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32+ Argumentative Essays Topics on Immigration with Prompts [+ Essay Outline]

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  • August 1, 2022
  • Essay Topics and Ideas , Nursing

There are a lot of immigration issues that people are passionate about. If you care about the immigration and want to make a difference, then you should consider writing an argumentative essay on one of these topics. Here are some ideas on Argumentative Essays Topics on Immigration to get you started:

What You'll Learn

Interesting Topics On Migration

  • Different Perspectives on Immigration Reform Essay Prompt: Over the past few years, people have moved to the United States for various reasons. Some have moved to the United States to reunite with their families, work, or look for safety.
  • Arguments on Why Immigration Should be Stopped Essay Prompt: Immigration can be defined as the movement of an individual from one’s country of origin to set up new and permanent residence in another country. Immigration has been a pertinent issue in most countries, especially the United States.
  • Effects of Immigration Essay Prompt: Immigration is moving from one place to another in order to live and work in that place. The history of immigration dates back to thousands of years ago when the first Africans arrived in Egypt.
  • How does racism impact the way we view Immigration? Essay Prompt: In recent years, views of immigration in the United States have shifted with many Americans perceiving immigrants as a source of national prosperity, rather than an eminent burden. (Interesting Topics on Migration)
  • Immigration, Essay Prompt: Consider any issues such as how to deal with illegal immigrants, how to encourage new, productive immigrants, cost of illegal immigrants.

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Argumentative Essay Ideas On Immigration with Prompts

  • What Role Should The State Of Texas Play In The Immigration Policy
  • No One Is Safe.’ How Trump’s Immigration Policy Is Splitting Families Apart Essay Prompt: In the past, people who immigrated to the US illegally and had criminal records were some of the most targeted, but now the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can pick up family members and separate them from their families.
  • The economic impact of Immigration on the US economy Essay Prompt: Immigration has a significant impact on the United States economy. Immigration has enhanced economic development and has small to no effects on employment and wages for native-born workers.
  • Describe Immigration Laws And Potential Illegal Immigrants
  • Essay Prompt: You explore your position on the topic of immigration laws. Select an immigration law for this Discussion and consider whether or not that law is justifiable.
  • The bad impact of Immigration on the U.S. economy. Essay Essay Prompt: Immigration is a hotly debated topic in the United States, especially in political circles. Over the years, millions of people have immigrated to the United States from all parts of the world and it has become a melting pot of cultures. (Interesting Topics on Migration)
  • Impact of Immigration on American Cities Essay Prompt: The issue of immigration is a sensitive national topic in the United States. The topic’s sensitivity is fueled by several misconceptions about immigration and its impact on the United States. (Argumentative Essay Ideas On Immigration)
  • Research Assignment on Enforcement of Immigration Laws Essay Prompt: Explain at least one challenge related to enforcing the laws at the state level. Provide an insight you had about the effectiveness of enforcement of laws. A Research Project On Migration.

Further read on Creative Synthesis Essay Topics & Ideas in 2022

If you care about immigration and want to make a difference, then you should consider writing an argumentative essay on one of these topics . Here are some ideas on Argumentative Essays Topics on Immigration to get you started:

Immigration Research Paper Topics

  • Immigration is Good to America: Immigration Makes Americans Less Isolated Globally Essay Prompt: Incorporate analysis of the reading and somebody’s personal experience to make a clear and precise argumentative essay on immigration.
  • Republican Party Restrictions on Immigration Law Essay Essay Prompt: The US president Donald Trump is from the Republican Party with the decision made following the policies of the party. Republican Party has a strong stand on restrictions on immigrants which have caused unrest to blacks and minority groups in the US.
  • Discuss one specific issue position from either the Democratic or Republican parties’ platforms, indicating whether you agree or disagree.
  • Why The United States Should Adopt An Open Immigration Policy Essay Prompt: Two Viewpoints explaining why Immigration Must Be Restricted to Protect American Americans Against Terrorists and why the United States Should Adopt an Open Immigration Policy.
  • Liberal Critique And Reform Of Immigration Policy Essay Prompt: Immigration reforms have remained fundamental similar to civil rights and desegregation throughout the history of the united states (US). In the past centuries, immigration reforms have been greatly influenced by the civil rights movement. As noted, the civil rights movement was about winning full and…
  • Immigration, Pluralism, and Amalgamation Essay Prompt: The world has significantly transformed into a global village mainly due to technological advancement that has made almost every part of the world accessible. Consequently, migration has become a common aspect of modern life. These changes have prompted different countries to establish immigration policies…
  • Essay Prompt: In the current interconnected world, global migration has turned out to be a reality that affects approximately all countries across the world. With advanced modern means of transport, people find it easier, cheaper and more convenient to move from one nation to another searching for employment.
  • How to Strengthen America’s National Security
  • Essay Prompt: Enhancing border control and enforcement of immigration laws are the two primary ideas that can effectively manage the problem of illegal immigration in the US. (Interesting Topics on Migration)
  • Immigration Policy Impact on Economic, Security & Humanitarian Policy Essay Prompt: The current immigration policy has a far-reaching impact on humanitarian, security, and economic aspects. For instance, Migrant Protection Protocols by former President Trump prevents the imprisonment of asylum seekers, especially women and children, until the hearing of their case.
  • Should American Citizenship be a Birthright? Research Paper Essay Prompt: The belief that everybody born in American soil becomes subject to the jurisdiction, hence citizens of the United States was included in the Constitution in 1868, in the 14th amendment.

These are just a few examples of Argumentative Essays Topics on Immigration. If you can find a topic that is relevant to your audience and that you are passionate about, you will be well on your way to writing a great argumentative essay.

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Eight brilliant student essays on immigration and unjust assumptions.

Read winning essays from our winter 2019 “Border (In)Security” student writing contest.

map-usa .jpeg

For the winter 2019 student writing competition, “Border (In)Security,” we invited students to read the YES! Magazine article “Two-Thirds of Americans Live in the “Constitution-Free Zone” by Lornet Turnbull and respond with an up-to-700-word essay. 

Students had a choice between two writing prompts for this contest on immigration policies at the border and in the “Constitution-free zone,” a 100-mile perimeter from land and sea borders where U.S. Border Patrol can search any vehicle, bus, or vessel without a warrant. They could state their positions on the impact of immigration policies on our country’s security and how we determine who is welcome to live here. Or they could write about a time when someone made an unfair assumption about them, just as Border Patrol agents have made warrantless searches of Greyhound passengers based simply on race and clothing.

The Winners

From the hundreds of essays written, these eight were chosen as winners. Be sure to read the author’s response to the essay winners and the literary gems that caught our eye.

Middle School Winner: Alessandra Serafini

High School Winner: Cain Trevino

High School Winner: Ethan Peter

University Winner: Daniel Fries

Powerful Voice Winner: Emma Hernandez-Sanchez

Powerful Voice Winner: Tiara Lewis

Powerful Voice Winner: Hailee Park

Powerful Voice Winner: Aminata Toure

From the Author Lornet Turnbull

Literary Gems

Middle school winner.

Alessandra Serafini

Brier Terrace Middle School, Brier, Wash.

immigration laws argumentative essay

Broken Promises

“…Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

These words were written by Emma Lazarus and are inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty. And yet, the very door they talk about is no longer available to those who need it the most. The door has been shut, chained, and guarded. It no longer shines like gold. Those seeking asylum are being turned away. Families are being split up; children are being stranded. The promise America made to those in need is broken.

Not only is the promise to asylum seekers broken, but the promises made to some 200 million people already residing within the U.S. are broken, too. Anyone within 100 miles of the United States border lives in the “Constitution-free zone” and can be searched with “reasonable suspicion,” a suspicion that is determined by Border Patrol officers. The zone encompasses major cities, such as Seattle and New York City, and it even covers entire states, such as Florida, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. I live in the Seattle area, and it is unsettling that I can be searched and interrogated without the usual warrant. In these areas, there has been an abuse of power; people have been unlawfully searched and interrogated because of assumed race or religion.

The ACLU obtained data from the Customs and Border Protection Agency that demonstrate this reprehensible profiling. The data found that “82 percent of foreign citizens stopped by agents in that state are Latino, and almost 1 in 3 of those processed are, in fact, U.S. citizens.” These warrantless searches impede the trust-building process and communication between the local population and law enforcement officers. Unfortunately, this lack of trust makes campaigns, such as Homeland Security’s “If You See Something, Say Something,” ineffective due to the actions of the department’s own members and officers. Worst of all, profiling ostracizes entire communities and makes them feel unsafe in their own country.

Ironically, asylum seekers come to America in search of safety. However, the thin veil of safety has been drawn back, and, behind it, our tarnished colors are visible. We need to welcome people in their darkest hours rather than destroy their last bit of hope by slamming the door in their faces. The immigration process is currently in shambles, and an effective process is essential for both those already in the country and those outside of it. Many asylum seekers are running from war, poverty, hunger, and death. Their countries’ instability has hijacked every aspect of their lives, made them vagabonds, and the possibility of death, a cruel and unforgiving death, is real. They see no future for their children, and they are desperate for the perceived promise of America—a promise of opportunity, freedom, and a safe future. An effective process would determine who actually needs help and then grant them passage into America. Why should everyone be turned away? My grandmother immigrated to America from Scotland in 1955. I exist because she had a chance that others are now being denied.

Emma Lazarus named Lady Liberty the “Mother of Exiles.” Why are we denying her the happiness of children? Because we cannot decide which ones? America has an inexplicable area where our constitution has been spurned and forgotten. Additionally, there is a rancorous movement to close our southern border because of a deep-rooted fear of immigrants and what they represent. For too many Americans, they represent the end of established power and white supremacy, which is their worst nightmare. In fact, immigrants do represent change—healthy change—with new ideas and new energy that will help make this country stronger. Governmental agreement on a humane security plan is critical to ensure that America reaches its full potential. We can help. We can help people in unimaginably terrifying situations, and that should be our America.

Alessandra Serafini plays on a national soccer team for Seattle United and is learning American Sign Language outside of school. Her goal is to spread awareness about issues such as climate change, poverty, and large-scale political conflict through writing and public speaking.

  High School Winner

Cain Trevino

North Side High School, Fort Worth, Texas

immigration laws argumentative essay

Xenophobia and the Constitution-Free Zone

In August of 2017, U.S. Border Patrol agents boarded a Greyhound bus that had just arrived at the White River Junction station from Boston. According to Danielle Bonadona, a Lebanon resident and a bus passenger, “They wouldn’t let us get off. They boarded the bus and told us they needed to see our IDs or papers.” Bonadona, a 29-year-old American citizen, said that the agents spent around 20 minutes on the bus and “only checked the IDs of people who had accents or were not white.” Bonadona said she was aware of the 100-mile rule, but the experience of being stopped and searched felt “pretty unconstitutional.”

In the YES! article “Two-Thirds of Americans Live in the ‘Constitution-Free Zone’” by Lornet Turnbull, the author references the ACLU’s argument that “the 100-mile zone violates Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure.” However, the Supreme Court upholds the use of immigration checkpoints for inquiries on citizenship status. In my view, the ACLU makes a reasonable argument. The laws of the 100-mile zone are blurred, and, too often, officials give arbitrary reasons to conduct a search. Xenophobia and fear of immigrants burgeons in cities within these areas. People of color and those with accents or who are non-English speakers are profiled by law enforcement agencies that enforce anti-immigrant policies. The “Constitution-free zone” is portrayed as an effective barrier to secure our borders. However, this anti-immigrant zone does not make our country any safer. In fact, it does the opposite.

As a former student from the Houston area, I can tell you that the Constitution-free zone makes immigrants and citizens alike feel on edge. The Department of Homeland Security’s white SUVs patrol our streets. Even students feel the weight of anti-immigrant laws. Dennis Rivera Sarmiento, an undocumented student who attended Austin High School in Houston, was held by school police in February 2018 for a minor altercation and was handed over to county police. He was later picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and held in a detention center. It is unfair that kids like Dennis face much harsher consequences for minor incidents than other students with citizenship.

These instances are a direct result of anti-immigrant laws. For example, the 287(g) program gives local and state police the authority to share individuals’ information with ICE after an arrest. This means that immigrants can be deported for committing misdemeanors as minor as running a red light. Other laws like Senate Bill 4, passed by the Texas Legislature, allow police to ask people about their immigration status after they are detained. These policies make immigrants and people of color feel like they’re always under surveillance and that, at any moment, they may be pulled over to be questioned and detained.

During Hurricane Harvey, the immigrant community was hesitant to go to the shelters because images of immigration authorities patrolling the area began to surface online. It made them feel like their own city was against them at a time when they needed them most. Constitution-free zones create communities of fear. For many immigrants, the danger of being questioned about immigration status prevents them from reporting crimes, even when they are the victim. Unreported crime only places more groups of people at risk and, overall, makes communities less safe.

In order to create a humane immigration process, citizens and non-citizens must hold policymakers accountable and get rid of discriminatory laws like 287(g) and Senate Bill 4. Abolishing the Constitution-free zone will also require pressure from the public and many organizations. For a more streamlined legal process, the League of United Latin American Citizens suggests background checks and a small application fee for incoming immigrants, as well as permanent resident status for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients. Other organizations propose expanding the green card lottery and asylum for immigrants escaping the dangers of their home countries.

Immigrants who come to the U.S. are only looking for an opportunity to provide for their families and themselves; so, the question of deciding who gets inside the border and who doesn’t is the same as trying to prove some people are worth more than others. The narratives created by anti-immigrant media plant the false idea that immigrants bring nothing but crime and terrorism. Increased funding for the border and enforcing laws like 287(g) empower anti-immigrant groups to vilify immigrants and promote a witch hunt that targets innocent people. This hatred and xenophobia allow law enforcement to ask any person of color or non-native English speaker about their citizenship or to detain a teenager for a minor incident. Getting rid of the 100-mile zone means standing up for justice and freedom because nobody, regardless of citizenship, should have to live under laws created from fear and hatred.

Cain Trevino is a sophomore. Cain is proud of his Mexican and Salvadorian descent and is an advocate for the implementation of Ethnic Studies in Texas. He enjoys basketball, playing the violin, and studying c omputer science. Cain plans to pursue a career in engineering at Stanford University and later earn a PhD.  

High School Winner

Ethan Peter

Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Mo.

immigration laws argumentative essay

I’m an expert on bussing. For the past couple of months, I’ve been a busser at a pizza restaurant near my house. It may not be the most glamorous job, but it pays all right, and, I’ll admit, I’m in it for the money.

