...Should we keep birthright citizenship? Should we ratify the 14th amendment? These are the two main arguments in the articles “Birthright Citizenship in the United States” by Jon Feere and “Policy Arguments in Favor of Retaining America’s Birthright Citizenship Law” by Margaret Stock. The 14th amendment does not give clear requirements on who is given birthright citizenship. The 14th amendment simply states “All persons born of naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States, and of the state wherein they reside.” In the article favoring the retainment of birthright citizenship states that changing the policy would not solve any problems but instead create problems. The purposed changes would bring administrative and legal burdens to every American. America practices jus solis or...
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...Illegal Immigration Hurting The United States Name COM/220 June 20, 2013 Camisha Williams For centuries, the United States has welcomed immigrants from various countries and have become home to them. In the 1800s, immigrants were even essential for the building of the steam engine and railroad tracks (Schaefer, 2013). As time passed immigration has increased and laws regulating immigration have not been enforced causing over population of unskilled immigrants. While unregulated immigration has its benefits, which help organizations, like social security it does not negate the fact that they are straining resources and the economy. Poverty and Immigration The overflow of undocumented immigrants is cause for concern for many reasons. There are too many underpaid unskilled workers hired over native citizens. According to Opposing Viewpoints (2012), “wage and salary differences demonstrate how illegal and unskilled immigrants place downward pressure on wages by providing an incentive for employers to choose them over natives”. Immigrants are known to work jobs that most American’s shy away from such as agriculture work, factories, food preparation and cleaning services (Opposing Viewpoints, (2012). Employers rather hire unskilled workers because they can pay low wages, increase productivity...
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...from natives, and are able to complement natives in the production process” (Borjas 90). There are multiple reasons and opportunities to illegally immigrate. As legal immigration increases, so does illegal immigration. Year-long, or in extreme cases decades-long, waiting lists for visas encourage immigrants to enter a country illegally. There is also negligent border control and a system that favors immigrants with relatives in the U.S. rather than their ability to work (Edwards). In other cases, immigrants choose to outstay their visas and continue to live in the United States illegally. Some immigrants travel to the United States to give birth; their children are given U.S. citizenship, which allows their parents to stay in the country (Feere). Illegal immigration positively impacts the U.S. economy and certain racial groups. Illegal immigration does not have much of an effect on white Americans because they are not in direct competition with illegal immigrants. If anything, illegal immigrants working low-skill jobs allows natives to work higher-skilled jobs and increase not only their productivity, but their incomes as well (“Immigration Myths and Facts”). The overall average effect of illegal immigration “is a small net positive” ("Q & A: Illegal Immigrants and the U.S. Economy”). Illegal immigrants also have higher work rates than native-born men: 82% to 73%, which gives U.S. citizens an incentive to work harder and in turn raise both their productivity and the salaries (Camarota...
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