GRSJ224/Illegal Immigration

Undocumented Immigration

In this file photo taken on March 26, 2018 a Border Patrol agent apprehends illegal immigrants shortly after they crossed the border from Mexico into the United States in the Rio Grande Valley Sector near McAllen, Texas.

Immigration stems from the international movement of foreigners to a desired country that they were not born into. There are four categories of immigration: citizenship, permanent residents, non-immigrants, and undocumented migrants. Citizenship will only be granted to people who are either born into the country, or are permanent residents of a country for three or five years. Citizens of a country are unable to be deported unless the citizenship was obtained through fraud. In addition, permanent residents are granted authorization to work or live in a specified country with the intention of staying permanently. There are also temporarily based migrants who are in the country legally but only with the intention to stay temporarily. These include student visas, business visitors/tourists, fiancées, and individuals who are granted temporary status . However, there are still a large percentage of undocumented immigrants who came to countries on legal visas but are still considered illegal immigrants. Settling in another country can also come in forms such as asylum and refugee status. Refugees are people who are displaced from their home country and have fled their country in fear of persecution or have experienced trauma . Refugees are also very common in irregular border crossings where they may be granted temporary residence permit.

Introduction

Terminology and Implications on Society

A sign stating that all humans are not illegal

Illegal Immigration is derived from the migration of a population to another country illegally. Illegal immigrants are foreign people who are living or working in a country without acquiring the official documents or permission to live there. Often referred to as illegal aliens, irregular border crossings are prominent in areas where borders are easily accessible by land such as the United-States and Mexico border. Illegal residence are faced with the consequence of being detained and deported back to their home country. Using the term Illegal immigration has also been shunned upon in recent years as campaigns frequently discouraged the use of illegal. In replacement, 'undocumented' and 'irregular' immigrants are heavily encouraged as a substitute. Stated by the United Nations Human Rights Council, it is legally incorrect to use the word illegal because "being undocumented does not constitute a crime in most countries." Even in countries where violations of immigration constitutes as a crime, committing a criminal offense does not make someone 'illegal'. In addition, the term illegal carries a negative connotation that is dehumanising and innates their dignity and basic human rights. These are two alternatives which can be used in contrast to calling immigrants 'illegal' or 'alien', but should still be used with caution as it carries discriminatory and oppressive implications. The United Nations and the rest of the world are attempting to revise the terminology to provide a more inclusive term. The proper terminology when addressing these migrants are now a slow battle for human dignity and respect. Language is constantly evolving and prejudiced terms for women, minorities, and LGBTI people are from the past.

Reasons for Immigration

With over 10.5 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S, forms of immigration whether legal or illegal are driven by similar factors. There are four main categories that cause people to migrate: "environmental, economic, cultural, and socio-political factors." These desires and needs includes: "resources, security, and perceived opportunities." The push and pull factors of specific environments cause groups to move to other communities. Push factors can be linked to environmental disasters that made their existing homes unsafe to stay in, the loss of a source of income such as a job, a less than ideal climate and even cultural/political intolerance in their current society. The most common of which are political instability within their current country such as ongoing unrest in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Chile. In combination with pull factors of a destination country, migrating may the most viable option to many around the world. Desirable opportunities such as jobs and a promise of a better life are often main attractions pulling people to a new location. However, there are many misconceptions about a specific place that influence the minds of people residing in the developing countries. For example, many believe that the United-States is a gateway to heaven and that their lives will be instantly turned around. Despite these misinterpretations, these ideas are strong pull factors to many individuals. In general, people are more likely to migrate to places that have better cultural, economic, and political stability than their current countries.

Methods

Temporary Visas

Currently, nearly half (45%) of the undocumented immigrants living in the United States entered the country through a port of entry whether that is a border crossing or crossing point, legally. Most of these irregular migrants entered the country using legal visas that allowed them to temporarily visit the country. However, most of these migrants commonly known as 'overstayers' reside in the country longer than initially stated to the government officials and are part of an unauthorized population living in the United States. The remaining estimated 55% of these immigrants entered the country illegally through many different modes of transportation.