I arrive at 5 p.m. and inspect the restaurant to ensure it is in pristine condition for the 6 p.m. wave of guests. As customers come and go, I pick up their dirty dishes, wash off their tables, and reset them for the next guests. For the first hour of my shift, the work is fairly straightforward.

I met another expert on bussing while crossing the border in a church van two years ago. Our van arrived at the border checkpoint, and an agent stopped us. She read our passports, let us through, and moved on to her next vehicle. The Border Patrol agent’s job seemed fairly straightforward.

At the restaurant, 6 p.m. means a rush of customers. It’s the end of the workday, and these folks are hungry for our pizzas and salads. My job is no longer straightforward.

Throughout the frenzy, the TVs in the restaurant buzz about waves of people coming to the U.S. border. The peaceful ebb and flow enjoyed by Border agents is disrupted by intense surges of immigrants who seek to enter the U.S. Outside forces push immigrants to the United States: wars break out in the Middle East, gangs terrorize parts of Central and South America, and economic downturns force foreigners to look to the U.S., drawn by the promise of opportunity. Refugees and migrant caravans arrive, and suddenly, a Border Patrol agent’s job is no longer straightforward.

I turn from the TVs in anticipation of a crisis exploding inside the restaurant: crowds that arrive together will leave together. I’ve learned that when a table looks finished with their dishes, I need to proactively ask to take those dishes, otherwise, I will fall behind, and the tables won’t be ready for the next customers. The challenge is judging who is finished eating. I’m forced to read clues and use my discretion.

Interpreting clues is part of a Border Patrol agent’s job, too. Lornet Turnbull states, “For example, CBP data obtained by ACLU in Michigan shows that 82 percent of foreign citizens stopped by agents in that state are Latino, and almost 1 in 3 of those processed is, in fact, a U.S. citizen.” While I try to spot customers done with their meals so I can clear their part of the table, the Border Patrol officer uses clues to detect undocumented immigrants. We both sometimes guess incorrectly, but our intentions are to do our jobs to the best of our abilities.

These situations are uncomfortable. I certainly do not enjoy interrupting a conversation to get someone’s dishes, and I doubt Border Patrol agents enjoy interrogating someone about their immigration status. In both situations, the people we mistakenly ask lose time and are subjected to awkward and uncomfortable situations. However, here’s where the busser and the Border Patrol officer’s situations are different: If I make a mistake, the customer faces a minor inconvenience. The stakes for a Border Patrol agent are much higher. Mistakenly asking for documentation and searching someone can lead to embarrassment or fear—it can even be life-changing. Thus, Border Patrol agents must be fairly certain that someone’s immigration status is questionable before they begin their interrogation.

To avoid these situations altogether, the U.S. must make the path to citizenship for immigrants easier. This is particularly true for immigrants fleeing violence. Many people object to this by saying these immigrants will bring violence with them, but data does not support this view. In 1939, a ship of Jewish refugees from Germany was turned away from the U.S.—a decision viewed negatively through the lens of history. Today, many people advocate restricting immigration for refugees from violent countries; they refuse to learn the lessons from 1939. The sad thing is that many of these immigrants are seen as just as violent as the people they are fleeing. We should not confuse the oppressed with the oppressor.

My restaurant appreciates customers because they bring us money, just as we should appreciate immigrants because they bring us unique perspectives. Equally important, immigrants provide this country with a variety of expert ideas and cultures, which builds better human connections and strengthens our society.

Ethan Peter is a junior. Ethan writes for his school newspaper, The Kirkwood Call, and plays volleyball for his high school and a club team. He hopes to continue to grow as a writer in the future. 

University Winner

Daniel Fries

Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

immigration laws argumentative essay

Detained on the Road to Equality

The United States is a nation of immigrants. There are currently 43 million foreign-born people living in the U.S. Millions of them are naturalized American citizens, and 23 million, or 7.2 percent of the population, are living here without documentation (US Census, 2016). One in seven residents of the United States was not born here. Multiculturalism is, and always has been, a key part of the American experience. However, romantic notions of finding a better life in the United States for immigrants and refugees don’t reflect reality. In modern history, America is a country that systematically treats immigrants—documented or not—and non-white Americans in a way that is fundamentally different than what is considered right by the majority.

The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment states,“No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” When a suspected undocumented immigrant is detained, their basic human rights are violated. Warrantless raids on Greyhound buses within 100 miles of the border (an area referred to by some as the “Constitution-free zone”) are clear violations of human rights. These violations are not due to the current state of politics; they are the symptom of blatant racism in the United States and a system that denigrates and abuses people least able to defend themselves.

It is not surprising that some of the mechanisms that drive modern American racism are political in nature. Human beings are predisposed to dislike and distrust individuals that do not conform to the norms of their social group (Mountz, Allison). Some politicians appeal to this suspicion and wrongly attribute high crime rates to non-white immigrants. The truth is that immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans. In fact, people born in the United States are convicted of crimes at a rate twice that of undocumented non-natives (Cato Institute, 2018).

The majority of immigrants take high risks to seek a better life, giving them incentive to obey the laws of their new country. In many states, any contact with law enforcement may ultimately result in deportation and separation from family. While immigrants commit far fewer crimes, fear of violent crime by much of the U.S. population outweighs the truth. For some politicians, it is easier to sell a border wall to a scared population than it is to explain the need for reformed immigration policy. It’s easier to say that immigrants are taking people’s jobs than explain a changing global economy and its effect on employment. The only crime committed in this instance is discrimination.

Human rights are violated when an undocumented immigrant—or someone perceived as an undocumented immigrant—who has not committed a crime is detained on a Greyhound bus. When a United States citizen is detained on the same bus, constitutional rights are being violated. The fact that this happens every day and that we debate its morality makes it abundantly clear that racism is deeply ingrained in this country. Many Americans who have never experienced this type of oppression lack the capacity to understand its lasting effect. Most Americans don’t know what it’s like to be late to work because they were wrongfully detained, were pulled over by the police for the third time that month for no legal reason, or had to coordinate legal representation for their U.S. citizen grandmother because she was taken off a bus for being a suspected undocumented immigrant. This oppression is cruel and unnecessary.

America doesn’t need a wall to keep out undocumented immigrants; it needs to seriously address how to deal with immigration. It is possible to reform the current system in such a way that anyone can become a member of American society, instead of existing outside of it. If a person wants to live in the United States and agrees to follow its laws and pay its taxes, a path to citizenship should be available.

People come to the U.S. from all over the world for many reasons. Some have no other choice. There are ongoing humanitarian crises in Syria, Yemen, and South America that are responsible for the influx of immigrants and asylum seekers at our borders. If the United States wants to address the current situation, it must acknowledge the global factors affecting the immigrants at the center of this debate and make fact-informed decisions. There is a way to maintain the security of America while treating migrants and refugees compassionately, to let those who wish to contribute to our society do so, and to offer a hand up instead of building a wall.

Daniel Fries studies computer science. Daniel has served as a wildland firefighter in Oregon, California, and Alaska. He is passionate about science, nature, and the ways that technology contributes to making the world a better, more empathetic, and safer place.

Powerful Voice Winner

Emma Hernandez-Sanchez

Wellness, Business and Sports School, Woodburn, Ore.

immigration laws argumentative essay

An Emotion an Immigrant Knows Too Well

Before Donald Trump’s campaign, I was oblivious to my race and the idea of racism. As far as I knew, I was the same as everyone else. I didn’t stop to think about our different-colored skins. I lived in a house with a family and attended school five days a week just like everyone else. So, what made me different?

Seventh grade was a very stressful year—the year that race and racism made an appearance in my life. It was as if a cold splash of water woke me up and finally opened my eyes to what the world was saying. It was this year that Donald Trump started initiating change about who got the right to live in this country and who didn’t. There was a lot of talk about deportation, specifically for Mexicans, and it sparked commotion and fear in me.

I remember being afraid and nervous to go out. At home, the anxiety was there but always at the far back of my mind because I felt safe inside. My fear began as a small whisper, but every time I stepped out of my house, it got louder. I would have dreams about the deportation police coming to my school; when I went to places like the library, the park, the store, or the mall, I would pay attention to everyone and to my surroundings. In my head, I would always ask myself, “Did they give us nasty looks?,” “Why does it seem quieter?” “Was that a cop I just saw?” I would notice little things, like how there were only a few Mexicans out or how empty a store was. When my mom went grocery shopping, I would pray that she would be safe. I was born in America, and both my parents were legally documented. My mom was basically raised here. Still, I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

I knew I shouldn’t have been afraid, but with one look, agents could have automatically thought my family and I were undocumented. Even when the deportation police would figure out that we weren’t undocumented, they’d still figure out a way to deport us—at least that was what was going through my head. It got so bad that I didn’t even want to do the simplest things like go grocery shopping because there was a rumor that the week before a person was taken from Walmart.

I felt scared and nervous, and I wasn’t even undocumented. I can’t even imagine how people who are undocumented must have felt, how they feel. All I can think is that it’s probably ten times worse than what I was feeling. Always worrying about being deported and separated from your family must be hard. I was living in fear, and I didn’t even have it that bad. My heart goes out to families that get separated from each other. It’s because of those fears that I detest the “Constitution-free zone.”

Legally documented and undocumented people who live in the Constitution-free zone are in constant fear of being deported. People shouldn’t have to live this way. In fact, there have been arguments that the 100-mile zone violates the Fourth Amendment, which gives people the right to be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures of property by the government. Unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently upheld these practices.

One question that Lornet Turnbull asks in her YES! article “Two-Thirds of Americans Live in the ‘Constitution-Free Zone’” is, “How should we decide who is welcome in the U.S and who is not?” Instead of focusing on immigrants, how about we focus on the people who shoot up schools, rape girls, exploit women for human sex trafficking, and sell drugs? These are the people who make our country unsafe; they are the ones who shouldn’t be accepted. Even if they are citizens and have the legal right to live here, they still shouldn’t be included. If they are the ones making this country unsafe, then what gives them the right to live here?

I don’t think that the Constitution-free zone is an effective and justifiable way to make this country more “secure.” If someone isn’t causing any trouble in the United States and is just simply living their life, then they should be welcomed here. We shouldn’t have to live in fear that our rights will be taken away. I believe that it’s unfair for people to automatically think that it’s the Hispanics that make this country unsafe. Sure, get all the undocumented people out of the United States, but it’s not going to make this country any safer. It is a society that promotes violence that makes us unsafe, not a race.

Emma Hernandez-Sanchez is a freshman who is passionate about literature and her education. Emma wan ts to inspire others to be creative and try their best. She enjoys reading and creating stories that spark imagination. 

  Powerful Voice Winner

Tiara Lewis

Columbus City Preparatory Schools for Girls,

Columbus, Ohio

immigration laws argumentative essay

Hold Your Head High and Keep Those Fists Down

How would you feel if you walked into a store and salespeople were staring at you? Making you feel like you didn’t belong. Judging you. Assuming that you were going to take something, even though you might have $1,000 on you to spend. Sometimes it doesn’t matter. This is because people will always judge you. It might not be because of your race but for random reasons, like because your hair is black instead of dirty blonde. Or because your hair is short and not long. Or just because they are having a bad day. People will always find ways to bring you down and accuse you of something, but that doesn’t mean you have to go along with it.

Every time I entered a store, I would change my entire personality. I would change the way I talked and the way I walked. I always saw myself as needing to fit in. If a store was all pink, like the store Justice, I would act like a girly girl. If I was shopping in a darker store, like Hot Topic, I would hum to the heavy metal songs and act more goth. I had no idea that I was feeding into stereotypes.

When I was 11, I walked into Claire’s, a well-known store at the mall. That day was my sister’s birthday. Both of us were really happy and had money to spend. As soon as we walked into the store, two employees stared me and my sister down, giving us cold looks. When we went to the cashier to buy some earrings, we thought everything was fine. However, when we walked out of the store, there was a policeman and security guards waiting. At that moment, my sister and I looked at one another, and I said, in a scared little girl voice, “I wonder what happened? Why are they here?”

Then, they stopped us. We didn’t know what was going on. The same employee that cashed us out was screaming as her eyes got big, “What did you steal?” I was starting to get numb. Me and my sister looked at each other and told the truth: “We didn’t steal anything. You can check us.” They rudely ripped through our bags and caused a big scene. My heart was pounding like a drum. I felt violated and scared. Then, the policeman said, “Come with us. We need to call your parents.” While this was happening, the employees were talking to each other, smiling. We got checked again. The police said that they were going to check the cameras, but after they were done searching us, they realized that we didn’t do anything wrong and let us go about our day.

Walking in the mall was embarrassing—everybody staring, looking, and whispering as we left the security office. This made me feel like I did something wrong while knowing I didn’t. We went back to the store to get our shopping bags. The employees sneered, “Don’t you niggers ever come in this store again. You people always take stuff. This time you just got lucky.” Their faces were red and frightening. It was almost like they were in a scary 3D movie, screaming, and coming right at us. I felt hurt and disappointed that someone had the power within them to say something so harsh and wrong to another person. Those employees’ exact words will forever be engraved in my memory.

In the article, “Two-Thirds of Americans Live in the ‘Constitution-Free Zone’,” Lornet Turnbull states, “In January, they stopped a man in Indio, California, as he was boarding a Los Angeles-bound bus. While questioning this man about his immigration status, agents told him his ‘shoes looked suspicious,’ like those of someone who had recently crossed the border.” They literally judged him by his shoes. They had no proof of anything. If a man is judged by his shoes, who else and what else are being judged in the world?

In the novel  To Kill a Mockingbird , a character named Atticus states, “You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let’em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change.” No matter how much you might try to change yourself, your hairstyle, and your clothes, people will always make assumptions about you. However, you never need to change yourself to make a point or to feel like you fit in. Be yourself. Don’t let those stereotypes turn into facts.

Tiara Lewis is in the eighth grade. Tiara plays the clarinet and is trying to change the world— one essay at a time. She is most often found curled up on her bed, “Divergent” in one hand and a cream-filled doughnut in the other.

Hailee Park

 Wielding My Swords

If I were a swordsman, my weapons would be my identities. I would wield one sword in my left hand and another in my right. People expect me to use both fluently, but I’m not naturally ambidextrous. Even though I am a right-handed swordsman, wielding my dominant sword with ease, I must also carry a sword in my left, the heirloom of my family heritage. Although I try to live up to others’ expectations by using both swords, I may appear inexperienced while attempting to use my left. In some instances, my heirloom is mistaken for representing different families’ since the embellishments look similar.

