Should Illegal Immigrants Receive Social Services

          The United States is a land with a lot of opportunities thus; most people see it as a dream land. Although many people have had the chance to get to the land of dreams and opportunities, most of them get there by illegal means. This in turn, has resulted in a lot of illegal immigrants in the United States and this has sparked a lot of debates on whether they are beneficial to the United States or not. Over the years, the number of illegal immigrants in the United States has increased by a relatively large number in comparison to the early 1950s. In addition, this has brought up the question of whether the illegal immigrants should be given social services such as medical care, welfare and food stamps. The thesis statement for this study will be; the role that immigrants play in the growth and development of the economy of the Unite States and why they should be provided with social services.

          Back in the early 1950s, the federal government of the United States came up with the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This act was enacted with the basis of building ground for Immigration law in the U.S. It is meant to deal with issues of naturalization and immigration in relation to policies that govern them. There was little or no opposition on the enacting of the act both by the Democrats and the Republicans, but they each had a different reason as to why they supported the act. The Democrats supported the act based on the fact that the act gave ground for naturalization of all races without racism: in addition, discrimination against gender was also catered for in the act. On the other hand, “republicans supported the act based on the fact that it acted as a revision of the 1924, National Origins Act” (Kenney, 56-59). Moreover, the Immigration and Nationality Act established a new quota system that gave preference to immigrants who were skilled and their services were required in the United States with Urgency.

          Research findings show that illegal immigrants add both expenses and benefits to the economy of the United States. This is in the sense that, they have to buy services and goods, in addition to paying taxes and, contributing to the labor force. This in turn, makes them require social services such as education, healthcare and enforcement of law. Given that the illegal immigrants work towards the improvement of the United States economy and pay taxes booth directly and indirectly they should be given the chance to gain from social service. For instance, a key factor for production in relation to the economy is labor. Labor in the United States is mainly provided by the illegal immigrants; this in turn, has caused the minimum wage in the United States to be relatively low hence; most citizens of America overlook such jobs. “Moreover, the issue of minimum wage in the United States has caused people to give out illegal jobs to the immigrants hence; their rising number” (Burger, 100).

          The fact that immigrants are already earning a living in the country, they are liable to be given certain services. For instance, in a situation where they have their children in the country, the children should be able to have an education. This is because, without an education, they might join groups and gangs that engage in activities that are illegal; transportation of drugs, robbery, which will be seen as a drawback to the growth and development of the U.S economy. “Although, there are various statistics that show how the illegal immigrants take out more than they bring in; the findings do not show if they receive social services or not” (Levy, 92-96). Back in the year 1996, an Act was enacted that said, the only social service the illegal immigrants should get is medical care. This shows that they have accepted the presence of immigrants and, therefore; should allow them other services because they use their help in the development and growth of the economy.

Bibliography

Burger, William R. Human Services in Contemporary America. Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.

Charles Hirschman, Philip Kasinitz, Josh DeWind, The handbook of international migration:the American experience. Russell Sage Foundation, 1999. Print.

Kenney, Karen, Illegal Immigration. ABDO, 2007. Print.

Levy, Jane, Illegal Immigration and Amnesty:Open Borders and National Security. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2010. Print.