Illegal Immigrants

In the current world, life has become so difficult that it is almost impossible for most people to achieve success by remaining in the same places in which they were born. Most people tend to move out in search of opportunities to secure employment and to earn a living. We cannot blame them. When you consider the demands and pressures that are placed on today’s generation, you are tempted to feel sorry for them. Young people are increasingly being forced to look for ways of survival, while older men and women have to seek avenues of making money in order to support themselves and their families.

This is what has led to millions of people across the world crossing borders in search of better lives, and when you mention the crossing of borders the United States is one of those countries whose borders are crossed by millions upon millions of people from a number of countries. A lot of people enter the US annually, and while some are legally there, majority of them are actually living in the US illegally. This brings us to the topic of this paper: illegal immigrants in the United States.

There is a common perception among people living in Third World countries that life is always better in the developed nations, i.e. the Western countries. For this reason, populations are increasingly moving to the developed nations that have sufficient opportunities for employment and wealth creation.

However, it is worth noting that the geographical space as well as social utilities cannot accommodate the millions of people wishing to move to those regions. This has culminated in illegal immigration that has adverse effects on the general wellbeing of the country. It is in this consideration that this paper reviews the aspect of illegal immigrants.

In the United States, an illegal immigrant can be defined as a person, usually a foreign national who has broken the national laws and immigration policies of the United States by remaining or entering the country without following the proper legal channels required (Mohl 245). Since 2007, the number of illegal immigrants in the United States has been reducing steadily mainly because of the US government’s crackdown on illegal immigrants which involved identifying and locating such persons and then deporting them back to their country of origin.

Statistical evidence indicates that the majority of illegal immigrants in the United States are Hispanics and other people from Latin America (Mohl 245). The main reason for this is that the US shares a border with Mexico which is also inhabited not only by Mexicans but also other illegal immigrants from Latin American countries. These people are attracted by the prospect of a better life for them and their families and believe that just by crossing the border into America they can secure a good job, get a good house and live comfortably.

With regard to composition, Flores indicates that illegal immigrants living in the US constitute of 56% Mexicans, 22% Latin American Natives, 13% Asians, 6% Canadians and Europeans and 3% Africans and other nationalities (Espenshade 196). The definition of illegal immigrants in the US is complex. The first definition refers to entry in the United States. This is the most common way of classifying illegal immigrants.

Most of them (around 7 million) arrive in the United States via illegal entry. They usually gain entry into the country via smuggling which is considered a profitable business by those who conduct it.

The second definition refers to those that overstay with their visas in the United States. Sometimes someone comes to visit a relative or to study and then when the visa expires they remain in the country. Most of these people normally lack the money to continue staying in the US but they also do not want to go back home, so they stay with the hope that they might secure a job or some good fortune might come their way. The final definition refers to the group of people that violates Border Crossing Cards. A border crossing card is a card that allows one to enter the United States for a definite period of time and when this time runs out the holder of the card is supposed to leave US territory. A number of people use this opportunity to overextend their stay and in the process are classified as illegal immigrants.

Population data indicate that since the early 1990s, the number of illegal immigrants has been more than the number of legal immigrants (Barkan 230). This is a worrying trend that has got the US government doing everything it can in order to reverse it. Since majority of illegal immigrants are Hispanics, they tend to move to areas which are heavily populated with Hispanic communities and therefore finding them is difficult.

This has changed however, with the latest statistics showing that the current illegal immigrants have taken to living anywhere within the country. It is estimated that close to 14 million people come from families in which either of the parents or the head of the household is an illegal immigrant (Barkan 231). It has been noted that the current group of illegal immigrants seems to be better educated compared to other groups which arrived earlier.

This is shown by the fact that at least 25% of illegal immigrants who have arrived in the United States in the not so distant past have at least a college education.

Despite this, illegal immigrants generally tend to be less educated when compared to the rest of the US population. 49% of them have not completed high school education, which is in stark contrast to only 25% of legal immigrants and a mere 9% of Native Americans. Illegal imm.............