Many assumptions are made about my heirloom sword based on its appearance, just as many assumptions are made about me based on my physical looks. “Are you Chinese?” When I respond with ‘no,’ they stare at me blankly in confusion. There is a multitude of Asian cultures in the United States, of which I am one. Despite what many others may assume, I am not Chinese; I am an American-born Korean.

“Then… are you Japanese?” Instead of asking a broader question, like “What is your ethnicity?,” they choose to ask a direct question. I reply that I am Korean. I like to think that this answers their question sufficiently; however, they think otherwise. Instead, I take this as their invitation to a duel.

They attack me with another question: “Are you from North Korea or South Korea?” I don’t know how to respond because I’m not from either of those countries; I was born in America. I respond with “South Korea,” where my parents are from because I assume that they’re asking me about my ethnicity. I’m not offended by this situation because I get asked these questions frequently. From this experience, I realize that people don’t know how to politely ask questions about identity to those unlike them. Instead of asking “What is your family’s ethnicity?,” many people use rude alternatives, such as “Where are you from?,” or “What language do you speak?”

When people ask these questions, they make assumptions based on someone’s appearance. In my case, people make inferences like:

“She must be really good at speaking Korean.”

“She’s Asian; therefore, she must be born in Asia.”

“She’s probably Chinese.”

These thoughts may appear in their heads because making assumptions is natural. However, there are instances when assumptions can be taken too far. Some U.S. Border Patrol agents in the “Constitution-free zone” have made similar assumptions based on skin color and clothing. For example, agents marked someone as an undocumented immigrant because “his shoes looked suspicious, like those of someone who had recently crossed the border.”

Another instance was when a Jamaican grandmother was forced off a bus when she was visiting her granddaughter. The impetus was her accent and the color of her skin. Government officials chose to act on their assumptions, even though they had no solid proof that the grandmother was an undocumented immigrant. These situations just touch the surface of the issue of racial injustice in America.

When someone makes unfair assumptions about me, they are pointing their sword and challenging me to a duel; I cannot refuse because I am already involved. It is not appropriate for anyone, including Border Patrol agents, to make unjustified assumptions or to act on those assumptions. Border Patrol agents have no right to confiscate the swords of the innocent solely based on their conjectures. The next time I’m faced with a situation where racially ignorant assumptions are made about me, I will refuse to surrender my sword, point it back at them, and triumphantly fight their ignorance with my cultural pride.

Hailee Park is an eighth grader who enjoys reading many genres. While reading, Hailee recognized the racial injustices against immigrants in America, which inspired her essay. Hailee plays violin in her school’s orchestra and listens to and composes music. 

Aminata Toure

East Harlem School, New York City, N.Y.

immigration laws argumentative essay

We Are Still Dreaming

As a young Muslim American woman, I have been labeled things I am not: a terrorist, oppressed, and an ISIS supporter. I have been accused of planning 9/11, an event that happened before I was born. Lately, in the media, Muslims have been portrayed as supporters of a malevolent cause, terrorizing others just because they do not have the same beliefs. I often scoff at news reports that portray Muslims in such a light, just as I scoff at all names I’ve been labeled. They are words that do not define me. 

In a land where labels have stripped immigrants of their personalities, they are now being stripped of something that makes them human: their rights. The situation described in Lornet Turnbull’s article, “Two-Thirds of Americans are Living in the ‘Constitution-Free Zone’,” goes directly against the Constitution, the soul of this country, something that asserts that we are all equal before the law. If immigrants do not have protection from the Constitution, is there any way to feel safe?

Although most insults are easy to shrug off, they are still threatening. I am ashamed when I feel afraid to go to the mosque. Friday is an extremely special day when we gather together to pray, but lately, I haven’t been going to the mosque for Jummah prayers. I have realized that I can never feel safe when in a large group of Muslims because of the widespread hatred of Muslims in the United States, commonly referred to as Islamophobia. Police surround our mosque, and there are posters warning us about dangerous people who might attack our place of worship because we have been identified as terrorists.

I wish I could tune out every news report that blasts out the headline “Terrorist Attack!” because I know that I will be judged based on the actions of someone else. Despite this anti-Muslim racism, what I have learned from these insults is that I am proud of my faith. I am a Muslim, but being Muslim doesn’t define me. I am a writer, a student, a dreamer, a friend, a New Yorker, a helper, and an American. I am unapologetically me, a Muslim, and so much more. I definitely think everyone should get to know a Muslim. They would see that some of us are also Harry Potter fans, not just people planning to bomb the White House.

Labels are unjustly placed on us because of the way we speak, the color of our skin, and what we believe in—not for who we are as individuals. Instead, we should all take more time to get to know one another. As Martin Luther King Jr. said in his “I Have a Dream” speech, we should be judged by the content of our character and not the color of our skin. To me, it seems Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream is a dream that should be a reality. But, for now, we are dreaming.

Aminata Toure is a Guinean American Muslim student. Aminata loves spoken-word poetry and performs in front of hundreds of people at her school’s annual poetry slam. She loves writing, language, history, and West African food and culture. Aminata wants to work at the United Nations when she grows up.

From the Author 

Dear Alessandra, Cain, Daniel, Tiara, Emma, Hailee, Aminata and Ethan,

I am moved and inspired by the thought each of you put into your responses to my story about this so-called “Constitution-free zone.” Whether we realize it or not, immigration in this country impacts all of us— either because we are immigrants ourselves, have neighbors, friends, and family who are, or because we depend on immigrants for many aspects of our lives—from the food we put on our tables to the technology that bewitches us. It is true that immigrants enrich our society in so many important ways, as many of you point out.

And while the federal statute that permits U.S. Border Patrol officers to stop and search at will any of the 200 million of us in this 100-mile shadow border, immigrants have been their biggest targets. In your essays, you highlight how unjust the law is—nothing short of racial profiling. It is heartening to see each of you, in your own way, speaking out against the unfairness of this practice.

Alessandra, you are correct, the immigration system in this country is in shambles. You make a powerful argument about how profiling ostracizes entire communities and how the warrantless searches allowed by this statute impede trust-building between law enforcement and the people they are called on to serve.

And Cain, you point out how this 100-mile zone, along with other laws in the state of Texas where you attended school, make people feel like they’re “always under surveillance, and that, at any moment, you may be pulled over to be questioned and detained.” It seems unimaginable that people live their lives this way, yet millions in this country do.

You, Emma, for example, speak of living in a kind of silent fear since Donald Trump took office, even though you were born in this country and your parents are here legally. You are right, “We shouldn’t have to live in fear that our rights will be taken away.”

And Aminata, you write of being constantly judged and labeled because you’re a Muslim American. How unfortunate and sad that in a country that generations of people fled to search for religious freedom, you are ashamed at times to practice your own. The Constitution-free zone, you write, “goes directly against the Constitution, the soul of this country, something that asserts that we are all equal before the law.”

Tiara, I could personally relate to your gripping account of being racially profiled and humiliated in a store. You were appalled that the Greyhound passenger in California was targeted by Border Patrol because they claimed his shoes looked like those of someone who had walked across the border: “If a man is judged by his shoes,” you ask, “who else and what else are getting judged in the world?”

Hailee, you write about the incorrect assumptions people make about you, an American born of Korean descent, based solely on your appearance and compared it to the assumptions Border Patrol agents make about those they detain in this zone.

Daniel, you speak of the role of political fearmongering in immigration. It’s not new, but under the current administration, turning immigrants into boogiemen for political gain is currency. You write that “For some politicians, it is easier to sell a border wall to a scared population than it is to explain the need for reformed immigration policy.”

And Ethan, you recognize the contributions immigrants make to this country through the connections we all make with them and the strength they bring to our society.

Keep speaking your truth. Use your words and status to call out injustice wherever and whenever you see it. Untold numbers of people spoke out against this practice by Border Patrol and brought pressure on Greyhound to change. In December, the company began offering passengers written guidance—in both Spanish and English—so they understand what their rights are when officers board their bus. Small steps, yes, but progress nonetheless, brought about by people just like you, speaking up for those who sometimes lack a voice to speak up for themselves.

With sincere gratitude,

Lornet Turnbull

immigration laws argumentative essay

Lornet Turnbull is an editor for YES! and a Seattle-based freelance writer. Follow her on Twitter  @TurnbullL .

We received many outstanding essays for the Winter 2019 Student Writing Competition. Though not every participant can win the contest, we’d like to share some excerpts that caught our eye:

After my parents argued with the woman, they told me if you can fight with fists, you prove the other person’s point, but when you fight with the power of your words, you can have a much bigger impact. I also learned that I should never be ashamed of where I am from. —Fernando Flores, The East Harlem School, New York City, N.Y.

Just because we were born here and are privileged to the freedom of our country, we do not have the right to deprive others of a chance at success. —Avalyn Cox, Brier Terrace Middle School, Brier, Wash.

Maybe, rather than a wall, a better solution to our immigration problem would be a bridge. —Sean Dwyer, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

If anything, what I’ve learned is that I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to change our world. I don’t know how to make a difference, how to make my voice heard. But I have learned the importance of one word, a simple two-letter word that’s taught to the youngest of us, a word we all know but never recognize: the significance of ‘we.’ —Enna Chiu, Highland Park High School, Highland Park, N.J.

Not to say the Border Patrol should not have authorization to search people within the border, but I am saying it should be near the border, more like one mile, not 100. —Cooper Tarbuck, Maranacook Middle School, Manchester, Maine.

My caramel color, my feminism, my Spanish and English language, my Mexican culture, and my young Latina self gives me the confidence to believe in myself, but it can also teach others that making wrong assumptions about someone because of their skin color, identity, culture, looks or gender can make them look and be weaker. —Ana Hernandez, The East Harlem School, New York City, N.Y.

We don’t need to change who we are to fit these stereotypes like someone going on a diet to fit into a new pair of pants. —Kaylee Meyers, Brier Terrace Middle School, Brier, Wash.

If a human being with no criminal background whatsoever has trouble entering the country because of the way he or she dresses or speaks, border protection degenerates into arbitrariness. —Jonas Schumacher, Heidelberg University of Education, Heidelberg, Germany

I believe that you should be able to travel freely throughout your own country without the constant fear of needing to prove that you belong here . —MacKenzie Morgan, Lincoln Middle School, Ypsilanti, Mich.

America is known as “the Land of Opportunity,” but this label is quickly disappearing. If we keep stopping those striving for a better life, then what will become of this country? —Ennyn Chiu, Highland Park Middle School, Highland Park, N.J.

The fact that two-thirds of the people in the U.S. are living in an area called the “Constitution-free zone” is appalling. Our Constitution was made to protect our rights as citizens, no matter where we are in the country. These systems that we are using to “secure” our country are failing, and we need to find a way to change them. —Isis Liaw, Brier Terrace Middle School, Brier, Wash.

I won’t let anyone, especially a man, tell me what I can do, because I am a strong Latina. I will represent where I come from, and I am proud to be Mexican. I will show others that looks can be deceiving. I will show others that even the weakest animal, a beautiful butterfly, is tough, and it will cross any border, no matter how challenging the journey may be. —Brittany Leal, The East Harlem School, New York City, N.Y.

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Top 10 Pro & Con Arguments

Should the us federal government provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

  • Path to Citizenship – Overview
  • Path to Citizenship – Economic Security
  • Path to Citizenship – Fair Process
  • Border Fence or Wall
  • Driver’s Licenses
  • Mass Deportations
  • Economic Burden
  • Terrorist Threat
  • Disadvantage American Workers
  • Higher Crime
1.

“Path to Legalization for Undocumented Immigrants”
ajc.org
(accessed Feb. 9, 2016)

US Representative (R-VA)
“Immigration Reform”
Goodlatte’s US House of Representatives website
Mar. 1, 2016
2.

Immigration Reporter for
“Why Citizenship Is Better for America Than Legal Status”
website
Jan. 31, 2014

Former US Representative (R-OH) and Speaker of the House
“Standards for Immigration Reform”
wsj.com
Jan. 20, 2014
3.

So that means it won’t be a quick process but it will be a fair process. And it will lift these individuals out of the shadows and give them a chance to earn their way to a green card and eventually to citizenship.”


44th President of the United States
Remarks at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas
whitehouse.gov
Jan. 29, 2013

Attorney
“Senator Ted Cruz’s Contradictory Position on Illegal Immigration”
website
Mar. 28, 2015
4.

2016 Presidential Candidate
“Immigration Reform That Will Make America Great Again”
Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign website
May 3, 2016

56th President of Mexico
“Mexico Won’t Pay a Cent for Trump’s ‘Stupid Wall'”
cnbc.com
Feb. 8, 2016
5.
Editorial Board
“Immigration Has Nothing to Do with Driving Skills”
website
Sep. 7, 2015

Connecticut State Representative (R)
May 18, 2015 speech
cthousegop.com
May 18, 2015
6.
Editorial Board
“Obama’s Deportation Raids Are Ugly—and Right”
website
Jan. 14, 2016
Editorial Board
“The Deportation Deception: Our View”
usatoday.com
Mar. 6, 2016
7.

Assistant Professor in Finance at Fairfield University
“10 Ways Illegal Immigration Affects You Financially”
Go Banking Rates website
Nov. 16, 2015

Senior Policy Analyst

Senior Fellow

State Tax Policy Director
Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)
“Undocumented Immigrants’ State and Local Tax Contributions”
itep.org
Feb. 2016
8.

Retired Admiral, Former Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Fleet, and Senior US Military Representative to the United Nations
“LYONS: The National Security Component of Immigration Reform”
website
Aug. 14, 2013

“Terrorism and Illegal Immigration in the United States”
Open Borders website
(accessed Mar. 14, 2016)
9.

We don’t need to rely on complex statistical calculations to see the harm being done to some workers. Simply look at how employers have reacted. A decade ago, Crider Inc., a chicken processing plant in Georgia, was raided by immigration agents, and 75 percent of its workforce vanished over a single weekend. Shortly after, Crider placed an ad in the local newspaper announcing job openings at higher wages.”


Robert W. Scrivner Professor of Economics and Social Policy at Harvard University
“Yes, Immigration Hurts American Workers”
politico.com
Sep./Oct. 2016

International Business and Economics Correspondent at National Public Radio (NPR)
“Debunking the Myth of the Job-Stealing Immigrant”
nytimes.com
Mar. 24, 2015
10.

Over 53 percent of all investigated burglaries reported in California, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas are perpetrated by illegal aliens.”


