Nicolas Woods

Personal Project
27 June 2014
1

Graphical Report Immigration Reform

Outline:

1. Introduction - Current Problem in the US (Amount of Illegal Immigrants)
2. Political View on Issue
a) Republican Party Opinion:
b) Democrat Party Opinion:
3. Human View on Issue
a) Illegal Immigrant Opinion:
b) US citizen Opinion:
4. If government grants amnesty to illegal immigrants;
1. Political Impact (Costs):
a) More Gov. Costs (Welfare, Social Security, Health Care, Education, etc.)
b) Deficit of Gov. Increases
2. Political Impacts (Benefits)
a) The amount of people voting in the US will increase

3. Economical Impacts (Benefits):
a) More Competition for Jobs = quality workers = growing economy
b) The US will have more migrants = more spending = growing economy

4. Economical Impacts (Costs):
a) Higher Costs for US citizens and companies (Taxes)
b) Unemployment rate can rise due to more competition














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1. Introduction:


The Current Problem - The Amount of Illegal Immigrants Moving in to US Soil
Formerly, I chose this topic for my Personal Project. It all began in my
summer (December-February) internship for Congresswomen Ros-Lehtinen from
the 27
th
district of Florida. My first day at the office was overwhelming, due to the
fact that I arrived at the day where the President of the United States (Barrack
Obama) had stated his proposed ideas in the State of the Union. However, what got
my attention was the phone calls from the congresswomens constituents. I was
surprised with the amount of Latinos in her district that were against the any
immigration reform. After that day I was reading news articles, watching news
channels on TV, and I was asking my parents more information on the possibility of
immigration reform and why would there be one. Furthermore, during my
internship with the congresswomen, I was able to grasp a passion for politics,
especially my projects area of topicImmigration Reform. Hence, I realized that this
topic was perfect for my project, and without doubt, I was able to achieve my goal:
My goal for this project is to learn and present the importance of US immigration
Reform in American Society, in the next 5 months. I will fully investigate/interview
1 politician and 1 immigrant and 1 US citizen, to get first hand information. With my
research I will than present both sides of the argument using a trailer to get the
audience hooked, and in addition, I will create a graphical report, to have content
and context to my project. In conclusion, I found in interest in this topic area, and I
would like to educate myself to a point where I can teach others in my community
about this world issue.

The United States is currently enduring a foreign policy issue in which is
gradually increasing the tensions of our body government and civilian livesillegal
immigrants. So far 11 million undocumented immigrants are living in the United
States. No state or legislative action has ever been taken to solve this issue. This isnt
a surprise for the US government, due to the fact they have been consistently
experiencing issues in this area of government in their past history. From the
1890s in which thousands of Europeans fled to Ellis Island, to the 1960s in which
thousands of Mexicans fled to the southern borders of the United States; the
government is loosing its grip to solve the problem. Now it is 2014, the problem has
inflated and its almost impossible to control. At this moment 42 thousand children
from Central America have immigrated illegally to the US to seek for better
opportunities and begin new lives. However, the US government at this moment is
struggling to find the right solution to the current problem. It is a fact, that the
majority of both parties of government (Republicans and Democrats) feel the
necessity to solve the issue, but the bipartisan is always broken due to the
differences in the content and timing of the solutions presented to congress. For
example: The Dream Act. In this Investigation Report I would cover the political and
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human opinion on the current issue and I will precisely analyze the benefits and
costs of one specific solution offered by the Democratic PartyFull Granted
Amnesty to Illegal Immigrants.

2. Political View Republican Party Opinion:

At this moment, the GOP (Republican Party) isnt enforcing or working on a
bipartisan to push for immigration reform. The reasoning, in which the GOP isnt
spending time on the area of government, is to secure the senate for early
elections in November. Their prediction is such: If the Democrats arent able to
implement solutions for current problems, blame and criticism will lie on the
doorsteps of the Democrat politicians; hence, American citizens will vote out the
Democrats in the senate in early November Elections. The power to have both
the senate and congress is a great achievement for any political party, due to the
fact you have major power in passing laws and solutions (ones such as
Immigration reform). If the prediction of the GOP follows through, the majority
of the senate and the House of Representatives will be able to pass a bill on
immigration reform. The bill will most likely include the ideologies or proposed
ideas, in which, the GOP is proposing. If the bill passes, fame and voters will
most likely increase, due to the fact that the GOP are the problem solvers of the
ongoing problemillegal immigration.

