View Point.

Front 1

Ojeda, Raul Hinojosa. "Immigration Reform Can Benefit the US Economy." What Is the Future of the US Economy? Ed. Ronald D. Lankford, Jr. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from "Raising the Floor for American Workers." 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 1

1. Comprehensive Immigration reform: Create a pathway to legal status for unauthorized immigrants already living in the United States, and establish new, flexible legal limits on permanent and temporary immigration that respond to changes in U.S. labor demand in the future.
2. A program for temporary workers only: Develop a new temporary-worker program for currently unauthorized immigrants and future immigrants that does not include a pathway to permanent status for unauthorized immigrants or more flexible legal limits on permanent immigration in the future.
3. Mass deportation: Expel all unauthorized immigrants from the United States and effectively seal the U.S.-Mexico border to future immigration. This is not a realistic scenario, but it is useful for comparison purposes.

Front 2

Ojeda, Raul Hinojosa. "Immigration Reform Can Benefit the US Economy." What Is the Future of the US Economy? Ed. Ronald D. Lankford, Jr. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from "Raising the Floor for American Workers." 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 2

illegal immigration has continued unabated. Unfortunately, illegal immigrants are forced to take the lowest paying jobs in an effort to avoid being deported. The low wages paid illegal immigrants, however, drives down all wages. With reform, legalized immigrants would no longer be underpaid, creating an income "floor" that would benefit all American workers. Better paid workers would also be better consumers and tax payers, benefiting the economy in hard-times.

Front 3

Ojeda, Raul Hinojosa. "Immigration Reform Can Benefit the US Economy." What Is the Future of the US Economy? Ed. Ronald D. Lankford, Jr. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from "Raising the Floor for American Workers." 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 3

The number of unauthorized immigrants in the United States has increased dramatically since the early 1990s despite equally dramatic increases in the amount of money the federal government spends on immigration enforcement. The U.S. Border Patrol's annual budget has increased by 714 percent since 1992—the year before the current era of concentrated immigration enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border—from $326.2 million in Fiscal Year 1992 to $2.7 billion in FY 2009

Front 4

Ojeda, Raul Hinojosa. "Immigration Reform Can Benefit the US Economy." What Is the Future of the US Economy? Ed. Ronald D. Lankford, Jr. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from "Raising the Floor for American Workers." 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 4

Depressing low-wage labor markets. The enhanced enforcement regime moves unauthorized workers further underground, lowering their pay, and ironically, creating a greater demand for unauthorized workers. A 2008 report from the Atlanta Federal Reserve analyzes how this vicious cycle is activated and expands as firms find themselves forced to compete for the supply of cheaper, unauthorized labor. When a firm cuts costs by hiring unauthorized workers for lower wages, its competitors become more likely to hire unauthorized workers for lower wage, as well, in order to benefit from the same cost savings.

Front 5

Ojeda, Raul Hinojosa. "Immigration Reform Can Benefit the US Economy." What Is the Future of the US Economy? Ed. Ronald D. Lankford, Jr. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from "Raising the Floor for American Workers." 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 5

The results of our modeling ... suggest that comprehensive immigration reform would increase U.S. GDP by at least 0.84 percent. Note that 0.84 percent is the projected increase in GDP level, not an increase in the long-term growth rate. GDP each year would be 0.84 percent higher than it otherwise would have been. The additional GDP would have equaled $120 billion if reforms were fully effective and their effect fully realized in 2009. Using 10-year GDP projections prepared by the Congressional Budget Office, adding 0.84 percent to CBO-projected GDP each year yields a 10-year cumulative total of at least $1.5 trillion in added GDP, which includes roughly $1.2 trillion in additional consumption and $256 billion in additional investment....

Front 6

Federation for American Immigration Reform. "Most Americans Believe Illegal Immigration Is a Problem." Illegal Immigration. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Public Opinion Polls on Immigration." 2006. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 6

89% of Americans think illegal immigration into the U.S. is a problem (30% "extremely serious," 33% "very serious," and 26% "somewhat serious." (Time Magazine, Jan. 2006). 82% think that not enough is being done along the borders to keep illegal immigrants from crossing into the country. (Time Magazine, Mar. 2006). 68% feel that the number of immigrants who cross the border, whether legal or illegal is "too high." 62% oppose making it easier for illegal immigrants to become citizens of America. (Quinnipiac Univ., Feb. 2006)

[Two-thirds of Americans] think that immigration should be reduced to allow immigrants in the country to assimilate.

Front 7

Federation for American Immigration Reform. "Most Americans Believe Illegal Immigration Is a Problem." Illegal Immigration. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Public Opinion Polls on Immigration." 2006. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 7

89% think that illegal immigration is "extremely," "very" or "somewhat" of a problem.82% think that not enough is being done along the borders to keep illegal immigrants from crossing into the country.69% oppose giving illegal immigrants the ability to obtain a driver's license.49% say that the protests won't change their opinion on illegal immigration, while 35% think the protests will make them more likely to think illegal immigration is a crime

Front 8

"Introduction to Illegal Immigration: Opposing Viewpoints." Illegal Immigration. Ed. David Haugen and Susan Musser. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 8

I believe we can put politics aside and finally have an immigration system that's accountable. I believe we can appeal not to people's fears but to their hopes, to their highest ideals, because that's who we are as Americans. —Barack Obama, Remarks by the President on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, July 1, 2010.
A sizable number of Americans oppose reform, see it as dangerous to the economy and their well-being, and would be just as happy to send illegal immigrants home and board up the border. —Luisita Lopez Torregrosa, Politics Daily website, July 1, 2010.