National Executive Committee Member of the Constitution Party
“Illegal Alien Crime and Violence by the Numbers”
Constitution Party website
(accessed Feb. 27, 2017)

During the same period, FBI data indicate that the violent crime rate declined 48 percent—which included falling rates of aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder. Likewise, the property crime rate fell 41 percent, including declining rates of motor vehicle theft, larceny/robbery, and burglary.”


Senior Researcher at the American Immigration Council

Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at The George Washington University

Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of California at Irvine
“The Criminalization of Immigration in the United States”
American Immigration Council website
July 13, 2015

immigration laws argumentative essay

More on the Immigration Debate

  • States (and DC) That Allow Driver’s Licenses for People in the Country Illegally
  • Are DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and the DREAM Act Good for America?
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101 Immigration Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Immigration has been a hot-button issue in recent years, with debates raging over border security, refugee resettlement, and the economic impact of immigration. If you're tasked with writing an essay on immigration, you may be struggling to come up with a topic that is both interesting and relevant. To help you get started, we've compiled a list of 101 immigration essay topic ideas and examples to inspire your writing.

  • The history of immigration in the United States
  • The impact of immigration on American culture
  • Immigration policies and their effects on immigrant communities
  • The economic benefits of immigration
  • The social challenges faced by immigrants
  • The role of immigration in the labor market
  • Immigration and crime rates
  • The ethics of border enforcement
  • The challenges faced by undocumented immigrants
  • The impact of immigration on public health
  • The experience of refugee resettlement
  • The impact of immigration on education
  • Immigration and the environment
  • The politics of immigration reform
  • The role of immigration in shaping national identity
  • The impact of immigration on urban development
  • Immigration and globalization
  • The impact of immigration on family dynamics
  • The role of immigration in the spread of disease
  • The impact of immigration on social welfare programs
  • Immigration and human trafficking
  • The impact of immigration on rural communities
  • Immigration and the criminal justice system
  • The impact of immigration on housing markets
  • The role of immigration in international relations
  • Immigration and national security
  • The impact of immigration on healthcare systems
  • Immigration and labor rights
  • The impact of immigration on income inequality
  • The role of immigration in shaping political ideologies
  • Immigration and climate change
  • The impact of immigration on technology and innovation
  • Immigration and economic development
  • The role of immigration in addressing demographic challenges
  • Immigration and social mobility
  • The impact of immigration on language diversity
  • Immigration and social cohesion
  • The role of immigration in shaping cultural identity
  • Immigration and food culture
  • The impact of immigration on public transportation
  • Immigration and urban planning
  • The role of immigration in revitalizing declining communities
  • Immigration and gentrification
  • The impact of immigration on small businesses
  • Immigration and entrepreneurship
  • The role of immigration in addressing labor shortages
  • Immigration and education disparities
  • The impact of immigration on rural economies
  • Immigration and agricultural production
  • The role of immigration in addressing healthcare shortages
  • Immigration and environmental conservation
  • The impact of immigration on social services
  • Immigration and income inequality
  • The role of immigration in cultural exchange
  • Immigration and the arts
  • The impact of immigration on sports
  • Immigration and media representation
  • The role of immigration in shaping public opinion
  • Immigration and social media
  • The impact of immigration on voting patterns
  • Immigration and civic engagement
  • The role of immigration in community organizing
  • Immigration and social justice movements
  • The impact of immigration on political participation
  • Immigration and activism
  • The role of immigration in shaping public policy
  • Immigration and civil rights
  • The impact of immigration on political polarization
  • Immigration and the role of government
  • The role of immigration in international development
  • Immigration and conflict resolution
  • The impact of immigration on peacebuilding efforts
  • Immigration and humanitarian aid
  • The role of immigration in addressing global challenges
  • Immigration and sustainable development
  • The impact of immigration on human rights
  • Immigration and social change
  • The role of immigration in promoting diversity
  • Immigration and cultural preservation
  • The impact of immigration on indigenous communities
  • Immigration and gender equality
  • The role of immigration in addressing social inequalities
  • Immigration and intergenerational mobility
  • The impact of immigration on social cohesion
  • Immigration and social welfare
  • The role of immigration in addressing poverty
  • Immigration and social justice
  • The impact of immigration on human development
  • Immigration and social inclusion
  • The role of immigration in promoting social progress
  • Immigration and social integration
  • The impact of immigration on community resilience
  • Immigration and disaster response
  • The role of immigration in addressing humanitarian crises
  • Immigration and conflict prevention
  • The impact of immigration on peacebuilding
  • Immigration and human security
  • The role of immigration in promoting global peace
  • Immigration and international cooperation
  • The impact of immigration on sustainable development goals
  • Immigration and the future of humanity

These are just a few examples of the many immigration essay topics you could explore in your writing. Whether you're interested in the social, economic, political, or cultural aspects of immigration, there is no shortage of compelling topics to explore. So pick a topic that resonates with you, do some research, and start writing!

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The Debate in the United States over Immigration

These essays examine economic, political, social, and legal issues related to immigration into the United States—from compelling arguments for limited immigration to forceful arguments for open borders. They assess the benefits and costs of immigration and its impact on education, social welfare, and health care.

With the annual number of immigrants to the United States at an all-time high, the debate over immigration has reached a fevered pitch. Do today's immigrants come to this country just to go on welfare? Will immigration forever change America's ethnic, cultural, and political landscape? Some see unrestrained immigration as the lifeblood of the world's most successful society, while others have called for closing the borders entirely. After the introduction, which examines the historical debate over immigration, the book looks at the current spectrum of economic, political, social, and legal issues related to immigration into the United States—from compelling arguments for limited immigration to forceful arguments for open borders. As part of the program on American Institutions and Economic Performance, leading scholars and business experts convened at the Hoover Institution in October 1996. Amid swirling controversy over passage of California's Proposition 187, which denies welfare benefits to illegal immigrants, conference participants discussed current state and federal immigration policies and the strengths and weaknesses of proposed changes. Presented here is a powerful cross section of papers from that conference, each covering a major aspect of the overall immigration issue. The distinguished participants offer assessments of the benefits and costs of immigration, along with its impact on education, social welfare, and health care, and then presents appraisals of the widely publicized subject of undocumented immigration and employer sanctions. With immigration becoming a personal issue for millions of Americans, The Debate in the United States over Immigration illuminates fundamental, individual truths crucial to making policy decisions that will ultimately best serve American society.

Copyright 1997.

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603 Immigration Essay Topics & Good Ideas

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  • Icon Calendar 18 May 2024
  • Icon Page 5167 words
  • Icon Clock 23 min read

Immigration essay topics provide a vast field of study, ranging from individual narratives to national policies. These topics can encompass the historical context of immigration, the driving forces behind it, or the sociopolitical implications that it brings to both origin and destination countries. More personal themes can explore the experiences, challenges, and adaptations of immigrants in their new homes. Legal viewpoints can scrutinize immigration laws, their effectiveness, and possible reforms. Additionally, the economic aspects of immigration, such as its impact on labor markets or national economies, offer rich areas for investigation. In turn, some topics, like the role of immigration in cultural diversity or its contribution to globalization, can also be explored. As a result, immigration essay topics open up many hot perspectives, each with the potential to reveal fresh insights into this complex, globally relevant issue.

Best Immigration Essay Topics

  • Influences of Immigration on the American Economy
  • Globalization’s Impacts on Modern Migration
  • Refugees: A Perspective into Their Struggles and Triumphs
  • Migrants and the Cultural Diversity They Bring
  • Changing Immigration Laws: A Historical Analysis
  • The Dream Act: Consequences and Opportunities
  • Immigration Policies: A Comparative Study Between the U.S. and Canada
  • Family Reunification: The Hidden Side of Immigration
  • Implications of Brexit on the U.K.’s Immigration Scenario
  • Effects of Immigration on the Labor Market
  • Nativism and Immigration: Unfolding the Relationship
  • Economic Refugee Crisis: Causes and Solutions
  • Paths to Citizenship: Exploring the Difficult Journey
  • Detention Centers: A Look Into Their Living Conditions
  • Transnationalism: The Evolution of Diaspora Communities
  • Border Walls: Assessing Their Real Impact
  • The Influence of Immigrants on Popular Culture
  • Unauthorized Immigration: Addressing the Moral Dilemmas
  • Language Acquisition Among Immigrants: Challenges and Strategies
  • The Role of Immigration in Technology Innovation
  • Asylum Seekers: Evaluating International Policies
  • Skilled Immigrants: Their Contributions to Host Countries
  • Immigration Enforcement: Analyzing the Militarization of Borders
  • Assimilation vs. Multiculturalism: The Immigrant Dilemma
  • Roles of NGOs in Helping Refugees Settle
  • Sanctuary Cities: Their Role in Immigrant Protection
  • Remittances and Their Influence on Immigrant Homelands
  • Child Immigrants: Addressing Their Unique Challenges
  • Immigration and National Security: Balancing Act
  • Immigrants in Politics: Representation and Influence
  • The Refugee Convention: An Assessment of Its Efficiency

Immigration Essay Topics & Good Ideas

Easy Immigration Essay Topics

  • Impacts of Immigrants on the Healthcare System
  • Immigrant Entrepreneurs: Driving Force of the Economy
  • Migration Theories: A Critical Examination
  • Immigration in Literature: Reflection of Social Issues
  • Second-Generation Immigrants: Identity Crisis and Integration
  • Aging Immigrant Population: Challenges and Opportunities
  • The Intersection of Immigration and Human Rights
  • Immigration Reforms: Lessons From the Past
  • Diversity Visa Lottery: Pros and Cons
  • Expatriates: Exploring the Reverse Immigration Trend
  • Female Immigrants: Unraveling Their Unique Experiences
  • Immigration Debates: Analyzing Media Representation
  • The Relationship Between Immigration and Crime Rates
  • Roles of Trade Agreements in Facilitating Immigration
  • Immigration and Urbanization: Interconnected Phenomena
  • Mass Migration Events: A Study of Causes
  • Discrimination against Immigrants: Unveiling the Reality
  • Brain Drain vs. Brain Gain: Analyzing Immigration Patterns
  • Immigration Policy and the Tech Industry: A Symbiotic Relationship?
  • Health Disparities Among Immigrant Communities: A Deep Dive
  • The Phenomenon of Aging Out: A Challenge for Young Immigrants
  • H-1B Visa Controversy: Impact on Immigrants and Industries
  • Analyzing the Concept of Dual Citizenship in Immigration
  • Undocumented Students: Obstacles to Higher Education
  • Impact of Immigration on Population Aging
  • The Psychology of Displacement: Coping Mechanisms Among Immigrants
  • Refugee Resettlement Programs: A Global Overview
  • Public Opinion on Immigration: Shaping Policy and Politics
  • The Role of Education in Immigrant Integration
  • Deportation Dilemmas: Family Separation and Its Aftermath
  • Refugee Camps: A Detailed Study of Life and Survival
  • Immigration Narratives in Cinema: A Reflection of Society

Interesting Immigration Essay Topics

  • Examining the Plight of Stateless Individuals
  • Migration Due to Environmental Disasters: A Rising Trend
  • Policies to Encourage Immigrant Entrepreneurship
  • Religious Persecution as a Cause for Immigration
  • Societal Impacts of Forced Migration: A Closer Look
  • Immigration and the Housing Market: A Complex Interaction
  • Role of International Organizations in Immigration Control
  • Immigration Law and Human Trafficking: An Unseen Connection
  • Colonialism and Its Effect on Modern Immigration Patterns
  • Challenges of Assimilation for LGBTQ+ Immigrants
  • The School Experience of Children From Immigrant Families
  • Assessing the “Melting Pot” Metaphor in the Context of Immigration
  • The Impact of Immigration on Host Country’s Politics
  • The Process and Implications of Deportation: A Thorough Investigation
  • Nationalism and Its Influence on Immigration Policies
  • Employment Rights of Immigrants: Safeguarding Dignity and Livelihood
  • The Evolution of Sanctuary Policies Across the Globe
  • Migration and Food: The Culinary Influence of Immigrants
  • Policies Shaping the Future of International Student Immigration
  • Indigenous Migrations: History, Causes, and Current Trends
  • Impact of Immigration on the Global Demographic Structure
  • Evaluating Immigration’s Roles in Sports Development
  • Social Networks and Their Influence on Immigration
  • The Economics of Illegal Immigration: Costs and Benefits
  • Political Asylum: Case Studies and Policy Evaluation
  • The “Model Minority” Stereotype: Its Impact on Immigrant Communities
  • Understanding Immigration Through the Lens of Social Work
  • The Connection Between Immigration and the Growth of Mega Cities
  • The Role of Art in Reflecting the Immigrant Experience
  • Immigration’s Roles in Fostering International Diplomacy
  • Examining the Intersection of Immigration and Gender Inequality
  • Migration and Social Mobility: Unveiling the Connection
  • The Effect of Immigration on the Spread of Global Languages
  • Displacement Due to War: Consequences and Recovery

Argumentative Essay Topics on Immigration

  • Immigration Policy’s Influence on Foreign Direct Investment
  • Mental Health Issues Among Immigrant Populations: A Silent Crisis
  • Integration Policies: Effectiveness in Promoting Immigrant Inclusion
  • Climate Migrants: Addressing the Emerging Challenge
  • Immigration’s Influence on Fashion Trends: A Historical View
  • The Complex Relationship Between Migration and Terrorism
  • Effects of Digitalization on Immigration Processes
  • Migrants’ Remittance: Impact on Developing Economies
  • The Intersection of Immigration and Public Health Policies
  • Exploring the Phenomenon of White-Collar Immigration
  • The Role of Immigration in Shaping the Music Industry
  • Immigration and Aging: A Critical Examination of Retirement Patterns
  • The Implications of AI and Robotics on Future Immigration
  • Immigration in Post-Colonial Literature: A Critical Analysis
  • Immigration’s Roles in Increasing Diversity in Higher Education
  • Case Study: Effects of the Syrian Refugee Crisis
  • Immigration’s Impacts on Multilingualism in the U.S.
  • The Link Between Immigration and Urban Growth: A Study
  • Immigration’s Influence on Stand-Up Comedy: A Unique Perspective
  • International Students and Post-Graduate Immigration: A Comparative Study
  • Understanding the Role of Transnational Families in Immigration
  • Migrant Domestic Workers: Exploring Rights and Exploitations
  • The Interplay Between Immigration and Foreign Aid Policies
  • Integration Models: The Pros and Cons for Immigrant Inclusion