After thoroughly investigating on possible bills in which the GOP will vote on,
I came to the conclusion of two possible bills: One bill is being proposed by the
gang of eight, one being the senator of Florida, Marco Rubio, and the other bill
being proposed is by the senator of Texas, Ted Cruz. Both bills have different
perceptions when it comes to ideas to solve the border crises. However, it is
unlikely that these solutions will be proposed before the November Elections
2014.

2a. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) View

Senator Marco Rubio is proposing a new immigration reform bill, to fix the
current problem in the southern borders. As a Cuban American, he strongly
believes that this country is made up with immigrants and it reflects in his
proposed bill. He is promoting a path to citizenship for the illegal immigrants
that are currently living in the US. However, these 11 undocumented immigrants
will need to pay a $2,000 fine, in addition they will need to pay taxes, a physical
presence must be known in local office, it is a necessity for the illegal immigrants
to have background checks before becoming legalized and check current
employment (Immigration Reform Facts The Border Security, Economic
Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013). As for weak borders,
Senator Rubio has placed securing the borders as his top priority. Most of the
GOP agrees with such statement, due to the fact that thousands of illegal
immigrants are capable in crossing the borders, without encountering the
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border patrols. Rubio specified that a 2,000mile fence must be built, covering the
southern borders with Mexico. In addition, he demands that the DHS (US
Department of Homeland Security) the following:

1) Creates a security plan (6 months before the bills enactment);
2) It must create a fence dividing the border (6 months before bills enactment);
3) 100 percent border awareness and 90 percent apprehension rates with high-
risk sectors of the border;
4) Visa-exit system must be established in seaports and international airports.
Despite the fact Rubio believes in granting a path to citizenship, at this
moment with the thousands of children in the border, he strongly opposed
accepting the children to the United States. He believes that these children
should be sent back to their homes in Central America, seeing that it was
unexpected and the federal government wasnt prepared. His latest statement
was the following: I agree we need to be humane, that's what Americans have
always been...but what would be inhumane is to allow this to continue, and the only
way you are going to stop this from continuing, is in fact if people are returned to
their home countries. His latest statement became slightly controversial on the
news media in the US, since most of the mass media believe it is in human to
deport thousands of children. Nevertheless his bill is still one of the top
prospects to pass the Senate and the House of Representatives; hence, he can
possibly solve this crisis.

This bill has been mentioned throughout the media and to politicians from
both political partiesgrasping the attention to work a bipartisan to pass this
bill. However, the majority of the GOP is against it, due to political reasoning
(latino voters). Senator Rubio is insisting pass this bill and so far have 8 co-
sponsors (both republicans and democrats), also known as The Gang of Eight.
These 8 politicians are convincing the majority of the Senate and House of
Representatives to approve this bill, so we can solve this issue as soon as
possible.

2b. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) View

On the other hand, Senator Ted Cruz has proposed a bill to deny any kind of
amnesty to undocumented immigrants. He strongly believes that granting
amnesty will only motivate more Latin Americans to migrate to the US illegally,
since an easy path to citizenship will lead to federal benefits (welfare, healthcare,
social security, etc.). His idea to avoid these problems to occur is to secure the
border at the highest level. Ted Cruz and Senator Rubio both agree in
implementing a 2,000-mile fence securing all sectors of the southern borders.
However, Ted Crus also believes that the use of technology should be used to
track down people passing through the borders, since so many illegal
immigrants are currently migrating to the US (July 2014 Border Crisis). This
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sounds great, but some politicians disagree in such, seeing that the high cost of
technology and how it can increase the total cost of securing the border$12
billion dollars (Frontier Small Business Border Security Costs Taxpayers $12
Billion). So far most of the politicians part of the GOP, are behind Ted Cruzs bill
and will strongly like to push it forward to the senate. Yet, most of the democrats
believe it is inhuman to deport most of these undocumented immigrants and
they believe it is the federal governments responsibility to provide them the
best benefits of this country so they can push forward to success in life.

