Although the concept of illegal immigration has always been a hot topic among citizens, it has never been seen in as broad a perspective as it has been since the last presidential election. There is no doubt that illegal immigration has numerous harmful effects on American society, the economy, and crime rates in areas densely populated by illegal immigrants, but many argue that the contributions and diversity made by these people outweigh the negatives of these harmful practices. While the country appears to remain divided on the issue, many are looking to those in leadership positions to decide how illegal immigration should be handled by the government. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The terms “illegal immigrant,” “illegal alien,” and “undocumented immigrant/migrant” can be used interchangeably. Illegal immigration, quite simply, occurs when you move to another country with the intention of staying there and do not follow the proper channels to do so legally. This can be done in various ways. Some people immigrate to the United States on a tourist or student visa, but then overstay the visa without requesting an extension or alerting the government. For some, the decision to remain in the United States illegally is made after arrival. Others apply for these visas fraudulently, with the full intent of extending them before they even arrive. In addition to visa fraud, there are many other ways that people plan to become illegal residents of the United States. For example, it is quite common for noncitizens living in U.S. border cities to cross the U.S. border to give birth to their children in America. Some people even come from other countries – this is especially common in Asian countries. When the noncitizen's child is born in the United States, that child automatically becomes a U.S. citizen, and the parents become eligible to obtain U.S. citizenship through their child. Obtaining citizenship through these avenues, while morally fraudulent, is technically legal once birth has occurred. If caught before birth and one's intentions were carried out, this would be considered illegal and deportation and prosecution would occur. Many American citizens who support illegal immigration to the United States tend to be uneducated about the issue and its negative impact on American society. Those with more conservative political views tend to oppose illegal immigration in all forms and support stricter immigration laws and deportation efforts. Those with more moderate or liberal political views tend to favor immigration in all forms, arguing that immigrants make many positive contributions through their diversity to the melting pot that is America (Gravelle). America was built on the work and diversity of immigrants, and it's important not to forget its history. However, immigration as a concept is not the issue. Those who migrate here legally from other countries make positive and impactful contributions to our society through cultural influence, diverse businesses, and economy-boosting activities such as starting such businesses and paying taxes. Rather, the problem is that some immigrants choose not to follow legal avenues to immigrate and end up causing society a greater burden than we can currently handle since the government cannot even adequately support all of its legal citizens in the current climate. . ANDI note that many immigrants underestimate the difficulties of American life, including the high cost of living in most of the country. Outside of the United States, the United States is described as a “land of wealth and opportunity.” However, even American citizens who have lived and worked here all their lives struggle to make ends meet. Those who come here from less developed and poorer countries often don't make the capital needed to afford things like housing, utilities, gas and groceries. In many cases, these immigrants do not speak English well, and without basic English language skills and legal documents to obtain employment, they are left to lower-paying jobs, such as migrant agricultural work and unskilled labor. In some cases, they resort to crime and drug sales to earn enough to support their families. In other cases, in addition to or instead of their wages, they rely on state welfare obtained with Social Security numbers and fraudulent identification to support themselves, which becomes a problem for the economy. If a potential immigrant has no family or friends in the United States, many will get credit from human trafficking organizations to afford to enter the United States illegally. They work to repay this debt, otherwise they risk being reported to the government (Djajic). Another important problem is the crime that accompanies illegal immigration. As previously mentioned, some undocumented immigrants resort to drug dealing, gang membership, and other crimes, such as money laundering, to survive financially. Recently, a woman named Jeanette Vizguerra, a Mexican citizen, came to the United States illegally with the intention of remaining as an illegal alien. She appeared in the New York Times last February, telling her story of how she refuses to leave the United States despite Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) refusing to extend her deportation stay. He committed numerous minor crimes during his twenty or so years in the United States, including driving with an expired license plate, forging Social Security documents and illegally crossing the border into the United States - twice. She also gave birth to several children during her time here as an undocumented immigrant, and these children are now American citizens, although Jeanette's partner, the children's father, is also a noncitizen. Jeanette was placed in a church basement to avoid deportation after missing a routine check-in with ICE and receiving an arrest and deportation warrant (North). Many argue that his “small” crimes do not fit the punishment of destroying an American family – however, he should not have been hiding in the country illegally in the first place. A crime is a crime, and while his crimes may be considered rather minor compared to some of the brutal small- and large-scale domestic terrorist acts committed by other illegal aliens, the government's priority is to deport those who are here illegally with criminal records. So, with such a broad spectrum of opinion, what is the solution to ending illegal immigration in the United States? There are more undocumented immigrants to the United States from Mexico than from any other country. Although the number of illegal immigrants from Mexico in the United States has decreased by more than one million since 2007, Mexicans still make up about half of America's illegal immigrants (Gonzales-Barrera and Krogstad). This is suspected to be due to weaker borders along the southwestern United States, as well as the ability to travel on foot into the United States from Mexico. Surveys.