Immigration Reform

"Arizona has passed the strictest immigration bill in American history. A hundred people have been stopped already — and that was just in one van." –Jay Leno

Immigration Reform in America: RNC vs. DNC

            The issue of illegal immigration in America is one that has been growing quickly over the last decade. Even though the total number of illegal immigrants has gone down since the year 2000, the effects of illegal immigration today is much stronger today than it was then. With problems such as unemployment, drug cartels, and heightened security present in the mind of voters, the two main political parties must put a lot of focus on immigration. The Democrats and Republicans do hold some similar stances to how the issue should be dealt with, but when it comes down to the discrete details the two are different enough that it makes a difference of which is in power and who is making the legislation.

            The RNC believes that the best approach to securing our borders and handling illegal immigration comes in two parts. The first step of part one is clearing America of all of the illegal immigrants that are clogging up our economy. Republicans believe that if an illegal immigrant is caught and is found to be in the country illegally, then they need to be sent out of the country as fast as possible. They believe in reforming the court system and other legal matters so that an illegal does not have to sit in front of a judge, but instead they can be deported immediately. There would be no exception for any illegal immigrants to stay in the country, but once they have been deported, they can then try to follow the legal path to citizenship. The next step is creating policy that gives harsh penalties to any employer who hires an illegal. Republicans believe that by hiring an illegal immigrant they are exploiting Americans who need work. Therefore, all employers should have to verify their employees through the E-Verify system that runs checks on employees to make sure they are ok to work in America. If any employer breaks this policy then consequences install themselves by law.  The second step to stopping illegal immigration is to make the process to become legal much more effective. Today’s method entails confusion, long waiting periods, and hassles that most people are not willing to go through. If the process to become legal is more available and logical, then the percentage of illegal immigrants will most likely drop.

            Democrats have similar beliefs to the Republicans. They agree that the border needs to be secured more effectively, and they believe that we need to be able to find those who are in America illegally right now. In addition, they agree that we need to do all we can to prevent employers from taking the financially enticing path and hiring illegals. However, the difference in platforms lies in how to handle the enforcement of illegal immigration. Democrats, unlike Republicans, believe that once we catch a person illegally in America that they should not just be deported immediately and let that be the end of it. They believe that that person should pay their dues to the law and then be put on the path to legal citizenship. This solution is like amnesty that helps illegal immigrants fix their ways, and then get on the right path. Democrats also believe that the problem at the border exists both ways, and that we need to have stronger restrictions at borders not just coming into America, but leaving our country as well.

            The two parties’ views are similar, but the Republicans seem to be more direct and willing to dispose of illegal immigrants, as opposed to Democrats who want to help everybody get on path to find the promise of American prosperity. They both believe that we need to improve security at our borders; employers need to be monitored better to make sure their workers are legal, and that illegal immigration presents more problems than just unemployment. They both support that English is our national language and that it is necessary for any legal immigrant to know English because of how much it is used in society. The platform of each party is one of the deciding factors for many parties, either pushing the edge of law like Republicans do, or aiding the illegal immigrants who present our country with such a huge problem.

 

Bibliography:

   

"What We Stand For: Immigration Reform | Democrats.org." Democrats.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2010. http://www.democrats.org/issues/immigration_reform.

 

" Republican Party on Immigration." OnTheIssues.org - Candidates on the Issues . N.p., 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2010. http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/Republican_Party_Immigration.htm.

 

"Immigration, National Security, and the Rule of Law." RNC: Republican National Committee | RNC: Republican National Committee | GOP. Republican National Committee. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. http://www.gop.com/2008Platform/NationalSecurity.htm#Def5.