3. Political View Democrat Party Opinion

These past few years, the Democrat Party and the GOP came to the
agreement in solving the southern border crisis and illegal immigration. However,
both parties are having an issue of a bipartisan of the possible solutions that could
be implanted to solve this current crisis. The Democrat Party recently has pushed
the Dream Act in 2011, which was a stepping-stone in solving the issue. The
Dream Act was a legislative bill that motivated young illegal immigrants that lived
in the US to have a path to citizenship. These young individuals having a legal status
in the US would open doors to a proper/better education (High School or College);
hence, better education can lead to a better life for these young individuals. There
are two democrat politicians, which have consistently been working on this area of
government. Both Nancy Pelosi (Governor of the 12
th
district of California) and Joe
Biden (Vice-President of the United States) have been consistently taking action and
providing speeches to the general public.

3a. Congresswomen Nancy Pelosi (D-California) View

Recently, Nancy Pelosi stated on an online news article Politico, begging the
Democratic Party to stay focused on passing an immigration reform bill, before the
2014 November Elections. In addition, her opinion on solving the issue is totally the
opposite of what the majority of the GOP politicians believe. She states the following
with the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States: I believe
that if status is the violation, then that should not be even in the scheme of things as to
whether somebody would be deported or else you would be deporting 11 million people,
which doesnt make any sense. (Politico Nancy Pelosis Immigration Reform Road
Show) She is 100% against any kind of deportation for the 11 undocumented immigrants
in the US, because she believes that these people are trying to pursue the American
Dream and it is inhuman to deport all the immigrants; hence, she believes in granting
amnesty for those who live illegally in the United States.







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3b. Vice President Joe Biden View

Moreover, Joe Biden believes in the same values as most Democratic Party
politicians. Joe Biden was recently giving out a speech in Miami Dade College, to grab
the trust of the Latinos in the city, for a push to immigration reform. The majority of the
crowd was cheering and applauding Bidens statements on solving the current problem in
the southern borders, there was even one individual in the crowd that screamed No
deportation! Joe Biden stated to the Latinos, that he would never deport any
undocumented individual that is living in the US and the each individual in the crowd is
perusing the American Dream because they are studying at a college level. With the
education they are receiving, these individuals will have a variety of job opportunities in
the future. In addition, Joe Biden stated that granting amnesty would raise the GDP
(Gross Domestic Product) of the country in 2023, 3.3% (Miami Herald Miami Dade
Vice President Joe Biden Hails Need for Immigration Reform at Miami Dade College
Graduation). Thus, the Democrat Partys activity in trying to solve this problem has been
up to date and consistent, grabbing the attention of the Latino and American population
living in the US.

3. Human View Illegal Immigrants

As you know there are 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United
States, and the numbers are gradually increasing each year. There are several reasons
why people flee from their native country to the US. Some immigrants believe it is the
free welfare and amnesty, in which the government grants to those who live in poor
conditions in the country. However, others believe that the native countries of the
undocumented immigrants are enormously dangerous, due to the drug cartels and
instability (The Daily Best The So-Called Immigration Border Crisis is Neither).
Despite all these reasonings, once they arrive to the US, they have strong opinions on
political involvement in the Southern Borders; some people criticize the fact their stating
opinions, due to their illegal status in the country. Well, I interviewed a former illegal
immigrant of this country, which came from Peru. He or she had a strong opinion on
political involvement in the Southern Borders. Here are some questions I asked he or she
during the filmed interview:

