Illegal Immigrants
 The
United States is a land of opportunities and a nation of
immigrants. Many
immigrants with hopes and dreams give up everything they have in their homeland
for a fresh start. Sometimes they come alone and other times with families or
friends. The journey to the United States can be expensive and sometimes deadly.
Getting into the U.S. may mean having to walk days through the
Arizona desert or
taking a dangerous trip on a crowded boat that is not seaworthy. Reaching the
U.S. can be done alone but many use the services of a human smuggler. The
smugglers usually make a living out of guiding illegal immigrants into the
United States. If the immigrant is able to pay more then usually their journey
is a safer one. For example, a human smuggler may be working together with a
corrupt U.S. Border Patrol agent. The agent may facilitate entry into the U.S.
by waiving the car the immigrant is traveling in when going through the
U.S.-Mexico border checkpoint. By paying extra they may be able to get through
the border checkpoint effortlessly. However, numerous checkpoints set up along
American highways remain along the way. Many illegal immigrants will not be
successful in their first attempt to get into the U.S. but they do not become
discouraged easily. They are determined to get into the U.S. somehow. Others
become frustrated and head back home. There are some that die in their attempt
to reach the U.S. but many are willing to take this risk. New technology and
increased border patrol agents have made it more difficult to cross the border.
American waters are better patrolled as well.
Once in the U.S. the illegal immigrant has begun a new life usually different
from what they expected. Living in the United States usually brings higher wages
than what accustomed back at home. However, with that usually comes a higher cost
of living. Multiple families may live under the same roof or sometimes they may
live with family already in the United States. Finding a job may become
difficult as some employers may refuse to hire them due to their
illegal status.
Many illegal immigrants also face language barriers. For the most part if an
illegal immigrant keeps looking for a job they will find one. The job may pay
minimum wage or slightly better but even this is more than what they made back
in their homeland. Some may even opt to work two jobs especially if they are the
only breadwinner in their family. They usually try to save part of their
earnings and send some back home to help out their families. Some come with the
intention of staying in the United States permanently while others are here
temporarily. Their children may be born here and thus are
American citizens. For
many U.S. born-children, the U.S. is what they consider home because it is all
they have ever known. It is estimated that three million children who are
born
in the U.S. have at least one parent who is in the country illegally. When
looking at American families as a whole, it is estimated that one in ten has at
least one member who is illegally in the country. These families have mixed
immigration status and face more obstacles.
Going to work may be intimidating for many illegal immigrants because of
immigration raids across the nation. The U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement or ICE has been more aggressive in going after illegal immigrants
residing in the country. There are slightly more than 70 fugitive operation
teams across the U.S. whose main purpose is to track down illegal immigrants.
Sometimes they show up at homes to search for individuals who have ignored
deportation orders or have committed crimes. They also conduct raids at
workplaces suspected of employing illegal immigrants. The priority of the ICE
fugitive operation teams is to go after criminals and fugitives, but they often
encounter other illegal immigrants in the process. In these situations the ICE
agents enforce immigration law. As a result many immigrants who may not have
been the original target end up being detained because they fall under the
classification of immigration violators. Some argue that ICE goes too far and
that agents sometimes disguise themselves to catch more
illegal immigrants. They
argue that their tactics lead to racial profiling and that many families are
being separated by the deportations being made. ICE defends its actions by
saying that they are only enforcing the law and going after individuals who are
not law-abiding. To get to those individuals they turn to leads and intelligence
and must follow certain guidelines like not entering a household without
consent. Also, they point out that individuals have the right to due process and
may fight their deportation in immigration court. Only a small minority will
succeed in court and their life will not be the only one that will be altered.
However, for the many that get deported once in the U.S. there are many more
that do not which offers hope.
Related Articles:
|
IMMIGRATION CART | 
MY ACCOUNT
Back to Immigration Articles