Illegal Immigrants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Illegal Immigrants - Essay Example For over 175 years when immigration to the United States exponentially rose, the issue and controversy of multinational entry has never ceased popularity. Voluntary arrivals of different nationalities sparked generous concerns of political sovereignty over a nation mightier than the oldest empire on earth. When Theodore Roosevelt and Israel Zangwill jointly adhered to the "Melting Pot" drama back in the 1900's calling for the assimilation and abandoning of ethnic identities among new settlers, support for the influx of immigrants created allegiance to the United States. Mary Antin, a Jewish immigrant from Poland wrote "The Promise Land" as an illustration of her adoption of America as her home and America's adoption of her as an American. A few years later when the economic depression plagued the country a renewed sense of foreboding considered the new settlers as threats to jobs and other minorities who lived in the slums and failed to adapt the language and culture. While the European immigrants faced discrimination, they were able to come to the United States in huge numbers until the 1920's. The Asian immigrants who were excluded much earlier took the quotas of less desirable immigrants. Ethnic pluralism suggested a common denominator just before the incidence of both world wars and climbed higher after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The settlement of racial disputes and embracing the principles set forth in the Constitution of the United States later idealized kinship by blood or culture in a foreign land as part of the new and distinct civilization of the United States. The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 raised alarm bells among the American populace with profound question of susceptibility to such attacks that claimed the lives of thousands. Threats to national security and the lax border regulations renewed the question of what to do with the numerous legal immigrants and how to drive away the illegal immigrants back to where they came from. To date, the 20th century catered to the highest influx of immigrants which accounted for the massive population expansion. Census studies recorded the 1999 population to over 270 million, making it the world's third largest country in terms of population. Every year, the population grows to half a million with higher life expectancies and low infant mortality rates. In terms of population distribution in cities, New York became the record breaker followed by Los Angeles and Chicago. Population growth in Las Vegas topped among states spurred by unprecedented hotel-casino construction. The rising numbers showed lately reflected a still growing population which is 1/4th of what it used to be over a century ago with immigration at one-third playing the lead role. Latest records showed 28,234,231 illegal aliens in the US with Los Angeles as the main hub. Today, there are two powerful forces at work in the country acting on the issue of immigration. Separatists' movement advocating breaking loose cultural groups and driving them away at any cost and Reformists adhering to peaceful legislature of laws for national reform consists of these powers. Both movements set against the backdrop of democratic politics hold justifiable reasons with a common goal of easing the country from the confines of a booming population