Persuasive Essay Topics on Immigration

  • The Paradox of Immigration in Populist Politics
  • Migration as a Response to Political Instability: Case Studies
  • The Impact of Immigration on Sporting Events and International Competitions
  • Immigration and the Emergence of Global Cities: An Investigation
  • The Influence of Migration on the Global Art Scene
  • Intersectionality in Migration: The Complexity of Multiple Identities
  • Immigration and the Rise of Ethnic Enclaves: A Study
  • Immigration’s Impacts on the Diversity of Religious Practices
  • Demystifying the Concept of Chain Migration
  • Impact of Immigration on National Identity: A Comparative Study
  • Immigration’s Roles in Broadening the Spectrum of Human Rights
  • The Connection Between Immigration and Changes in Dietary Habits
  • The Influence of Immigration on Election Outcomes
  • Exploring the Benefits of Temporary Migration Programs
  • Immigration’s Roles in the Growth of Film Industries Around the World
  • The Influence of Immigration on Labor Union Strategies
  • Immigration in Comic Books: Depictions and Influences
  • Immigration’s Impacts on the Adoption of Green Technologies
  • The Role of Immigration in the Expansion of Global Trade
  • Immigration and the Shaping of Modern Architecture
  • Impacts of Immigration on Educational Policies and Practices
  • The Relationship Between Immigration and Food Insecurity
  • Migration Due to Industrialization: A Historical Examination
  • Return Migration: Exploring the Phenomenon of Circular Immigration
  • Evaluating the Role of Media in Shaping Immigration Perceptions
  • Xenophobia and Its Impact on Immigration Policies

Immigration Topics to Research

  • Cultural Adaptation Challenges Faced by Immigrants
  • The Role of Migrant Labor in the Agricultural Sector
  • Influence of Immigration on Language Evolution and Dialect Formation
  • Intersection of Immigration and Racial Profiling: A Social Analysis
  • Impacts of Immigrants on Innovation in Science and Technology
  • Displaced Communities: The Underrepresented Side of Immigration
  • The Future of Immigration in an AI-Driven World
  • Influences of Immigration on Culinary Traditions and Food Fusion
  • International Relations and Its Impact on Immigration Policies
  • Study on the Relationship Between Immigration and Economic Inequality
  • Immigration and Civil Liberties: A Controversial Discussion
  • Internal Displacement: The Lesser Known Side of Immigration
  • Cybersecurity Risks and Their Implications on Immigration
  • Migration the Phenomenon of Climate Refugees
  • Effects of Political Unrest on International Migration Trends
  • Immigration’s Role in Propelling the Space Industry
  • The Impact of Immigration on Traditional and Folk Arts
  • Integration of Immigrants in Sports: A Sociological Study
  • Analyzing Immigration’s Influence on Global Cuisine
  • The Connection Between Immigration and Global Education Trends
  • Migration and Its Impact on Global Biodiversity Conservation
  • Unraveling the Role of Immigration in Digital Media Evolution

Immigration Opinion Essay Topics

  • Brain Circulation: A New Perspective on Skilled Migration
  • The Influence of Immigration on Comic Art and Graphic Novels
  • Evaluating the Impact of Immigration on Sustainable Development Goals
  • Roles of Immigrants in Reviving Dying Languages: A Case Study
  • Examining the Role of Immigration in Global Sporting Leagues
  • Cultural and Economic Implications of Rural to Urban Migration
  • Migration and Its Impact on Traditional Crafting and Artisan Skills
  • Impact of Immigration on Intercultural Communication: A Study
  • Migration and Its Effects on the Evolution of Dance Styles
  • Unaccompanied Minors: An Untold Tale of Immigration
  • The Role of Immigration in Shaping Television Content
  • Immigration’s Influence on Modern Design and Aesthetic Trends
  • The Impact of Immigration on National Literacy Rates
  • Roles of Immigration in the Development of E-Sports
  • Understanding the Concept of Digital Diaspora in Modern Immigration
  • Immigration: Uncovering the Stories of Olympic Athletes
  • Children Left Behind: The Forgotten Victims of Migration
  • Immigration and Its Influence on Pop Culture Phenomena
  • The Impact of Immigration on Local Real Estate Markets
  • The Nexus Between Migration and Climate Change Policies

Legal Immigration Essay Topics

  • The Role of Legal Immigration in Filling Skill Gaps in the Workforce
  • Strengthening Legal Immigration Pathways for Highly Skilled Professionals
  • Protecting the Rights of Legal Immigrants in the Criminal Justice System
  • Streamlining Legal Immigration Processes for Efficiency and Transparency
  • Contributions of Legal Immigrants to Cultural Diversity
  • Legal Immigration and Its Impact on Social Integration
  • Balancing National Security and Humanitarian Considerations in Legal Immigration
  • Investing in Language and Civic Education for Successful Legal Immigration
  • Addressing Healthcare Access for Legal Immigrants
  • The Importance of Legal Immigration in Maintaining a Vibrant Demographic Balance
  • Legal Immigration Policies and Environmental Sustainability
  • Protecting Legal Immigrants from Discrimination and Exploitation
  • Legal Immigration and the Development of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
  • Integrating Legal Immigrants Into the Education System for Long-Term Success
  • Legal Immigration and the Preservation of Human Rights
  • Supporting Legal Immigrants in Accessing Housing and Social Services
  • Legal Immigration and Its Role in Strengthening Diplomatic Relations
  • Ensuring Legal Immigration Opportunities for Refugees and Asylum Seekers
  • Legal Immigration and Its Impact on Public Health Systems
  • Enhancing Legal Immigration Pathways for Agricultural Workers
  • Benefits of Legal Immigration for Aging Populations

Illegal Immigration Essay Topics

  • Analyzing the Ethical Dilemmas Surrounding Undocumented Migration
  • Understanding the Socio-Cultural Effects of Illegal Immigration
  • Evaluating the Challenges Faced by Immigrants in a Hostile Environment
  • Investigating the Humanitarian Crisis at the Southern Border
  • Examining the Role of Human Trafficking in Illegal Immigration
  • Discussing the Pros and Cons of Amnesty for Undocumented Immigrants
  • Unveiling the Implications of Sanctuary Cities on Immigration Policy
  • Dissecting the Link Between Drug Trafficking and Illegal Immigration
  • The Impact of Deportation Policies on Immigrant Families
  • Addressing the Education Gap among Undocumented Students
  • Analyzing the Healthcare Burden of Undocumented Immigrants
  • Uncovering the Psychological Toll of Living in the Shadows as an Undocumented Immigrant
  • The Role of Smuggling Networks in Facilitating Illegal Immigration
  • Examining the Connection between Border Security and Human Rights
  • Exploring the Impacts of Illegal Immigration on Job Opportunities for Citizens
  • Investigating the Impact of Illegal Immigration on Social Welfare Programs
  • Analyzing the Contributions of Undocumented Immigrants to the Economy
  • The Role of Public Perception in Shaping Immigration Policies
  • Addressing the Need for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
  • Examining the Influence of Global Migration Patterns on Illegal Immigration
  • Analyzing the Role of Immigration Enforcement Agencies in Controlling Illegal Migration
  • Implications of Family Separation Policies on Undocumented Immigrants

Economic Impact of Immigration Essay Topics

  • Immigration and Entrepreneurship: A Catalyst for Economic Development
  • Exploring the Economic Integration of Immigrants
  • Immigration and Income Inequality: Examining the Relationship
  • Economic Implications of Skilled Immigration
  • Analyzing the Impact of Immigration on Housing Markets
  • Immigration and the Redistribution of Wealth: An Economic Perspective
  • The Effect of Immigration on Trade and Investment Patterns
  • Assessing the Economic Consequences of Immigration Policies in Developing Countries
  • Economic Contributions of High-Skilled Immigrants
  • Immigration and Technological Innovation: A Case Study
  • Economic Effects of Refugee Resettlement Programs
  • Immigration and the Welfare State: Balancing Costs and Benefits
  • The Economic Impact of Immigration on Native-Born Workers
  • The Relationship Between Immigration and Job Creation
  • Immigration and Economic Development: Lessons From Global Case Studies
  • Economic Effects of Immigration on Education and Human Capital
  • Assessing the Role of Immigrant Remittances in Economic Growth
  • Immigration and Regional Economic Disparities: A Comparative Analysis
  • The Economic Impact of Immigration Policies on Foreign Direct Investment
  • Immigration and Economic Resilience: Lessons From Economic Crises
  • The Role of Immigration in Addressing Population Aging and Labor Shortages
  • Immigration and Wage Dynamics: Analyzing the Effects on Different Sectors

Environmental Migration Topics

  • Environmental Disasters and Forced Relocation
  • The Socioeconomic Effects of Climate Migration
  • Urban Planning for Climate-Induced Migration
  • Indigenous Communities and Environmental Displacement
  • Water Scarcity and Migration in Arid Regions
  • Green Infrastructure and Resilient Migration Routes
  • Environmental Refugees: Legal and Humanitarian Challenges
  • Land Degradation and Its Role in Population Displacement
  • Climate Change and Cross-Border Migration
  • Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Resettlement Programs
  • Gender Dimensions of Environmental Migration
  • The Role of Education in Climate-Induced Migration
  • Conservation Policies and Their Impact on Local Communities
  • Migration and the Loss of Biodiversity
  • Droughts and Migration in Semi-Arid Regions
  • Climate Refugees: Economic Opportunities and Challenges
  • Environmental Migration and Cultural Identity
  • Climate Justice and the Rights of Displaced People
  • Sustainable Development and Migration Planning
  • Ecosystem Resilience and Migration Patterns
  • Impacts of Deforestation on Indigenous Migration

Historical Perspectives on Immigration Essay Topics

  • The Bracero Program: Labor Migration from Mexico to the United States
  • Angel Island: Chinese Immigration and Confinement in the Pacific
  • Irish Potato Famine: Catalyst for Irish Emigration Waves
  • Dust Bowl Migration: Environmental Factors and Internal Displacement
  • Immigration Act of 1924: Restricting Migration From Eastern Europe
  • Refugee Crisis: Analyzing Global Responses to Displaced People
  • Indentured Servitude: Early Forms of Immigration Labor Systems
  • Operation Wetback: U.S. Government’s Response to Undocumented Migration
  • Trail of Tears: Forced Relocation of Native American Tribes
  • Guest Worker Program: Temporary Migration Policies and Implications
  • Holocaust and Refugee Immigration: Rescuing Lives From Genocide
  • Mariel Boatlift: Cuban Immigration and Political Refugee Crisis
  • Great Migration: African American Movement From South to North
  • Contrasting Experiences: Ellis Island vs. Angel Island Immigration
  • Vietnamese Boat People: Refugee Crisis and Resettlement Challenges
  • World War II’s Impact on Global Migration Patterns
  • Underground Railroad: Escaping Slavery and Freedom Seeking
  • Refugee Act of 1980: Reforms in U.S. Policy on Displaced Persons
  • India’s Partition: Migration and Communal Violence
  • Dust Bowl Exodus: Environmental Factors and Internal Displacement
  • Impacts of Colonization on Indigenous Populations and Migration
  • Australian Stolen Generations: Forced Assimilation and Relocation
  • Europe’s Refugee Crisis: Evaluating the European Union’s Response

Immigration and Crime Essay Topics

  • The Influence of Immigration on Hate Crime Incidents
  • Exploring the Nexus Between Immigration and Gang Violence
  • Terrorism and Immigration: An Examination of the Relationship
  • Detention Centers and Criminal Activities: The Impact of Immigration
  • Identity Theft and Immigration: Unraveling the Patterns
  • The Relationship Between Immigration and Juvenile Delinquency
  • Money Laundering and Immigration: A Comprehensive Study
  • Immigration and Domestic Violence: Analyzing the Correlation
  • Intellectual Property Crimes: Exploring the Role of Immigration
  • Weapons Offenses and Immigration: Evaluating the Connection
  • Fraudulent Activities and Immigration: Unveiling the Trends
  • Environmental Crimes: The Hidden Side of Immigration
  • Immigration and Cybersecurity Breaches: Assessing the Threats
  • Exploring the Influence of Immigration on Drug Trafficking
  • Uncovering the Link Between Immigration and White-Collar Fraud
  • Smuggling and Immigration: Understanding the Complex Relationship
  • Corruption and Immigration: An In-Depth Comparative Analysis
  • Hate Crime Legislation: The Impact of Immigration Policies
  • Insider Trading and Immigration: A Multifaceted Nexus
  • Public Safety and Law Enforcement: The Implications of Immigration
  • Immigration and Policing Strategies: Examining the Effectiveness

Immigration and Human Rights Essay Topics

  • The Effect of Border Controls on Family Separation and Human Rights
  • Enhancing Access to Education and Healthcare for Migrants: A Human Rights Perspective
  • The Intersection of Immigration and Gender Equality: Empowering Women and LGBTQ+ Individuals
  • Refugees and the Right to Dignity: A Global Responsibility
  • Labor Migration and the Right to Work: Overcoming Barriers and Ensuring Fairness
  • Protecting the Rights of Undocumented Migrants: Balancing Security and Humanity
  • Climate Change and Forced Displacement: Environmental Factors and Human Rights
  • Immigration and Racial Discrimination: Challenging Prejudice and Ensuring Equality
  • International Law and the Protection of Migrant Rights
  • Alternatives to Immigration Detention: Ensuring Human Rights Compliance
  • Addressing Xenophobia and Hate Crimes Against Migrants
  • The Right to Seek Asylum: International Obligations and Domestic Realities
  • Immigration Policies and the Right to Privacy: Balancing Security and Individual Liberties
  • Indigenous Rights and Land Ownership in the Context of Migration
  • Immigration, Nationalism, and the Preservation of Human Rights
  • Protecting the Rights of Migrant Children: Ending Detention and Ensuring Well-Being
  • Labor Exploitation in the Context of Migration: Ensuring Fair Working Conditions
  • Deportation Procedures and Human Rights: Examining Due Process and Protection Against Torture
  • Media Influence on Public Perception of Immigration and Human Rights
  • Economic Migration and Brain Drain: Challenges for Developing Nations and Human Rights
  • Immigration and Climate Justice: Addressing Displacement and Vulnerability
  • The Role of Education in Fostering Understanding and Empathy in Migration Contexts
  • Immigration, Health, and the Right to Healthcare for All

