Rebecca Moran
Professor Henderson
Academic Writing
30 March 2011
Should America Keep Allowing Illegal Mexican Immigrants into the US?
Mexico and the United States have had a long history together in terms of economics, politics, and social interactions. This should be no surprise since Mexico shares a 2000 mile border with the US. Immigration is currently the most conflict-ridden issue in the U.S.-Mexican relationship. Many illegal Mexican immigrants come to America in search for a better life for them and their families. Some argue that the Mexican immigrants are in search for the “American Dream”, which a Yale graduate American writer and historian, James Truslow Adams brilliantly defined in his book, The Epic of America, as: “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement". One may claim that illegal Mexican immigrants are in search for an answer to their prayers to break the bonds of poverty and to improve the lives of their loved ones.
For many generations, Mexicans have illegally crossed the border into the United States due to its close proximity and the undeniable difference of the quality of life between the two countries. The growth of the Mexican population in the U.S. has been exponential in recent years. In 1970, about 800,000 Mexican citizens lived in the United States. Thirty-plus years later, there are ten million, about half in undocumented status. The surge in the 1990’s, was particularly astonishing, increasing by an estimated 300-400,000 per year (Davidow par 10).
The drastic increase in number of Mexican immigrants to the US in the early 1990’s was due to the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, or NAFTA. NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. Mexico received a large increase in foreign investment due to the promising vision of NAFTA. However, after the assassination of the Mexican presidential candidate, Luis Donalso Colosio, there were signs that Mexico’s economy was not as profoundly strong as it had once appeared (Villarreal 3). By December 1994, there was a desperate plunge in Mexico’s currency to about 50% (Villarreal 4). This dismal plunge sent Mexico into a terrible succession.
Mexico’s economic succession of 1994 has led to a great increase in its poverty levels. In 2008, the extreme poverty rate was 18% and those living in moderate poverty were at a shocking 47% (Villarreal 5). The Mexican government defines extreme poverty as those living on less than $1.50 a day in rural areas and less $2.00 a day in urban areas. Moderate poverty is defined as living on less than $2.70 a day in rural areas and $4.00 a day in urban areas (Villarreal 6). With these facts and statistics it is no wonder why so many Mexicans want to come to the US.
Many individuals come from poverty-stricken towns in Mexico and come to the US with the desire to create a better life. In the scholarly journal, “It is the Only Way I Can Survive” by Phyllis L. Baker, she interviewed an illegal Mexican immigrant, Amelia, and Amelia stated, “I know that I’m doing something wrong, that it’s illegal with the government, but it is the only way that I can survive here. I have to work and take care of my children” (Baker 393). The pressure of being a good parent and providing a better life for their children is a weight that almost every parent bears. They are looking to survive in this harsh world.
Even though there are illegal immigrants who come to the US with cordial intentions, one should not overlook the risks that the illegal Mexican immigrants place upon the lives of American citizens. Illegal immigrants, unlike those who are legally admitted for permanent residence, do not undergo medical screening to assure that they are not carrying contagious diseases (FAIR par 2). According to Dr. Laurence Nickey, director of the El Paso heath district:
“Contagious diseases that are generally considered to have been controlled in the United States are readily evident along the border ... The incidence of tuberculosis in El Paso County is twice that of the U.S. rate. Leprosy is readily evident along the U.S.-Mexico border and that dysentery is several times the U.S. rate ... People have come to the border for economic opportunities, but the necessary sewage treatment facilities, public water systems, environmental enforcement, and medical care have not been made available to them, causing a severe risk to health and well-being of people on both sides of the border” (FAIR par 3).
Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report titled "Trends in Tuberculosis Incidence - United States" stating that the number of tuberculosis cases among foreign-born persons in the US increased in 2006, and approximately half came from five countries, and Mexico was the leader with 1,912 reported cases (FAIR par 4). Tuberculosis is a contagious disease caused by mycobacteria, which can spread through the air. Tuberculosis can often lead to death. Immigrants who come to the US unchecked are placing Americans at a great risk of very harmful diseases, such as Tuberculosis. When they do not abide by the law and come to the US legally, they risk the lives of American citizens.
The US is a nation that was built upon laws, and the laws are put into place for the well-being of its citizens. When the illegal Mexican immigrants enter the US unchecked, then police and government officials have no way of keeping track of them, and this can be very dangerous for the well-being of Americans. There have been many cases where illegal Mexican immigrants who have come to the US and committed serious crimes. For example, the rape and murder of a 15 year old American girl from Texas named Dani Countryman was traced back to 2 illegal Mexican immigrants, Alejandro Emeterio Rivera Gamboa and Gilberto Javier Arellano Gamboa (Illegal par 1,2). William Gheen from Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee, or ALIPAC, stated:
"Dani Countryman is dead because our government failed to secure our borders and enforce our existing immigration laws. The suspects in this case were shown, by our state and federal governments, that they could break many American laws without any serious penalties. It is no wonder that many illegal aliens escalate their crimes into the realms of rape and murder. How many more Americans must suffer or die before our nation takes action" (Illegal par 4)?
This crime was very serious and could have been prevented. Imagine if your daughter, sister, friend, or cousin was raped and murdered by two illegal immigrant men. You would go through great lengths to make sure something as tragic as this would never happen again. You would make sure that no man or woman got into America illegally, so crimes as foul as rape and murder are prevented.
The idea of the American Dream is rooted in pursuit of happiness by abiding by the law of the Constitution. America was built on the idea of assimilation and integration of various cultures. Americans want foreign people to come here and be a part of the American tradition, as long as it is done through legal means. The legality of immigration is very important to the health and safety of the American people. Mexicans are crossing the border everyday illegally, some come with good intentions to create a better life for their families, but some Mexicans do bring deadly disease and serious crime into the US. The US should do a better job at patrolling the boarders and making sure that no one enters with potential health problems or any criminal background. Mexicans should try to come to America legally and want to become an American citizen and assimilate into this great “melting pot”, where people from everywhere around the world, with different cultures, customs, and backgrounds come and consider themselves one nation under that star-spangled banner.
Works Cited
Baker, Phyllis L.. ""It's the Only Way I Can Survive": Gender Paradox Among Recent Mexicana Immigrants to Iowa." University of California Press 47.4 (2004): 393. Print.
Davidow, Ambassador Jeffrey. "Immigration, the United States and Mexico." Mexico news and opinion. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2011.
"FAIR: Illegal Immigration and Public Health." FAIR: Federation for American Immigration Reform. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2011.
"Illegal Aliens with Prior Charges Murder 15 year old Texas Girl." Public Records Research and Title Abstracting. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2011.
Villarreal, M. Angeles . "NAFTA and the Mexican Economy." Congressional Research Service 1 (2010): 3-6. Print.
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