1) How did you arrive to the United States? I first arrived with a certified visa, in
Chicago. However, time past by and my visa expired, so I decided to get in contact a
lawyer to help get a certified visa.
2) How was it living in the US illegally? I basically couldnt do anything for a long
time. I was scared that the police would ask for an identification card, which I didnt
have. My ways for transportation and living were limited, I was living with a family
and my way around the city was in bus. I felt that the police persecuted my life.
3) Why did you come to the US? I came to the US to succeed I life, an opportunity that
I didnt have in Peru. If I never came to the US, my family and I wouldnt be so
successful. I would send my money through western union, and my family would pick
up the money I earned from western union in Lima. Now my family has a house in
Cusco and one in Lima; I thank god for bringing me here to the US.
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4) How did you become a legal citizen of the US? After years trying to solve this
problem with my lawyer, we found a way to make me become a legal citizen. I had to
marry a legal citizen to become an official citizen as well. So that I why I am
currently married.
5) Should the US government change their immigration policies? I strongly believe
that the US government should change their immigration policies to make it easier
for people to migrate the country without the fear of becoming deported, because my
experience in this country was very hard and I dont want anyone else to experience
what I had to.
The interview I had with this person was showing an emotional aspect of the
feelings in which immigrants feel migrating to the US. Most of the Latinos are divided,
however they all agree on one thing, the American dream is a possibility for anyone. He
or she believe in immigration reform and government granting amnesty to those
undocumented, due to the struggles she faced trying to live in this country. However, he
or she pursued for the American Dream and never gave up; that stands out and creates
respect.

3a. Human View US citizen

At this moment, the citizens of the United States are divided in this certain issue.
The majority of the conservatives feel no need to grant amnesty to the 11 million
undocumented citizens in this country, as a matter of fact, they rather deport back to their
native country. However, the majority of the liberals feel the need to help the
undocumented citizens by granting them amnesty and pathways to a better life. I had the
opportunity to interview a school principle to listen to his opinions on Immigration
Reform and what ways does he or she think is the right way to solve this problem.

Question for interview (School Principle)

1) What are the demographics of the students attending this school? Well, our school is
made up of 78% Latinos and about 40% of the students are illegal immigrants.

2) How many students take English as a second language at this school, and how many
graduate with a diploma? There is about 4,000 students take English as a second
language, however about only 18 students end up graduating with the diploma, most
students drop out of school before they graduate.

3) Currently in the southern borders, there is an approximate of 40 thousand kids
entering the US this year, are schools prepared for this wave of students? I am
asking the government for more money to be invested in public education, due to the fact
that many children have just crossed the border illegally and our school isnt prepared.
Our school starts in a few weeks and I dont have a staff member covered in each
position.

4) What should the government do the children in the southern borders? The
government should stop spending billions of dollars in the defense budget and focus on
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our education and push for immigration reform. If not, this problem will gradually
increase to a point where no solutions will be valid or called upon. Now for the children
that are in the borders at this moment, we as Americans should accept them to our
country, show them the American Dream, the idea of deporting them is ridiculous, we
are better than that.

5) Do most of these students have a pathway to college or do they usually end up in the
labor market? Most of the students that drop out or graduate from this school, usually
end up working in the labor market, they dont have many opportunities in life. Its sad to
here about this, which is why the government should push a proper immigration reform
to solve this problem and to help these kids to a pathway to college.

The school principle had a strong view on immigration reform, in conclusion he
felt it a human necessity to reach out for the undocumented citizens in this country. In
addition, provide the young ones education a pathways to a successful life. He also
pointed out the need for more money to be invested in education; education is only
being invested 6%, compared to military, military funding is 44% more invested than
education (National Priorities Project Fighting for a U.S. Federal budget that
works for all Americans). Thus, he believes with a little bit more investment in
education, most of the young individuals that come from other countries have a better
opportunity to become successful.

4. If government grants amnesty to illegal immigrants;

One of the proposed ideas for a stepping-stone to solve the problem was
granting amnesty. However, we must understand the costs and benefits, in which
this proposed solution can bring to the country. It is extremely important we
understand the costs and benefits before action or opinions are being stated around
the world. So that is why I will be specifically analyzing the social, economical and
political costs and benefits that this solution can bring to the United States.

