Immigration Issue Paper

The Democratic Party believes that that immigration reform does not always start within our own borders. They feel that if the economies of other nations were better people would have less incentive to leave their countries for our own. They also feel that if many of the human smuggling rings in our bordering nations were broken up and dismantled it would lead to lower illegal immigration rates into the United States.

Democrats also feel that if they were to crack down on employers who hire illegal or undocumented immigrants it would lower immigration rates. They acknowledge that many immigrants come to the United States for job opportunities, and if there were fewer companies employing undocumented workers there would be fewer workers attempting to come to America in hopes of finding a job. These employers have been practicing immoral and illegal hiring practices for years, and as a result many immigrants believe that they will be able to find jobs for these companies with relative ease.

Another stance the Democratic Party has is to stop the raids and punishments on the immigrants themselves. They feel that these raids are ineffective and costly, and that simply reforming the job market and cracking down on enablers will reduce the immigrants without the United States government spending billions of dollars every year on raids that do nothing but waste essential man power and funds. These raids, in the views of the Democrats, tear families apart and leave the detained immigrants without constitutional access to counsel and fair legal practices. ("Democratic Party")

Republicans, on the other hand, feel that one of the most effective ways to reduce illegal immigration is do toughen up the border. They feel that if border security becomes stronger fewer illegal immigrants will have the opportunity to cross the border, let alone the desire. Republicans also believe that a fence around the border along with agents that have useful tools and skills will prevent many people from sneaking over the unmanned areas of the border. The combination of both stronger check points and a more capable agent force on other areas of the border, in the Republican’s eyes, will cause a dramatic decrease in the number of illegal immigrants in the United States. ("GOP.com")

Like Democrats, Republicans believe that a crack down on employers hiring illegal immigrants will also reduce immigration. They feel that while it is an effective way of managing immigration, it will not stop the problem as well as raids and stronger border control will. Republicans support the punishments given to companies that hire illegal immigrants, but as a general rule Republicans do not agree with regulating businesses, so their desired restrictions are less than those of the Democrats.

Sources

"Comprehensive Immigration Reform." The Democratic Party. 2009. Democratic National Committee, Web. 27 Jan 2010. .

"2008 Republican Platform National Security." GOP.com. 2008. Republican National Committee, Web. 27 Jan 2010. .