controversy that is associated with this case is the presence of sanctuary cities (city that follows certain practices to protect illegal immigrants). These cities do not allow police or municipal employees to inquire about one's immigration status.

In April 2018, the attorney general of the Trump administration, announced a zero tolerance policy regarding asylum seekers crossing the US southern borders without a visa and they will be charged with criminal entry. If the asylum seekers have children they will be forcibly or deceptively separated from their parents custody and will be placed in detention centers.

Strategic changes recommended

Launching of sponsorship plans :

This enables the current law abiding U.S citizens to sponsor undocumented individuals currently living in the U.S through a formal process. This can be considered as an effective solution since it is a local, community-building approach to integrating the immigrants into society. It treats the undocumented immigrants with dignity and helps build bridges within the communities where the immigrants live or work. These measures will strengthen the communities and enhance the culture also encourages the undocumented Americans to come out of the shadows. But, this sponsorship programs can only be implemented after a systematic immigration reform like securing of borders and updating the visa process to meet the 21st century needs. The immigration laws should no longer be inconsistent otherwise this program will be ineffective and will only encourage additional illegal immigration.

The 12,000 immigrants at the border will be legally sponsored by law abiding U.S citizens who would agree to take the sponsorship. This is enforced through a formal process which includes making sure that the undocumented immigrants have proficiency in English language and keeps a clean criminal record. And those undocumented immigrants who do not satisfy these given criteria will be banished back to their respective home countries.