4a. Political Impact

You may not know, but granting amnesty for the 11 million undocumented
immigrants in the US isnt a permanent solution; it is a temporary solution that can
lead to other ideas to solve the problem in the southern borders. Every solution to a
problem has its costs and benefits, and this solution practically has significant
political costs and benefits. There are two significant costs, in which amnesty can
bring to US soil:

1) There will be more Gov. costs (Welfare, Social Security, Health Care,
Education, etc.)
2) Gov. deficit increases, due to the fact they need to loan more money from
The Federal Bank.


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Firstly, it is a fact that granting amnesty will bring more government costs
and it will raise taxes to US citizens. This is a true fact, because there will be more
individuals that will now be legalized citizens; hence, they are able to use
government benefits. If more individuals can use government benefits, the
government will need to pay extra money to maintain their citizens. This doesnt
favor the government because it is a fact that the government is already in 17
trillion dollars in debt; hence, they will increase their deficit if they were to increase
the money they spend on government benefits (Welfare, Social Security, Health
Care, etc.). So far the US government is spending: 55% of their income in Military
(Defense Budget), 6% on Public Education, 5% on Medicare, Medicaid, Social
Security and Welfare, 2% Public Transportation, etc. (National Priorities Project
Fighting for a U.S. Federal Budget that works for All Americans) Thus, A
government that spends annually 6.3 trillion dollars needs to be cautious in what
they spendalso reconsider how to spend money. As a matter of fact, the US
government is in no condition to spend more money annually, due to the fact they
are burying themselves into a hole and they are not even close to solving their
federal expenditures and public spending issue.





















(Image 1 -






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Even though these major costs affect the decision of some politicians, they
should also consider the political benefits, because it can boost the careers of many
politicians:

1) The amount of people voting in the US will increase due to the fact 11
million undocumented immigrants are official US citizens after amnesty
Originally, when the federal government grants amnesty to 11
undocumented immigrants, they are suddenly considered as US citizens. This means
that they have the same rights as any other citizen in this country. Since they are
now official citizens, they are allowed to vote for senators, state representatives,
vice-president and even the president of the United States. This has been a benefit,
in which both the Democratic and Republican Party have taken into extreme
consideration, due to the fact it can change a whole political race for any position in
the federal government; that is also why the both parties cant come to a bipartisan
to solve the issue. Politicians care more about their political positions and career
than solving the huge problems that occur daily in this country. This is a fact
because there has been no administration or previous federal government that
attempted to solve the southern border crisis. Furthermore, if the government were
to pass an amnesty bill, these 11 million immigrants will most likely want to vote for
the political party that granted them the pathway to citizenship.


4b. Economical Impact

With no doubt, if the federal government granted amnesty to the
undocumented immigrants, it will potentially create political impacts. However,
likewise the possible political impacts, economical studies have shown that a
decision from the federal government to pass this particular legislative bill will arise
economic impacts. There are two important economical benefits that can most likely
improve the countrys economy:

1) If there are more people in this country, there will be more competition
for jobs; hence, quality workers will be accepted to jobsa growing
economy.

2) More citizens in the US will increase the amount of spending in the
whole country; hence, there will be a growing economy.
Primarily, in every economy in the world, more individuals competing for a
job can theoretically grow a countrys economy. This theory can be true in some
cases, because, firstly, the priority for a private company or huge industry is to make
an outstanding profit. A factor that can contribute to this goal is quality workers.
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With 11 million new immigrants in the US, it will create competition for jobs; hence
quality workers will be hired from companies. If this theory were to work out, it can
possibly factor the improvement of the countrys GDP (4.4%) if the legislative bill
were to pass the federal government (Bipartisan Policy Centre Immigration
Reform: Implications for Growth, Budget and Housing). This theory has been
considered in other countries in the world, due to their immigration issues for
instance, the UK. The UK parliament, was discussing the possibility of withdrawing
from the EU. However, a withdrawal from the EU will shrink the growth of their
economy, due to the fact they are closing their borders and EU immigrants simply
migrate to other members states. UKs economy so far has 1/7 business that was
created by immigrants migrating from the EU to the UK (EYs 2013 UK attractiveness
survey). This is an outcome for opening their doors with immigrants from the EU
and maintaining a membership with the union. Thus, this idea can possibly work in
a much better way in the US, if amnesty was to 11 million immigrants.

