Security vs. Equality Issue Analysis
The issue of immigration has been a national concern for the last decade, and left politicians bewildered as to the proper approach in dealing with those who cross our borders illegally. Controlling who is allowed to enter the nation’s borders directly conflicts with the issue of equality granted to immigrants. The article, Should states crack down on unlawful aliens written by Kenneth Jost, examines how the actions taken by Federal and State authorities in an effort to curb illegal immigration have caused the political values of security and equality to conflict with each other. Civil rights advocates argue that legislation that allows for the profiling of individuals suspected of being in the country illegally …show more content…
Several states such as Alabama and Arizona have passed legislation requiring law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of those who they suspect of being in the U.S illegally (Jost). The overall goal of this legislation is to meet the public demand for security both in the physical sense as well in the amount of jobs available for Americans. However, there exists another popular opinion held by many that the measures enacted to provide security, only cause unnecessary terrorization of Latinos fearing deportation due to ethnic or racial profiling (Jost). Thus arises the issue of equality when one group is treated differently than another due to their ethnicity, regardless of whether they are in the United States legally or not. Deborah Stone says in her book, Policy Paradox, that “Income inequality seems also to increase racial prejudice and discrimination against women and ethnic minorities” (Stone 59). The anti-immigration legislation favored by many state governments and lawmakers does indeed target ethnic minorities in an attempt to curb illegal immigration and be able to deliver a sense of security. The issue of inequality comes in to play when Latino’s who may be here legally are treated differently and denied the rights that normal Americans would have. Along with being racial profiled, Latinos who are undocumented are forbidden from conducting business with the State and Local Government. Some argue that this potentially denies them access from acquiring public services such as water and electricity. Business and Agriculture groups argue that migrant workers take the jobs that most Americans do not wish to take. Under the legislation, the law forbids employers from hiring undocumented workers, and gives out harsh penalties to those that do so (Jost). This can also be seen as an issue of inequality, because it denies jobs to those
The issue of immigration has been a national concern for the last decade, and left politicians bewildered as to the proper approach in dealing with those who cross our borders illegally. Controlling who is allowed to enter the nation’s borders directly conflicts with the issue of equality granted to immigrants. The article, Should states crack down on unlawful aliens written by Kenneth Jost, examines how the actions taken by Federal and State authorities in an effort to curb illegal immigration have caused the political values of security and equality to conflict with each other. Civil rights advocates argue that legislation that allows for the profiling of individuals suspected of being in the country illegally …show more content…
Several states such as Alabama and Arizona have passed legislation requiring law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of those who they suspect of being in the U.S illegally (Jost). The overall goal of this legislation is to meet the public demand for security both in the physical sense as well in the amount of jobs available for Americans. However, there exists another popular opinion held by many that the measures enacted to provide security, only cause unnecessary terrorization of Latinos fearing deportation due to ethnic or racial profiling (Jost). Thus arises the issue of equality when one group is treated differently than another due to their ethnicity, regardless of whether they are in the United States legally or not. Deborah Stone says in her book, Policy Paradox, that “Income inequality seems also to increase racial prejudice and discrimination against women and ethnic minorities” (Stone 59). The anti-immigration legislation favored by many state governments and lawmakers does indeed target ethnic minorities in an attempt to curb illegal immigration and be able to deliver a sense of security. The issue of inequality comes in to play when Latino’s who may be here legally are treated differently and denied the rights that normal Americans would have. Along with being racial profiled, Latinos who are undocumented are forbidden from conducting business with the State and Local Government. Some argue that this potentially denies them access from acquiring public services such as water and electricity. Business and Agriculture groups argue that migrant workers take the jobs that most Americans do not wish to take. Under the legislation, the law forbids employers from hiring undocumented workers, and gives out harsh penalties to those that do so (Jost). This can also be seen as an issue of inequality, because it denies jobs to those