Ethics and Undocumented Immigrants
Ethics and Undocumented Immigrants
Undocumented immigration is a controversial topic these days. There are many factors that make it so. There are many ethical issues involved with undocumented immigration, and they stem from the fact that undocumented immigrants are not officially recorded as being in the country. Undocumented immigration is also commonly termed as “illegal” immigration, and what makes it illegal is when a person flees their native country into another country while violating the immigration laws of the destination country. Before getting into the ethical issues surrounding undocumented immigrants, it is important to understand both what causes people to become undocumented immigrants, and what effects undocumented immigrants have on their destination country. There are many factors which may lead a person to illegally cross a border into the United States. The most common reason is economic, but other reasons include persecution in the home country, genocide, or a desire to escape a war-torn country. The majority of illegal immigrants in the United States come from Central America, and in particular Mexico. In many of these cases, one family member (usually a man) will cross the border into the United States in order to make more money and send it home to his family. The minimum wage for a day of work in Mexico is roughly $4. (Daily Minimum Wages 2008) In contrast, a Mexican who comes to work in the United States will make about double that amount, but on an hourly basis. As one can tell, this is a drastic increase in income that would be very appealing to someone struggling through poverty in a foreign country. Another important factor which forces people to immigrate to the United States is persecution from a hostile government. One example of this is people fleeing from Cuba to the U.S. Citizens of Cuba are not permitted to leave the country, however many do so unlawfully in hopes of finding a better life in the U.S. Because
Undocumented immigration is a controversial topic these days. There are many factors that make it so. There are many ethical issues involved with undocumented immigration, and they stem from the fact that undocumented immigrants are not officially recorded as being in the country. Undocumented immigration is also commonly termed as “illegal” immigration, and what makes it illegal is when a person flees their native country into another country while violating the immigration laws of the destination country. Before getting into the ethical issues surrounding undocumented immigrants, it is important to understand both what causes people to become undocumented immigrants, and what effects undocumented immigrants have on their destination country. There are many factors which may lead a person to illegally cross a border into the United States. The most common reason is economic, but other reasons include persecution in the home country, genocide, or a desire to escape a war-torn country. The majority of illegal immigrants in the United States come from Central America, and in particular Mexico. In many of these cases, one family member (usually a man) will cross the border into the United States in order to make more money and send it home to his family. The minimum wage for a day of work in Mexico is roughly $4. (Daily Minimum Wages 2008) In contrast, a Mexican who comes to work in the United States will make about double that amount, but on an hourly basis. As one can tell, this is a drastic increase in income that would be very appealing to someone struggling through poverty in a foreign country. Another important factor which forces people to immigrate to the United States is persecution from a hostile government. One example of this is people fleeing from Cuba to the U.S. Citizens of Cuba are not permitted to leave the country, however many do so unlawfully in hopes of finding a better life in the U.S. Because
Cited: Armour, Stephanie. "USATODAY.com - Crackdown on hiring of illegal workers shifts to employers." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. 5 May 2006. Web. 23 Oct. 2009. .