Furthermore, there is another economical impact, in which can grow the
countrys economy. In theory, the majority of the people that migrate to different
countries are young individuals that seek for job opportunities. If this theory is true
(in many cases it is), the US will grow their economy significantly. The theory states
that if more young individuals fill a country, they will spend more money to strive
for a better economical status; hence, a growing economy results to young
individuals spending more money. So far the population of the US is distributed (age
and gender) evenly; the ages 0-54 make up 57% of the population (Ages 0-24 being
23% of the population). This means, that most of the population of the US are young
individuals. If 11 more immigrants were documented, this would theoretically
improve the economy, because in theory most of these immigrants will be young
individuals that will add on to the ones that are currently measured, and these
young individuals combined will spend more money and grow the countrys
economy (Bipartisan Policy Centre Bipartisan Policy Centre Analysis Finds
Immigration Reform Produces Economic Benefits). In addition, the new immigrants
that would enter the country will re-produce, growing the population of the US;
hence, more young individuals will spend more moneygrowing the economy. In
conclusion, this economical theory is a high possibility to help the growth of the
countrys GDP (4.4%) and the economy.











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(Image 2


Even though every solution has its benefits, it is needed to analyze its costs.
In the case of granting amnesty to the 11 undocumented immigrants, it is sure
that, this solution will leave the US with two possible economical costs:

1) It will raise the costs for US citizens and companies, due to higher taxes
from the government

2) Unemployment can rise due to high competition for jobs

At first, it is most likely that the costs for individuals and companies in the US
will rise, because of higher taxes. The federal government will raise their taxes, due
to the fact that more immigrants will be living in the states, and it is most likely that
some of the immigrants will have to depend on government benefits: Welfare, Social
Security, Health Care, Education, etc. At this moment, the government is in 17
trillion dollars in depth: 55% of their income in Military (Defense Budget), 6% on
Public Education, 5% on Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and Welfare; hence,
they cant afford to spend another penny (National Priorities Project Fighting for a
U.S. Federal Budget that works for All Americans). So their reaction to the new 11
million immigrants, are raising the taxes on all US citizens. This can potentially
motivate companies to cut jobs and spending; hence, it will slow down the economy
and job creation in the US. In addition, granting amnesty will motivate people in
Central America and South America, to migrate to the US illegally. This will intensify
this cost to a point, where it can escalate the general problem Immigration
Policies.

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Secondly, if 11 undocumented immigrants were granted amnesty, there is a
cost that worries many American citizens in the US. American citizens fear that it
will be harder for individuals to find jobs in the country, due to higher competition.
This can possibly increase the ongoing unemployment rate in the US (6.3%). At this
moment, the US is recovering from an economical recession (2008). At the time, the
world was facing a huge unemployment rate problem; there was a 9.9%
unemployment rate in the US. Since then, the country has been recuperating and has
gradually decreased the unemployment rate down to 6.3% (Bureau for Labor
Statistics Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey). However, if
the US were to grant amnesty to the 11 million undocumented citizens, the
competition for jobs will rise and the unemployment rate can gradually rise back up
to 7%. If people cant find jobs, the labor market will damage the rest of the US
economy and these unemployed individuals will most likely depend on government
benefits, linking back to the first costhigher taxes from the federal and state
government.


(Image 3 -

Thus, it is key for the individuals from the US to understand the economical
benefits and costs that this policy can bring to their front doors. After understanding
these impacts on their lives, they can fully decide weather they want to support
government amnesty or go against government amnesty.









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