Sociology

Unless U.S government reviews its foreign policies as well as minimizes political influence the influx of illegal immigrants is still imminent.

Retarded economic growth, poverty and overpopulation are some of the forces that drive immigrants from their country of origin to seek better life outside their country (Sassen, 1989).  U.S has been a recipient of immigrants since time memorial for reasons that are not only attributed to economic factors but also political forces. Immigrants were accommodated by the U.S citizens in goodwill and no any law was binding the U.S government to do so. According to Saskia Sassen, (1989), immigrants were beneficial in one way or another. At the outset, they could provide cheap labor that was required by the Americans in their agriculture sector. Besides, they could also provide other skilled labor such as nurses and nannies which were in short supply in the U.S. Sassen argues that the liberals were in favor of the idea of accommodating immigrants considering the fact that U.S had the resources to carter for them.

Conservatives on the other hand vehemently rejected the proposal arguing that this would lead to an influx of immigrants as well as emergence of other challenges in accommodating immigrants (LeMay, 2007). The continued entry of immigrants into the country was characterized by an increase in the number of undocumented immigrants entering the U.S. The problems associated with illegal immigrants are immense hence the spirited fight by the U.S government to suppress this menace. However, the influx of undocumented immigrants particularly from Mexico is still imminent despite authorities effort to curb illegal immigration. In 2004 for instance, Mexican immigrants formed the largest group of undocumented immigrants by about six million immigrants (LeMay, 2007). This margin has not virtually changed resulting to more and more problems in the U.S. 

In early sixties, U.S witnessed a tremendous increase in number of illegal immigrants mainly from the Latin America, Asia and Caribbean. This raised concerns in the U.S forcing the authorities to pursue the real cause of the problem. Assumptions that immigration might have increased as result of increase in poverty levels, overpopulation as well as retarded economic growth in the immigrant sending countries was actually wrong (Saskia Sassen, 1989). The U.S authorities believed that improving the economy of Mexico would reduce the number of immigrants the country is sending to the U.S. It therefore embarked on a strategy of donating foreign aid to this country as well as improving trade relations in an attempt to boost its economy and suppress emigration.  According to the government, these immigrants would therefore forego their ambition of migrating to the U.S since job opportunities would be available. However, this was not to be as an increase in the number of immigrants was recorded in the subsequent years.

According to Sassen (1989), immigration is not solely dependent on the three basic factors of economy, poverty and population alone but also on other issues. She explains that the aforementioned factors form the basic factors that drive immigrants to the U.S. However, political as well as economic forces equally play a key role in the immigration impasse. Sassen (1989) clarifies this phenomenon further by comparing economic status of nations which send these immigrants in elevated numbers with those that do not. She argues that most of the nations leading in the number of immigrants such as Mexico have commendable economic growth above most of the nations in the developing world and can alleviate its citizens from poverty compared to nations in the Central Africa whose economies have experienced a retarded growth for along period of time yet experience minimal number of emigrants to the U.S. The writer attributes this issue to the role played by the U.S in the whole saga. To begin with, she categorically state that Americas involvement in the worlds economies as a superpower has created links between U.S and the countries it has gotten into business with. Through the foreign aid and international investments in the countries it considers to be sending high number of immigrants, U.S has enhanced industrialization process as well as economic development in these countries. These are some of the strategies that were employed by the U.S to curb the rate of immigration. Paradoxically, the same measures have contributed to the increase in links between the countries involved therefore culminating into a tremendous increase in the number of immigrants such nations were sending to the U.S. This clearly explains why industrialization as well as economic growth in a country do not deter emigrants from leaving their country but rather precipitate the immigration process (Sassen, 1989).

The influx of immigrants in the U.S raised concerns among the authorities in the U.S given the problems associated with illegal immigration from Mexico. To begin with, Mexico is known to be one of the leading nations in cases of drug smuggling. It has the most extensive network of drug cartels in the world. This has posed challenge to the U.S government given the fact that these cartels use illegal immigrants to smuggle drugs into U.S. The immigrants have gone as far as planting marijuana in Americas forests such  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiLos_Padres_National_Forest o Los Padres National Forest Los Padres Forest in California. Moreover, the Mexican immigrants have been associated with gang violence along the border with U.S. They have in most cases been financed by the smugglers to cause havoc against the patrol agents at the border (Hernandes, 2010).

Additionally, these Mexican immigrants have been associated with environmental degradation. They indulge in activities such as destruction of forests, causing of wildfires in addition to dumping of trash along the border. Besides, these immigrants pose security threats to the U.S most attackers take advantage of the Mexico-U.S border to access the U.S. This was witnessed in 2007 when three Macedonians accessed the U.S via Mexico to plot an attack at the HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwiki2007_Fort_Dix_attack_plot o 2007 Fort Dix attack plot  Fort Dix (Hernandes, 2010).
 