Front 9

"Introduction to Illegal Immigration: Opposing Viewpoints." Illegal Immigration. Ed. David Haugen and Susan Musser. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 9

In his speech, Obama detailed his vision of how the laws of the United States must operate to fix the broken system. He advocates a "path toward citizenship" for those noncriminal aliens living and working in the country. He maintains this path must entail that illegal immigrants admit they broke the law and pay a fine to atone for their transgression. He favors the passage of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, a proposed piece of legislation that would grant citizenship to alien children who enroll in and acquire a degree from an institute of higher education or who serve honorably for two years in the military. Finally, the president supports stiffer enforcement measures at the nation's borders, including the hiring of more border patrol agents and other personnel to perform tracking and intelligence work especially in the Southwest. Despite Obama's desire to create bipartisan agreement among legislators, members of Congress are still locked in debate over the issue of how to treat illegal immigrants already in America, and a "path toward citizenship" bill has routinely failed to pass

Front 10

Alexiev, Alex. "Existing Immigration Law Should Be Enforced." What Rights Should Illegal Immigrants Have? Ed. Noël Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Rpt. from "Catching Up to Mexico: Illegal Immigration Is Depleting California's Human Capital and Ravaging Its Economy." National Review 61 (24 Aug. 2009): 22. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 10

The high level of immigration by uneducated, unskilled, and illiterate people to California is having negative effects. Many of these immigrants are Latino and make up a sizable population in California's schools. Despite access to education, the attrition—or dropout—rates are high for Latinos who speak English as a second language. These dropouts end up costing the state money, not to mention failing to add any value to the economy. In order to stop the negative effects of poor immigrants, the existing immigration law must be enforced, including the elimination of welfare benefits for illegal aliens and the punishment of employers who hire illegal aliens.

Front 11

Alexiev, Alex. "Existing Immigration Law Should Be Enforced." What Rights Should Illegal Immigrants Have? Ed. Noël Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Rpt. from "Catching Up to Mexico: Illegal Immigration Is Depleting California's Human Capital and Ravaging Its Economy." National Review 61 (24 Aug. 2009): 22. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 11

For a closer glimpse of what's in store for California, look at the Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest in California and the second largest in the country. Of its roughly 700,000 students, almost three-quarters are Hispanic, 8.9 percent are white, and 11.2 percent are black. More than half of the Latino students (about 300,000) are "English learners" and, depending on whether you believe the district or independent scholars, anywhere between a third and a half drop out of high school, following significant attrition [dropout] in middle school. A recent study by UC [University of California] Santa Barbara's California Dropout Research Project estimates that high-school dropouts in 2007 alone will cost the state $24.2 billion in future economic losses.

Front 12

Donald, Heather Mac. "Sanctuary Policies Should Be Abolished." Illegal Immigration. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 12

"The evidence for the destructive effects of sanctuary laws is clear."Many cities have sanctuary policies that prohibit police from reporting the immigration status of criminal suspects to immigration officials. In the following viewpoint Heather Mac Donald argues that sanctuary policies allow dangerous illegal immigrant criminals to remain on the streets and commit multiple crimes. She maintains that abolishing sanctuary policies will reduce the gang violence problem that devastates some urban areas. Mac Donald is an author and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a think tank in New York City. She has analyzed the issue of illegal immigration for City Journal and the Los Angeles Times.

Front 13

Donald, Heather Mac. "Sanctuary Policies Should Be Abolished." Illegal Immigration. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 13

No one knows for certain the percentage of illegals in gangs, thanks in large part to sanctuary laws themselves. But various estimates exist: —A confidential California Department of Justice study reported in 1995 that 60 percent of the 20,000-strong 18th Street Gang in southern California is illegal; police officers say the proportion is actually much greater. The bloody gang collaborates with the Mexican Mafia, the dominant force in California prisons, on complex drug-distribution schemes, extortion, and drive-by assassinations. It commits an assault or robbery every day in L.A. County. The gang has grown dramatically over the last two decades by recruiting recently arrived youngsters, most of them illegal, from Central America and Mexico.

Front 14

Wadhwa, Vivek. "America Is Losing Skilled Workers Because of Immigration Laws." What is the Impact of Emigration. Ed. Olivia Ferguson. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Rpt. from "America's Other Immigration Crisis." The American (2008). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 14

While many young foreigners choose to come to America to obtain their education and then find employment, our immigration and visa laws are making it nearly impossible to do so, forcing them to either return to their native countries or another country of their choosing. This causes the United States to lose highly skilled workers like engineers, scientists, and doctors after we have actually invested money in their educations. There has been an abundance of studies and research done on the impact that these laws are having on America and the numbers do not look good; however, the study on the contributions that these foreign students have made is the exact opposite, only proving that America is doing itself a disservice by not doing something about these laws.

Front 15

Wadhwa, Vivek. "America Is Losing Skilled Workers Because of Immigration Laws." What is the Impact of Emigration. Ed. Olivia Ferguson. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Rpt. from "America's Other Immigration Crisis." The American (2008). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Back 15

So we want skilled immigrants, but we want them to come on the right visas as permanent residents. The battles being fought are about bringing in more people with H-1B visas—not about those who are already here with them and stranded in "immigration limbo." Which means that we're going to be compounding the hardship on workers who are already here and forcing more, like Sanjay, to abandon America