Immigration and Social Justice Essay Topics

  • Challenging Discrimination: Protecting LGBTQ+ Immigrants’ Social Justice
  • Supporting Mental Health and Well-Being of Immigrants through Social Justice
  • Environmental Justice and Its Connection to Immigration Policies
  • Humanitarian Crisis: Exploring the Social Justice Response to Refugee Immigration
  • Strengthening Social Bonds: Building Bridges Between Immigrant and Native Communities
  • Restorative Justice Approaches for Immigrants Facing Social Inequality
  • Racial Profiling and Its Impact on Social Justice for Immigrants
  • Empowering Undocumented Immigrants: A Path to Social Justice
  • Promoting Fair Wages and Workers’ Rights for Immigrants in Pursuit of Social Justice
  • Family Separation at the Border: Ethical Considerations and Social Justice
  • Integrating Immigrants: Fostering Social Justice Through Cultural Exchange
  • Collaborative Advocacy: Grassroots Movements for Immigration and Social Justice
  • Indigenous Rights and Immigration: Upholding Social Justice Principles
  • Balancing National Security and Social Justice in Immigration Policies
  • Intersectional Approaches to Social Justice in Refugee and Asylum Seeker Policies
  • Addressing Health Disparities among Immigrants Through Social Justice
  • Citizenship and Social Justice: Rethinking Access and Inclusion
  • Ethical Responsibilities of Immigration Enforcement in Social Justice Contexts
  • Countering Xenophobia: Promoting Social Justice for Immigrant Communities
  • Restoring Voting Rights: Fostering Political Social Justice for Immigrants

Immigration Essay Topics for Exam

  • Exploring the Effects of Immigration on Healthcare Systems
  • Evaluating the Economic Contributions of Skilled Migrants
  • Ethical Considerations in Border Control and Migration Enforcement
  • Analyzing the Impacts of Migration on Housing Markets
  • The Influence of Immigration on Political Landscapes
  • Promoting Entrepreneurship and Innovation among Migrants
  • Assessing the Effects of Migration on Cultural Traditions
  • The Importance of Integration and Language Acquisition for Migrants
  • Exploring the Impact of Migration on Environmental Sustainability
  • Examining the Role of Migration in Aging Societies
  • Challenges of Detention and Deportation in Migration Policies
  • Analyzing the Effects of Migration on Public Infrastructure
  • The Role of Migration in Addressing Demographic Challenges
  • Investigating the Impacts of Migration on Public Health
  • Promoting Human Rights in Migration Policies
  • Assessing Integration Programs for Migrant Communities
  • The Influence of Migration on Gender Dynamics
  • Exploring the Implications of Migration on National Security
  • Addressing the Psychological Effects of Migration on Individuals
  • The Role of Migration in Enhancing Global Diplomacy
  • Examining the Impacts of Migration on Rural Areas
  • Ensuring Fair and Just Migration Systems

Immigration Essay Topics: Job and Education

  • Leveraging Immigrant Entrepreneurs for Job Creation
  • Bridging the Skills Gap: Immigration and Vocational Training
  • Socioeconomic Benefits of Attracting Highly Educated Migrants
  • Protecting Immigrant Workers’ Rights and Ensuring Fair Employment
  • Ensuring Equal Educational Access for Migrant Children
  • Integrating Immigrants Into Higher Education Institutions
  • Cultivating Cross-Cultural Competence in the Workforce Through Migration
  • Challenges and Opportunities of International Student Migration
  • Supporting Immigrant Women in Job Placement and Career Advancement
  • Immigration Policies and Their Impact on Educational Institutions
  • Recognizing Foreign Qualifications for Employment
  • Immigration’s Roles in Promoting Innovation and Technological Advancement
  • Creating Pathways for Migrant Professionals in Emerging Industries
  • Promoting Global Competitiveness Through Migration and Education
  • Empowering Migrant Workers Through Continuing Education
  • Breaking Down Barriers: Promoting Inclusive Education for Migrant Communities
  • Migration and the Changing Work Landscape: Adaptation and Reskilling
  • Education’s Role in Facilitating Migrant Integration and Social Cohesion
  • Addressing Brain Drain: Strategies for Retaining Skilled Migrants
  • The Economic Impact of Migrant Students on Higher Education Institutions
  • Building Stronger Communities Through Workforce Integration

Immigration in the U.S. Topics

  • Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Migration Policies
  • Assimilation and Integration of Noncitizens in American Society
  • Ensuring Fair and Just Immigration Laws and Guidelines
  • Family-Based Migration and Reunification Policies
  • Immigration and National Security: Striking a Balance
  • Refugee Resettlement and Humanitarian Migration Programs
  • Supporting Education and Skill Development for Migrant Youth
  • Migration and Entrepreneurship: Fostering Innovation
  • Providing Healthcare Access for Immigrant Populations
  • Protecting the Rights and Well-Being of Migrant Workers
  • Migration and Cultural Contributions to American Society
  • Addressing Immigration Backlogs and Processing Delays
  • Border Control Strategies to Combat Irregular Migration
  • Immigrant Integration Programs: Effective Models and Best Practices
  • The Role of Migrants in Strengthening U.S. Communities
  • Supporting Legal Migration Pathways for Highly Skilled Individuals
  • Balancing Migration Enforcement With Due Process Rights
  • Migration and Climate Change: Adapting Policies for the Future
  • Migration and Public Safety: Collaborative Strategies
  • The Impact of Migration Policies on Local Economies
  • Protecting the Rights of Migrant Children and Families
  • Migration and Voting Rights: Ensuring Inclusion and Representation
  • Addressing Language Barriers and Promoting Linguistic Access
  • Enhancing Refugee Screening and Vetting Procedures

Immigration Policies and Reform Essay Topics

  • Empowering Undocumented Immigrants: Pathways to Legalization
  • Balancing National Security and Humanitarian Concerns in Immigration
  • Strengthening Family Reunification Policies: A Human Rights Perspective
  • Reducing Brain Drain: Encouraging Skilled Immigrants to Stay
  • Addressing the Social Integration of Immigrant Communities
  • Modernizing the Visa System: Streamlining Immigration Procedures
  • Protecting Immigrant Workers’ Rights in the Labor Market
  • Combating Human Trafficking through Immigration Policy Reform
  • Investing in Education for Immigrant Children: Breaking Barriers
  • Managing the Economic Impact of Immigration on Local Communities
  • Bridging the Gap: Improving Access to Healthcare for Immigrants
  • Building Stronger Ties: Promoting Cultural Exchange Programs
  • Promoting Entrepreneurship Among Immigrants: Economic Opportunities
  • Reimagining Detention Centers: Humanitarian Approaches to Immigration
  • Implementing Fair and Transparent Asylum Policies
  • Enhancing Language Acquisition Programs for New Immigrants
  • Promoting Diversity in the Workforce Through Immigration Policies
  • Supporting Immigrant Students: Access to Higher Education
  • Strengthening Collaboration Between Immigration and Law Enforcement
  • Promoting Civic Engagement and Political Participation Among Immigrants
  • Addressing the Challenges of Illegal Immigration: Policy Solutions
  • Protecting the Rights of LGBTQ+ Immigrants: Inclusivity Matters

Immigration Speech Topics

  • The Role of Immigrants in Global Peacekeeping Efforts
  • Impacts of Immigration on the Evolution of Modern Jazz Music
  • Immigration: A Driving Force Behind Language Diversity and Change
  • Evolution of Children’s Literature: Influence of Immigration
  • The Relationship Between Globalization and Seasonal Migration
  • Examining Immigration’s Influence on Fashion Industry Innovations
  • Immigration’s Roles in the Diversification of School Curricula
  • Migration and Its Impact on the Cosmetics Industry
  • The Consequences of Immigration for Aging Populations in Developed Nations
  • Immigration and Its Influence on Professional Wrestling
  • The Influence of Immigration on Public Transportation Infrastructure
  • Immigration’s Impact on the Availability and Demand for Affordable Housing
  • Transformation of Stand-Up Comedy Through the Lens of Immigration
  • Influences of Immigration on Traditional and Digital Animation
  • The Impact of Immigration on the Evolution of Podcasting
  • Immigration: Driving the Growth of the Fitness Industry
  • Impacts of Immigration on the Development of Smart Cities
  • The Role of Immigration in Fueling the Demand for Renewable Energy
  • Unveiling the Contribution of Immigrants in the World of Ballet
  • Effects of Immigration on Modern Architecture and Urban Planning
  • Immigration’s Influence on the Evolution of Modern Art Movements
  • Impacts of Immigration on the Innovation and Growth of the Aviation Industry

Immigration Thesis Topics

  • Evaluating the Influence of Immigration on the Popularity of Online Streaming Platforms
  • The Effect of Immigration on Cross-Cultural Management Practices
  • Unraveling the Impact of Immigration on Jazz and Blues Music
  • Immigration’s Influence on the Progression of Modern Sculpture Art
  • Immigration and Its Influence on International Academic Exchanges
  • Analyzing the Impact of Immigration on the World of Contemporary Dance
  • Immigration and Its Impact on E-Commerce Trends and Businesses
  • The Influence of Immigration on the Global Pharmaceutical Industry
  • The Role of Immigration in Advancing Renewable Energy Technologies
  • Migration and Its Effect on the Evolution of Science Fiction Literature
  • How Does Immigration Shape Global Perspectives in Academic Research?
  • The Impact of Immigration on the Globalization of Healthcare Services
  • Exploring Immigration’s Influence on Independent Film Movements
  • Immigration and Its Role in the Evolution of Mobile Technology
  • The Influence of Immigration on the Modernization of Traditional Crafts
  • Examining the Impact of Immigration on the Evolution of Social Media Platforms
  • Migration’s Role in the Development and Spread of Slang Languages
  • Influence of Immigration on the Advent of Contemporary Music Genres
  • Impacts of Immigration on Sustainable Agricultural Practices
  • Immigration and Its Influence on the Globalization of Comedy
  • Migration and Its Impact on the Popularity of Yoga and Mindfulness Practices
  • Examining the Role of Immigration in the Evolution of Virtual Learning
  • Unraveling Immigration’s Influence on the Transformation of Print Media

International Immigration Essay Topics

  • Assessing the Influence of Immigration on National Identity
  • Promoting Diversity and Inclusion Through International Migration
  • Investigating the Relationship Between Immigration and Crime Rates
  • Importance of Humanitarian Aid for Asylum Seekers and Refugees
  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Guest Worker Programs in Global Labor Markets
  • Evaluating the Role of Language Acquisition in Immigrant Integration
  • Ethics of Detention and Family Separation in Immigration
  • Examining Impacts of Brain Drain on Developing Nations
  • Challenges Faced by Undocumented Immigrants in Accessing Healthcare
  • Enhancing Social Cohesion in Diverse Societies: Lessons From Successful Models
  • Exploring Psychological Effects of Immigration on Individuals and Families
  • Roles of Immigration in Shaping Political Landscapes
  • Economic Impact of Skilled Migration on Host Countries
  • Integration of Immigrants into Educational Systems: Strategies and Best Practices
  • Analyzing the Role of Remittances in Global Economic Development
  • Understanding Push and Pull Factors of International Migration
  • Implications of Climate Change on Immigration Patterns
  • Intersectionality of Gender and Migration
  • Examining the Role of Diaspora Communities in Transnational Development
  • Influence of Immigration on Social Welfare Systems
  • Promoting Refugee Rights and Protection in International Law

Personal Immigration Topics

  • Family Reunification for Migrants
  • Refugee Resettlement and Its Effect on Individuals
  • Entrepreneurship as a Path in Immigration
  • Educational Opportunities for Migrants
  • Access to Healthcare for Immigrants
  • Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the Immigration Experience
  • The Process of Naturalization for Newcomers
  • Advocacy for Immigrant Rights
  • Socioeconomic Mobility in the Context of Immigration
  • Dual Citizenship and the Immigration Journey
  • Balancing Assimilation and Cultural Preservation in Migration
  • Humanitarian Aid and its Impact on Personal Immigration
  • Contributions of Immigrants to Society
  • Social Networks and Support Systems for Newcomers
  • Political Participation and Engagement of Immigrants
  • Skilled Worker Programs and Employment Immigration
  • Immigration Policies: Challenges and Opportunities
  • Exploring Transnational Identities in the Immigration Experience
  • Immigrant Entrepreneurship and Job Creation
  • Addressing Discrimination and Xenophobia in Migration
  • Mental Health Support for Immigrants
  • Housing and Settlement Considerations for Newcomers

Pros and Cons of Immigration: Essay Ideas

  • Health Services: The Pros and Cons of Immigration on Healthcare Systems
  • Security Concerns: Advantages and Disadvantages of Immigration Policies for National Security
  • Global Perspectives: Pros and Cons of International Migration on Diplomatic Relations
  • Brain Drain: Benefits and Drawbacks of Skilled Immigration on Developing Nations
  • Family Reunification: The Positive and Negative Aspects of Immigration for Families
  • Environmental Impact: Pros and Cons of Immigration on Natural Resources and Sustainability
  • Labor Force: Advantages and Disadvantages of Immigrant Workers on Industries
  • Social Welfare: Benefits and Drawbacks of Immigration on Government Assistance Programs
  • Entrepreneurship: The Pros and Cons of Immigrant Business Owners in the Economy
  • Urbanization: Positive and Negative Effects of Immigration on Cities and Infrastructure
  • Cultural Exchange: Advantages and Disadvantages of Immigrants’ Influence on Art and Literature
  • Political Landscape: Pros and Cons of Immigration on Voter Demographics and Political Shifts
  • Technological Innovation: Benefits and Drawbacks of Immigrant Contributions to Science and Technology
  • Aging Population: The Positive and Negative Aspects of Immigration for Elderly Care
  • Social Services: Pros and Cons of Providing Support to Immigrants in Host Countries
  • Brain Gain: Advantages and Disadvantages of Attracting Highly Skilled Immigrants
  • Border Control: The Pros and Cons of Immigration Enforcement Strategies
  • Social Cohesion: Benefits and Drawbacks of Immigration on Community Relations
  • Remittances: Positive and Negative Effects of Immigrants’ Financial Contributions to Home Countries
  • Housing Market: Pros and Cons of Immigration on Affordable Housing Availability
  • Humanitarian Considerations: The Positive and Negative Aspects of Welcoming Refugees