According to Massey, Durand  Malone (2005) influx of illegal immigrants from Mexico causes more problems to U.S. The trios cite structural inflation as well as social constraints as some of the problems associated with immigration. The employers in U.S have been known to attract unskilled labor by increasing their wages. However, wages should reflect the status an employee in the society as well as the skills of the worker. Therefore increasing wages of employees at the base of the occupational hierarchy would sabotage the distinct relationship that exists between the remuneration and labor offered. They assert that raising the wages of an employee at the base of this occupational hierarchy will level their pay with those of employees above them in the hierarchy. This will result into tension given the fact that their skill level is different and therefore the more skilled will demand an increase in their pay with the same margin. It is reasonable that the employers embark on a proportionate increase of remuneration within all levels of the occupational hierarchy so as to maintain social relationships (Schacht, Knox  Mooney, 2008). This idea is pose a challenge to most employers hence their tendency to run for cheap labor outside the U.S. resulting into immigration.
Massey, Durand  Malone (2005) ague that people not only work to mount up their earning but also to accumulate social status. However, workers at the bottom of occupational hierarchy have no status to be proud of. Most of the employees in U.S would not take up jobs falling under such categories due to their comfort ability with jobs that provide prestige and are also motivational. However, this level of hierarchy can not be done away with in the labor markets. These vacancies will therefore be filled by immigrants who always view such jobs as better ones compared to the available opportunities at home.

Mexican immigrants have had significant consequences on the economic status of U.S. Immigration has in most cases benefited the upper class Americans but immensely reduced the economic status of the poor thereby widening the gap between the rich and the poor. This has resulted in the reduction of employment rate of the blacks as a result of entry of skilled Mexican immigrant into the U.S (Borjas, 2007). Moreover, the blacks wages has been reduced courtesy to illegal immigration. Immigrants have impacted on the tax and social services. The government spends highly in the provision of services such as education to the aliens. These expenses surpass the tax generated by the undocumented Mexican immigrants hence are therefore burdens to the nation (Hanson, 2005).

Due to a steady increase in immigrants from Mexico as well as other nations, U.S congress adopted a policy in 1965 to regulate immigration through control of undocumented immigrants. This policy was not successful in minimizing the number of immigrants and instead a dramatic increase in the number of illegal immigrants ensued. Mexico had the largest source of immigrants between 1972 and 1979 (Saskia Sassen, 1989). This country sent about half a million immigrants to the U.S during that period. The rise of undocumented immigrants from Mexico and other countries forced the congress to find an alternative strategy to unlock the impasse. It therefore enacted legislation in 1986 to regulate the rate of illegal immigrants. This policy provided for the regularization of undocumented immigrants as well as reduction of their employment in U.S.  The government introduced sanctions to the employers who intentionally employed undocumented immigrants. This Act allowed accommodation of immigrants who could provide cheap labor that was required in the agriculture sector. This policy just like the 1965 policy never saw the light of the day as it was used by the employers to favor certain group and discriminate against other groups (Borjas, 2007). Illegal immigrants continued to trickle in forcing the U.S to seek alternative ways to suppress immigration. Deterring Mexican immigrants from entry via the border with U.S through enhanced patrols along the border as well as screening their documents has proven futile (Hernandes, 2010).

Currently the congress is working on laws to correct the past legislations in an attempt to control illegal immigrants from Mexico and other countries. The country is experiencing shortages in the labor force and therefore the policy being formulated will provide an opportunity for the applicants with qualifications as required by the U.S labor laws. However, factors that contribute to immigration are still constant thereby making the effort fruitless. The growth of service sector in the U.S and the subsequent reduction of manufacturing have ensured constant supply of jobs of law wages which attracts immigrants into the nation (Yoshida, 2000).

The U.S government has played a key role in encouraging immigration through its international policies and economic influence in the world. Establishment of economic, political and military linkages with other nations in the world fuelled migration to the U.S from these nations. Ironically, the international economic investments as well as ineffective policies that have so far been adopted to control immigration ended up precipitating it (Hanson, 2005).

Conclusion
Accommodation of immigrants by a nation is an act of courtesy and goodwill. However, most of the immigrants have turned to be burden instead of being beneficial to the country of destiny. The immigrants especially those from Mexico have been associated with activities that are not acceptable in the civil society. Moreover, the costs of accommodating such immigrants have increased thereby increasing the governments budget. This has therefore called for measures to suppress illegal immigration which threatens the future stability of U.S. However, the strategies adopted by the government to curb this problem have fuelled it instead. The government therefore holds the key needed to unlock this impasse