Immigration consequences of criminal activity Research Paper

Immigration consequences of criminal activity - Research Paper Example Annually, the INS accounts for thousands of criminal investigations. Between the period of 1997 and 2005 approximately 1.5 million people were deported by INS.1 Most are illegal aliens, half of them convicted of drug dealing and drug trafficking. In addition, it was also determined that at least 6 of the 19 September 11 hijackers were in the United States illegally, their visas having previously expired.2 Ultimately, these statistics suggest that illegal immigration has profound effects on the criminal justice system of the United States. History of Immigration and Crime in the United States As a "nation of immigrants," the United States of America and its people have witnessed the issue of immigration transform over time, from general concerns about cheap labor pushing "real Americans" out of jobs to a substantially broader policy concern with much more far-reaching economic and potentially criminal concerns. Although the events of September 11, 2001, have thrust immigration to the fore, official concern about immigration dates back to the mid-19th century. At the close of America's revolutionary period, the nation began to expand westward rapidly. The United States beckoned many settlers with its vast amount of land, temperate climate, and abundance of natural resources. The country had no restrictions on the number and type of people admitted for permanent residence. Agri ­cultural production and farm employment dominated the labor market, and most jobs required little, if any, specialized skills. Evidence suggests that newcomers entered the United States at a status equal to that of the older residents and maintained that status as time passed.3 However, in the late 19th century, United States immigration policy changed as the nation, recovering from its Civil War, began to fear the surge of foreigners pouring in. Several immigration laws passed between 1882 and 1887, including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, banned certain nationalities from maintaini ng residence in the United States, reflecting some of the early concerns about conflicts over cheap labor. According to proponents of the law, White wage earners could not compete with Chinese, who were willing to live in squalor.4 The act prohibited immigration of persons considered to be "idiots, lunatics, convicts and persons likely to become a public charge"5. Although this statement does not report any specific criminal statistical information, it does suggest the beginning of Americans' concern about the issues of immigration and crime.6 American political policy quickly shifted during the advent of the American industrialization process. It was at this time that increased immigration became of critical importance to the assembly of an urban labor force.7 Newly introduced mechanization procedures required mainly unskilled workers to fill the nation's rapidly expanding urban labor markets. The jobs created during this era typically required little in the way of skill, education , literacy, numeracy, or even fluency in English. The immigrant laborers filling these positions generally lacked these attributes. In fact, a 42-volume U.S. government study issued in 1911 reported that the "new immigrants" (referring to those of the industrial revolution) were less educated, less skilled, and generally less desirable than the "old