Refugee and Asylum Seeker Essay Topics

  • The Significance of Cultural Exchange Initiatives for Refugee Integration
  • Understanding the Legal Frameworks for Asylum Seeker Rights
  • Promoting Mental Health Services for Traumatized Displaced Individuals
  • Examining the Impacts of Climate Change on Forced Migration Patterns
  • The Role of Technology in Facilitating Refugee Assistance and Communication
  • Assessing the Implications of Detention Policies for Asylum Seekers
  • Understanding the Challenges Faced by LGBTQ+ Refugees and Displaced Persons
  • Analyzing the Impact of Refugee Policies on Global Displacement Trends
  • Evaluating the Health Disparities Experienced by Displaced Communities
  • The Importance of Family Reunification for Refugee Integration
  • Exploring the Role of Community Sponsorship Programs for Forced Migrants
  • Assessing the Implications of Border Control Measures on Asylum Seekers
  • Focusing on the Cultural Preservation Efforts of Refugee Communities
  • Investigating the Role of Religion in Providing Support to Displaced Persons
  • Addressing the Impact of Refugee Resettlement Initiatives on Host Communities
  • The Significance of Language Acquisition for Refugee Integration
  • Exploring the Challenges Faced by Unaccompanied Minor Asylum Seekers
  • Evaluating the Role of Refugee Entrepreneurs in Host Country Economies
  • Assessing the Implications of Xenophobia on Refugee Integration
  • Understanding the Role of Volunteerism in Supporting Forced Migrant Settlement
  • Explaining the Mental Health Consequences of Indefinite Asylum Processing
  • The Significance of Gender Equality in Refugee Protection and Assistance

Worldwide Immigration Topics

  • Refugee Crisis and Humanitarian Migrations
  • Brain Drain and Skilled Emigration
  • Family Reunification Policies and Migration
  • Immigration Detention Practices
  • Cultural Diversity and Global Migration
  • Human Trafficking and International Migration
  • Language Acquisition in Immigrant Communities
  • Employment Opportunities for Global Migrants
  • Immigration and National Security Measures
  • Education Systems and Immigrant Students
  • Healthcare Access for Migrant Populations
  • Climate Change-Induced Migration
  • Social Welfare Systems and Immigrants
  • Immigrant Entrepreneurship and Innovations
  • Dual Citizenship and Transnational Migrants
  • Urbanization and the Global Migration Phenomenon
  • Labor Market Implications of Immigration
  • Assimilation vs. Multicultural Policies
  • Public Opinion on Immigration
  • Globalization and the Migration Patterns
  • Border Control and Immigration Measures

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Immigration to America — Argumentative Why Immigration Should Be Legal

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Argumentative Why Immigration Should Be Legal

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Published: Mar 25, 2024

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Federal Government On Improving Immigration Laws Argumentative Essays Examples

Type of paper: Argumentative Essay

Topic: Law , United States , Immigration , America , Politics , Migration , Workplace , Family

Words: 2750

Published: 03/24/2020

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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND IMMIGRATION REFORMS INTRODUCTION On November 20 2014, President Obama spoke on immigration and stated, “We were strangers once, too. And whether our forebears were strangers who crossed the Atlantic, or the Pacific, or the Rio Grande, we are here only because this country welcomed them in, and taught them that to be an American is about something more than what we look like, or what our last names are, or how we worship”. The United States of America has existed as a country with many immigrants originating from those who initially crossed the bridge that connected North America and Asia years ago. By the 16th century, the initiatory Europeans led by the French and the Spanish had started establishing their settlements in what would emerge as the United States. The English established their initial permanent settlements in the United States of America, the Virginia Colony at Jamestown. In 1886, the erection of the Statue of Liberty on an island in the New York Harbor saw millions of individuals including women, children and men from virtually every corner of the world arriving and starting new lives in America. These people came into a country settled by individuals from other regions and lands, a nation developed and founded by the immigrants and their offspring. There has been no migration in all recorded history to match it. Therefore, President Obama together with the United States’ Congress must find humanitarian solutions to the crisis of immigration involving millions of individuals including children, women and men who leave their homelands in search of their American dream. Moreover, the Federal Government should support the Executive Action of the President on all levels on deferring for the noncriminal and undocumented immigrants whose living in the United States has had significant contribution to the economy and national security of the American society.

STEPS GOVERNMENT SHOULD TAKE TO SOLVE THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM

According to President Obama’s common sense proposal for immigration reform, the government should take four elemental steps of solving the immigration problem. The first step is continuing to strengthen the border security. Doubling the number of agents of border patrol has resulted in a stronger border security. The proposal of the President provides law enforcement and the tools required to make the US community safer from crime. Through enhancing border security in terms of technology and infrastructure, the country and continue strengthening its ability to remove the criminals deemed to be illegal immigrants and prosecute the national security threats. The second step is to crack down on the companies and organizations hiring the undocumented workers. Businesses in the United States should only employ the individuals with legal authorization to work in the country. The business organizations and institutions that knowingly employ the undocumented workers are perceived to exploit the system and gain advantage over other businesses. As such, the reform has to stop such unfair practices of hiring and hold the involved companies accountable. The third step is through earned citizenship. The immigration reform should provide the undocumented immigrants with a legal way of earning citizenship that will encourage these individuals to come into the light and start paying taxes and living by the given rules and laws as everyone else. The illegal immigrants should be held responsible for their actions through passing of criminal and national security background checks, paying the required taxes and learning English before earning their citizenship. Moreover, there will be no uncertainty concerning their capacity to become citizens of the United States if they meet the provided eligibility criteria. The immigration reform should not punish the innocent young individuals brought to the country by their parents and provide them with a chance of earning citizenship more quickly if they pursue higher education or serve in the military. The forth step is streamlining the legal immigration, which should involve rewarding any individual willing to work hard and abide by the laws of the country. For the sake of the economy and security of the country, the legal immigration has to be efficient. The immigration reforms should attract the best minds to the country through the provision of visas to the foreign entrepreneurs seeking to establish businesses in the country. Additionally, the attraction can involve assisting the most promising graduate students from foreign countries in math and science to stay in the country after graduating. Immigrants promote the economy of the United States. John F Kennedy once suggested that every single aspect of the economy of the United States has profited majorly from the contributions of then immigrants. Immigrants originate from all corners of the world. As such, the diverse knowledge, ideologies, and perspectives enhance entrepreneurship and innovation, which are the real stimuli for job creating (Michael and Preston). The key economic benefit of giving pathways to earned citizenship is through bringing the immigrant workers into light. As such, they will can find above ground employment opportunities, advance their career lines and contribute fully to the economy. Historically, the United States has been a magnet for hardworking and capable immigrants seeking opportunities and better lives. Various studies show that the passing of comprehensive reforms on immigration will increase the gain in economy by over $1.5 trillion in ten years and decrease the deficit by approximately $1 trillion in twenty years (Michael and Preston). The immigrants do not only exists as exceptional innovators and workers, but also are highly entrepreneurial. A study revealed that immigrants started 25% of the venture capital organizations and companies between 1991 and 2006 (Birdsong Leonard). Another study conducted by Partnership for a New American Economy revealed that the immigrants founded over 40% of the Fortune 500 companies. With a slow population growth and an aging workforce in America, the country needs more workers. As such, immigration can boost the economy through adding workers and making the labor force more dynamic and younger. The broken immigration system threatens the family unit. Such a system imposes unnecessary waiting times for sponsorships, which leaves millions of families and individuals waiting for unification for long periods. The strength of America as a nation also originates from the strength of the families. According to a report in November 2012 of the advocacy group based in New York, at least 5,100 children are currently living in foster cares. Such children are prevented from uniting with their deported or detained parents. If there is no humane change in the immigration policies, approximately 15,000 more children are likely to face such a fate in five years time (Birdsong Leonard). Having children in the foster care is costly to the government. Unfavorable and less humanitarian immigration policies will increase the number of children in foster care. As such, maintaining the children in these foster care institutions will cost the citizens and the government more money. Keeping and maintaining the family unit would be beneficial to all parties. The situations of undocumented victims of gender-based violence or domestic abuse could be more tragic with unfavorable and less humanitarian immigration policies (Spickard Paul). That is, staying with either the abusers and suffering the violent attacks or risking the detention and possible loss of children through speaking out. Instead of enhancing the deportation of hardworking and nation building citizens, the President and the Federal Government have to use those resources to deport the perceived gang members. The priority will reduce the instances of tragic losses when families become separated by unnecessary deportations. The individuals against the claim also argue that the illegal immigrants increase the competition for jobs, hence taking jobs from the American workers. There is also a belief that the United States has at least 11 million residents who are illegal and nearly one million arrive in the country every year (Clarence Page). As such, opponents argue that the undocumented immigrants increase the potential for territories that enter the United States. However, studies reveal that most of the Americans would notice a minimal difference in their payments if the illegal immigrants were to disappear from the United States. Clarence Page supports that the Americans do not hook themselves on cheap labor as much as they do at cheap prices (Clarence Page). As such, illegal immigration becomes attractive because the cheaper labor results in cheaper prices for the services or the goods that the cheap labor produces. The issue of border security also suggests the need for having humanitarian policies of immigration and foreign relations in the United States. For instance, on 14 November 2007, there was a fire outbreak at the Anchorage Inn, a landmark near the US-Quebec border in Rouses Point (Bischoff Henry). Under the mutual aid agreement, firefighters from Quebec were called by the local county for help. However, the US CBP officials stopped a Canadian truck of firefighters and by the time these officials were determined to permit the firefighters into the country, the structure had already burned to the ground. However, according to Richard Gonzales, the immigrants represent a minimal percentage of the healthcare expenses in the United States and use the emergency rooms less frequently than the native citizens do. Gonzales argues that the rising cost in the healthcare system is a result of managed care and malpractice awards and not the uninsured illegal or undocumented immigrants. Although the immigrants pay the Medicare payroll and other provided taxes, they often receive less than half as much of the healthcare as native-born families. Additionally, the immigrant children receive 74% less of the healthcare than the US-born children receive (Gonzales Richard).

COUNTER ARGUMENTS

On the other hand, opponents have argued that immigration is a disadvantage to the United States. As such, opponents hold that President together with the United States’ Congress should not find humanitarian solutions to the crisis of immigration involving millions of individuals including children, women and men who leave their homelands in search of their American dream (Bischoff Henry). Moreover, they maintain that there have to be radical measures of dealing with immigrants because of the negative effects that they pose to the country. First, one of the potential disadvantages of immigration in the United States is the cost that it places on the taxpayers and the government agencies. For the Department of Homeland Security that administers the immigrations and US citizenship services to ensure no immigrants represent threats to the country, it requires expenditure at various levels, including processing citizenship, personal interviews, naturalization testing for the new immigrants and background checks (Bischoff Henry). The undocumented immigrants who are not taxpaying citizens place a financial strain on the American system of operation and organization. Such immigrants move to the impoverished regions of the country where they join the already overwhelmed job market. As such, the immigrants who fail securing an elaborate means of support may end up relying on the federal and local social services like subsidized housing or food stamps (Birdsong Leonard). As such, they strain the entire system of financial operations. Undocumented immigrants can lead to policy problems in the country. Despite having favorable and humanitarian immigration policies by the President, the Congress or the federal government, states can adopt policies or laws that restrict rights of the immigrants. As an example of such problems is the controversial law of 2010 in Arizona (Birdsong Leonard). This law required that the immigrants show proof of their legal status when asked by the police. As such, there is an emergence of political tension surrounding the immigration policies, which can make the immigration prospect to the United States daunting for anti-immigrant discrimination. Immigrants have been associated with public assistance and poverty. There is a growing education gap between the native citizens and the recent immigrants (Birdsong Leonard). As a result, most of the immigrants have access to low-income jobs and are likely to rely on the public assistance (Anderson Stuart). Since the local and state governments pay most of the welfare benefits, the native citizens in states that have high immigrant levels pay more in terms of taxes to assist in the support of the indigent immigrants. Immigration has always been associated with population increase. It is one of the most significant factors that contribute to the population increase in the United States. According to the Center for Migration Studies, the increase is due not only to the numbers of the immigrants, but also to their greater tendency of having more offspring than the native citizens have. It is predictable that by 2050, the United States will reach 439 million in terms of population with the immigrants making up 70% of the total increase in that population (Anderson Stuart). A large percentage of immigrants are associated with violence and drugs and such individuals not require humanitarian policies. The Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs suggests that up to 90% of the cocaine sold in the US is smuggled through Mexico (Alden Edward). Moreover, Mexico is the world’s largest producer of marijuana and methamphetamine. Most of the undocumented Mexican immigrants have been found trying to smuggle drugs into the United States. Moreover, the violence of the drug cartels of Mexico and other immigrant groups as well is finding its way across the American border. Wage suppression is another elemental disadvantage caused by the undocumented immigrants. Many immigration and labor analysts believe that that the undocumented immigrants have a negative impact on the job opportunities and wages for the low-skill workers. As such, the downward pressure on the ages is so immense that there is a need for all-out efforts to crack down on the companies and organizations that hire the undocumented workers (Anderson Stuart). Lastly, undocumented immigrants affect the technological costs. The unskilled immigrants fill a considerable need in many manufacturing sectors of the United States economy (Alden Edward). However, since there is a considerably large pool of unskilled and cheap immigrant labor, it could lead the employers to fail to adopt new technology.

The immigration reform has to establish a fair process that respects family unity and human dignity. Breaking down the legal barriers for the undocumented workers would lead to immediate gains in the economy and long-term benefits for the American society (Spickard Paul). The authorization would increase the existent substantial consumption and spending power of the unauthorized residents. Additionally, the anticipated effects would ripple through the national economy. Offering an avenue for citizenship to the millions of undocumented residents will expand the economy because this group of individuals will invest in education, find gainful employment and pay taxes. Granting of legal status for the unauthorized immigrants would also strengthen the national social safety net (Herman Richard). The immigration policies should also consider the process of child welfare and immigration enforcement to ensure that the families do not separate and allow parents to make favorable decisions for the custody and care of their children. A signed executive order by President Obama would allow for up to five million undocumented individuals, especially the non-citizens to move into the light of the Society of America and boost the economy. A united workforce is strong and the labor movement gains more strength when open to all the workers regardless of their origin (Herman Richard).