Illegal Transportation

Migrants on a boat after being rescued by the Tunisian navy off the coast near Ben Guerdane

Immigrants without the granted temporary visas will have to enter the country illegally through different transportation means such as boats, cars, trucks, and by air. The most common of which is human smuggling through vehicles such as cargo trucks, shipping containers and boxcars. In many occasions, these methods are dangerous and unsanitary because of the conditions the migrants are subject to. Usually smuggled with many others, they are confined to tight and dark spaces causing them to suffocate. If the migrants are migrating across bodies of water, they are on-board unseaworthy vessels lacking the correct instruments to navigate the ocean. The repercussions of illegal human smuggling are often misinformed to the migrants, but some are still willing to endure the atrocities in hopes of searching for a better life.

Green Card Marriage

Marrying a Canadian citizen in Canada does not give you instant citizenship, however in the United States, marrying a U.S citizen can make a person eligible for a U.S green card, which can lead to U.S citizenship. The United States citizen spouse must start the process for you to obtain this green card, after living in the United States for a total of 3 years with a green card, one can apply for citizenship. However, many people take advantage of such method in order to gain immigration privileges, these are called sham marriages. Sham marriages are used for the sole purpose of gaining citizenship into another country. Alleged fake marriages are considered immigration fraud and can result to deportation. There are also strict laws to prevent this from happening including a $250,000 fine and up to five years in prison in the U.S as it is considered a federal crime. Canada on the other hand completely abolished any citizenship priorities for spouses of Canadian citizens.

Problems of Illegal Immigration

Essex lorry carrying 39 deceased bodies from human trafficking

Migrating to another country by evading customs and immigration has caused many problems outside of the potential of being deported. People who are illegally immigrating to another country are often promised high paying jobs by their smugglers. A recent tragedy that occurred in Southeast England in the county of Essex revealed that 31 Vietnamese nationals died in a lorry truck in attempts to enter UK. Many Vietnamese trafficked to the UK end up working in illegal cannabis farms or in nail salons and are heavily indebted to their smugglers. This calamity exposed the dangers of illegal migration as traffickers have little to no concern for the well-being of these migrants. Exploitation of undocumented workers as labour workers, prostitution and slavery are very common because of the status the as undocumented immigrants. They have barriers to escaping from their captives as they are restrained from seeking access to basic services because of their lack of record. The risks that are associated with crossing the border illegally often lead to deaths. Since 2014, "more than 4000 fatalities have been recorded annually on migratory routes worldwide" and a high number goes unrecorded. The largest number of deaths than happen around the world is in the Mediterranean sea with over 18,900 deaths since 2014.

Effects of Illegal Immigrants in Society

The effects of undocumented migrant workers on the economy can be monumental as there were over 7.5 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S workforce. Since societies around the world comprise of such a large amount of undocumented immigrants, social cohesion is one of the key priorities for these migrants to coincide with society. These workers are family to many and are the ones "taking jobs nobody else want, here only to earn their way to a better, safer lives for themselves." Despite this, there is still a percentage of the approximate 11 million that have been convicted of a crime and around 3% (300,000) have committed felonies. There can be serious implications for the people that do commit crimes as an undocumented Honduran man was caught in 2017 "for allegedly hacking two men to death with a machete [in Honduras]." In a society where education is the top priority, sourcing low skilled workers become scarce. They are an integral part of the economy in any country - "they build homes, prepare food, clean offices, harvest crops, and take unfilled factory jobs". On the other hand, there is a large abundance abroad from Mexico and Central America. Due to the general low schooling of these Mexican nationals, very few qualify for employment green cards or work visas. Therefore, many around the globe resort to entering the countries illegally in search of better jobs. These immigrants have also established themselves in communities across the world helping form diverse cultures.