by Matthew J. Geiger

Created on: February 20, 2008

The issue of illegal immigration has turned into a very heated argument as illegal aliens have overwhelmed the Nation's borders and penetrated deep into the United States. From within a legal context, the debate is on securing the borders from possible threats that may enter with illegal migrant workers and forcing individuals to respect US laws; from within an economic frame, the issue is more on providing workers for low paying agricultural jobs to keep food prices down and protecting nonimmigrant unskilled and skilled labor, especially in areas like construction. Furthermore, the issue can be viewed from a foreign policy frame, which requires nations, like Mexico, to respect the US's sovereign borders while addressing Hispanics interests in negotiating for social reform in their home countries and the safety of migrants as illegal immigrants are often treated very inhumanly; overall, the aim of a diplomatic solution is to eliminate the need for "undocumented and illegal immigrants." Clearly, the issue of illegal immigration can be viewed from different angles and this leads to the need for a complicated solution that satisfies the requirements of several interests.

Some people are under the false impression that it is a good idea to secure the borders against illegal immigrants before dealing with other aspects of the issue. Quite frankly, inexpensive food helps maintain the economy and inexpensive food is possible, in part, due to the ability of illegal migrant workers to accept far lower wages than what American or legal migrant workers would be entitled to. Neglecting any major aspects of the economy, consumer spending in this case, leads to problems for the economy such as recession. Therefore, it is quite prudent to deal with the complete illegal immigration issue at once.

It is tempting to close the borders and begin importing inexpensive food directly from Hispanic nations. Clearly, there are severe problems with this solution as it harms American farmers who are already constantly being over burdened with costs, regulations, and revenue loss, whereas, Hispanic countries often cannot guarantee the same quality of product as they lack the safety regulations American farmers are held to. The phrase, "don't drink the water," really sums up the problem with this solution. Other means of invigorating the economies of Hispanic nations and the US must be found apart from the immigration debate.

As for securing the borders and placing illegal immigrants on a

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>