Works Cited

Alden, Edward. “The Crossing of the American Border.” HarperCollins Publisher. New York. 2008. Anderson, Stuart. Immigration. ABC-CLIO, LLC. Santa Barbara, CA. 2010. Print. Birdsong, Leonard. Immigration. Obama must act now! Winghurst Publications, Orlando, FL. 2014. Digital file. Bischoff, Henry. “Immigration Issues.” Greenwood Press. Westport, Connecticut, London. 2002. Clarence, Page. “Our Make-Believe Immigration Policy.” Liberal Opinion Week. 25 May. 2005 Gonzales, Richard. “Don’t Make Immigrants the Health Care Scapegoat.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 24 August. 2005. Herman, Richard. Immigrant, Inc. Why Immigrant Entrepreneurs Are Driving the New Economy. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. 2010. Digital file. Spickard, Paul. Almost All Aliens. Taylor& Francis Group, LLC. Milton Park, Abington. 2007. Digital file. Shear, Michael D., and Julia Preston. "Obama Pushed 'Fullest Extent' of His Powers." New York Times 29 Nov. 2014: A1 (L). Academic OneFile. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. The Economics of Commonsense Immigration Reform. Economic Report of the President. 2013. Digital file.

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Arizona Immigration Law: What For? Argumentative Essay

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Why the law?

Is the law justified, opinion and conclusion, works cited.

Being a border state, Arizona has always battled with the immigration debate with the intention of curbing Mexicans from crossing over from their country and settling in the state. In the past, the limelight had been on Joe Arpio, the Maricopa county sheriff known for his tough stance on immigration in his county.

Lately though, the signing of an immigration law that seems to curtail the freedom of the people by Governor Jan Brewer rattled some feathers not only in the state, but in the larger US and among the human right circles. Even Mexican president who had for the better part of the immigration row kept mum said that the new law “opens the door to intolerance, hate, discrimination and abuse in law enforcement” (MacAskill 2).

So is the criticism by the UN right experts as reported by Eliane Engeler for the Associated Press justified? Well, according to the article, the UN experts claim that the Arizona Immigration Law is an affront to human right regulation set in the United States.

Further, they claim that the law is against the US constitution, which protect citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures by the law enforcement officers. According to MacAskill, the law gives police in Arizona the powers to stop people they suspect to be illegal immigrants for questioning (3).

It is feared that in the border state that a sizeable number of legal Latinos residing therein, the law will lead to victimization and unwarranted, unjustifiable searches, which will have racist connotations since they will target “suspicious looking and sounding” people.

Among the issues raised by the UN experts is the fact that Arizona has an obligation to uphold the human rights of people living within its jurisdiction. With the discriminative law in place, it is hard to imagine that the Latinos, who will always be suspected of being aliens because of their skin color and their accents will have any rights in the state.

Among the controversial provisions in the law is a requirement that obligates residents in Arizona to always carry their registration documents. The law also requires the police to question any person they suspect is an alien in the state. Additionally, the law states that any legal American who knowingly transports and hires illegal immigrants will be liable to legal action (Bash et al. 2).

Before taking sides against the criticism leveled at the law, however it is important to understand what motivated the passing of such a law. Writing for the Guardian Newspapers, Tran observes that Arizona has faced years of frustrations trying to curb illegal immigration from Mexico (7).

To fate, the state remains the single largest entry-point of illegal immigrants into the United States. Apart from this, a sizeable number of the immigrants (approximately 460,000); reside in the state thus straining the State resources.

Critics claim that though the immigrants use the state resources such as health facilities, schools and basic infrastructure, they do not contribute to the State’s taxes mainly because of their illegal status. More to this, the increased crime rates in the state, which include kidnappings and drug trafficking is blamed on the huge influx of immigrants who due to lack of skills often cannot earn enough money to support their lifestyles (Tran 7).

According to Engeler, human right experts working with the United Nations are adamant that no situation in Arizona warrants such a law (3). They specifically take offence with the law because it opens the legal doors to justify legal profiling in a state where Latinos have suffered under suspicion of being aliens irrespective of the fact that a good percentage of them have registration documents.

Riccardi notes that even the law enforcement officers who will be charged with the responsibility of upholding the law once its enacted as law later in July, 2010 are aware of the racist and discriminative nature of the law(2).

A case in point is a police officer whose patrol duties lies near a school in Phoenix, lodged a complaint in court claiming that the law will force him to stop school going children in order to ascertain if they are in the state illegally.

Amid the criticisms raised by the public and human right activists, it is notable that lawmakers in Arizona made some changes in the initial bill signed by the state governor and ostensibly removed words that encouraged racial profiling.

The revised law now requires police officers to scrutinize the immigration status of people who have been stopped at police checks, detained or arrested. The law also bars the use of race as the basis for scrutinizing people.

In a state where most Latinos are suspected of being illegal immigrants, it is hard to imagine how police officers will restrain from using race as a reason for scrutiny. Besides, most illegal immigrants are from Mexico and thus more prone to being stopped by police because of their skin color.

It’s hard to imagine Arizona without the Latino community, most of who perform the manual labor that the ordinary well educated American would find hard to do. To say the least, America has benefited greatly from the immigrants who enter the country by the thousands annually. The contribution that such immigrants have on the country’s growth and development cannot be understated.

Rather than enforce a law that will have bad social connotation not only in Arizona but also in the wider United States of America, the lawmakers in Arizona should work at ensuring that the border patrols are more stringent and that only legal migrants are allowed entry into the state in future.

It is also worth noting that immigrants who beat all odds to enter the state from Mexico always do so in search of a better life. This essay holds the opinion that as human beings, the immigrants should be given a chance to work and live in Arizona or other states provided they do not contravene social laws that uphold the welfare of the residence of Arizona.

The argument that they do not contribute to the welfare of the state besides straining the resources such as schools, health facilities and housing still does not hold any water. By working for American employers, they contribute to the welfare of the state albeit indirectly.

With political will and the right legislation, this essay holds the opinion that the immigrants can contribute taxes to the state and hence pay back to the state for the resources they use while residing therein. Overall however, the law is archaic and needs not find a place in modern day America since it goes against the very precepts of human rights and freedoms.

Bash, Dana, Hornick, Ed, &Keck, Kristi. What Does Arizona Immigration Law Do ? CNN. 2010. Web

Engeler, Eliane. UN rights Experts Criticize Arizona Law . Associated Press . 2010. Web.

MacAskill, Ewen. Arizona Immigration Law Encourages Police Abuse, Says Mexican President . The Guardian . 2010. Web.

Riccardi, Nicholas. Arizona Lawmakers Modify immigration Law . Los Angeles Time s. 2010. Web.

Tran, Mark. Obama Administration to Sue Arizona over Migrant Laws . The Guardian. 2010. Web.

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  • Racial Profiling by Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office
  • “Arizona Immigration Law Debate Triggers National Shockwaves” by Nowicki
  • Benefits of Racial Profiling
  • US Proposed Plan for Reducing Security Threat by Mexican Drug Cartels
  • Concepts of Corruption as Threat of Security
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  • Chicago (A-D)
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Guest Essay

Do Politicians Realize How Difficult and Rare Immigrating to the U.S. Legally Actually Is?

An illustration of a figure going into and out of a green door. There is a sign on the wall that says “this way” with an arrow pointing to the right.

By Jorge Loweree

Mr. Loweree is the managing director of programs and strategy at the American Immigration Council.

During the Republican National Convention, speakers repeatedly tried to draw a contrast between asylum seekers who’ve crossed the southern border in recent years and immigrants who’ve entered the country through other channels. As Vivek Ramaswamy put it, legal immigrants like his parents “deserve the opportunity to secure a better life for your children in America.” Others deserve deportation, “because you broke the law.”

Elected leaders like to invoke this narrative that there’s an easy, “right” and a hard, “wrong” way to immigrate to the United States, because it makes the solution for fixing our broken immigration system seem simple. We just need more law-abiding people to get in the right line.

But the reality that is all too clear to immigrants navigating our byzantine system, and the lawyers and advocates who try to help them, is that there is no line to get into for a vast majority of people who wish to come to the United States. If the government is serious about securing the border, we have to make it easier for people to come through legal channels.

The U.S. admits a tiny fraction of people who want to immigrate

Number of people who said they want to immigrate or who legally applied, compared to those granted permanent residence

immigration laws argumentative essay

158 million people would like to immigrate to the U.S.

32 million people actually began the application process in 2021

family members

Only 900,000 people were allowed to enter legally

immigration laws argumentative essay

Sources: Gallup, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Note: Data was originally compiled in “ Why Legal Immigration Is Nearly Impossible ” by David Bier for the Cato Institute. The number of people who would like to immigrate is taken from a 2018 Gallup poll.

Our system of legal immigration isn’t set up to reward “good” choices. It is littered with arbitrary caps, bureaucratic delays and redundant processes that wring years of effort and money out of the precious few who qualify.

The current system is largely designed to favor those who have family ties here: namely, spouses, parents and adult children who are U.S. citizens and spouses and children of lawful permanent residents.

For some countries, the wait time to get a family-based visa stretches into centuries

Estimated wait time for family-sponsored visas in capped categories as of 2021

immigration laws argumentative essay

Visa for an unmarried adult child

Philippines

Married adult child

Sibling of adult citizens

YEARS TO PROCESS

immigration laws argumentative essay

All other countries

Sources: U.S. State Department, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Note: Data was originally compiled in “ Why Legal Immigration Is Nearly Impossible ” by David Bier for the Cato Institute. “All other countries” represents the average.

The green card approval rate is at a historic low point

Share of legal immigrants that were approved for permanent residency

immigration laws argumentative essay

GREEN CARD APPROVAL RATE

Until the 1920s, almost anyone could arrive in the U.S. and be granted permanent residency.

Rates rose during the 1960s when Congress added new visa categories and exceptions to allow more people to immigrate.

They fell in the 1980s after the creation of the green card lottery, as many more people began applying.

immigration laws argumentative essay

Sources: U.S. Department of State, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service

Note: Data was originally compiled in “ Why Legal Immigration Is Nearly Impossible ” by David Bier for the Cato Institute.

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About 500K undocumented immigrants will benefit from this executive order. How to apply

immigration laws argumentative essay

President Joe Biden's executive order Keeping Families Together went into effect Monday, initiating a process that could allow over half a million family members of U.S. citizens to stay in the country legally, the Department of Homeland Security announced.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will begin accepting requests as of Aug. 19 to grant parole-in-place to eligible noncitizen spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens who are present in the country without lawful immigration status.

The notice follows Biden’s June directive to expand lawful pathways to keep families together and address "our broken immigration system."

“This is something that will help members of a community, people who have been working, contributing (to) and building their families in this country,” said Ben Monterroso, co-founder and senior advisor at Poder Latinx, a nationwide civic and social justice organization dedicated to building and strengthening Latino political power.

The Department of Homeland Security estimates that more than two-thirds of noncitizens who are married to U.S. citizens are present in the country without due admission or parole, which makes them ineligible for status adjustment. Under the Keeping Families Together process, 500,000 noncitizen spouses and 50,000 noncitizen stepchildren may qualify for parole-in-place.

“Too often, noncitizen spouses of U.S. citizens — many of them mothers and fathers — live with uncertainty due to undue barriers in our immigration system,” said Ur M. Jaddou, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, in a statement. “This process to keep U.S. families together will remove these undue barriers for those who would otherwise qualify to live and work lawfully in the U.S., while also creating greater efficiencies in the immigration system, conducting effective screening and vetting, and focusing on noncitizens who contribute to and have longstanding connections within American communities across the country.”

Applicants who are granted parole through this process and are eligible could then apply for lawful permanent residence without having to leave the country.

“We have an opportunity to start coming out of the shadows of society and to continue contributing and living lives in this country, especially the half a million eligible to become legal permanent residents, to move on and to become U.S. citizens,” Monterroso said, adding he encourages everyone with the opportunity to apply to do so as soon as possible even amidst the current political climate, which may spook some potential applicants.

“I was legalized through the amnesty of the 80s,” he said, referring to the Simpson-Mazzoli Act of 1986 enacted by President Ronald Reagan that offered legalization and prospective naturalization to undocumented migrants and farm workers who entered the country prior to 1982.

Birthright citizenship in the U.S.: GOP candidates want to end it. Here's what to know

Besides the immigration reform in the 80s, Monterroso said a similar process occurred during the enactment of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program established by President Barack Obama in 2012 that prompted fear among eligible individuals to put their names in official papers saying they were present in this country.

“The bottom line is we are here, we cannot (remain) invisible and afraid of being known. We have an opportunity to benefit and move forward with a legalized process in the U.S.,” he said.

Monterroso said Poder Latinx will continue its efforts to educate the community on the process and their rights, keeping in mind that the biggest opportunity citizens of this country have will come in November. 

“This is a step in the right direction, but it’s by no means the solution we need. We cannot ignore the fact that we have millions of others who also deserve an opportunity to come out of the shadows,” he said, adding that this is a problem that cannot be fixed solely through executive orders but through proper legislation.

“Those who are families, (those) married to a citizen should be able to participate in the elections to make sure elected officials do the right thing for everyone in this country,” Monterroso said.

Who is eligible to apply for the parole-in-place program?

Eligibility requirements for noncitizen spouses include having been continuously physically present in the country since June 17, 2014, and marriage to a U.S. citizen on or before June 17, 2024.

Applying noncitizen stepchildren must have been under the age of 21 and unmarried on June 17, 2024, and continuously physically present in the country since at least that date. Stepchildren must have a noncitizen parent married to a U.S. citizen on or before June 17, 2024, and before their 18th birthday.

Both noncitizen spouses and stepchildren must be in the country without admission or parole and have no disqualifying criminal history.

How to apply for the parole-in-place program

Interested and eligible individuals must file an Application for Parole in Place for Certain Noncitizen Spouses and Stepchildren of U.S. Citizens, or Form I-131F , by creating an account online and paying a $580 fee.

No fee waiver requests are accepted for this process, according to the USCIS website.

Immigration resources in Arizona

Many organizations in Arizona currently offer services that can assist immigrant community members and may assist in filing this form:

Poder Latinx  hosts workshops throughout the year that help immigrants apply for residency and become naturalized citizens. Find them at 1616 E. Indian School Road, Suite 480, Phoenix, [email protected],  https://poderlatinx.org/ .

Latinos United for Change in Arizona  offers help with DACA applications, residency renewals and the naturalization process. Find them at 5716 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix, 602-388-9745,  https://www.luchaaz.org/ .

Phoenix Legal Action Network  offers legal support for non-detained immigrants in Arizona by representing them before court in immigration cases. Find them at 602-730-1726, [email protected],  https://planphx.org/ .

The Florence Project  offers legal representation for detained immigrants and education services related to immigration processes in Arizona. Find them at Phoenix line 602-307-1008, Tucson line 520-777-5600, [email protected],  https://firrp.org/ .

La Voz reporter Erick Treviño contributed to this article.

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