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Folola Finau
Professor Dursema
English 1010
August 6 2016
Immigration A Broken System
The immigration system of the United States of America is ineffective and broken. The
restrictions on immigration make it harder for people to enter the U.S which leads to illegal
immigration. These restrictions and The current policies and legislation are not sufficient to
handle the demands needed by the economy and society. Thus reform needs to address the issue
of visa overstays and reexamine the restrictions that result in illegal immigration that affect the
economy and society.
The United States of America is a nation of immigrants, but this is a fact that the current
immigration system has forgotten. With its backwards legislation that makes it harder to enter the
U.S legally versus illegally. This is a root cause of the challenges the economy and society are
now currently face with because of immigration. The current policies do not stop or prevent
illegal immigration from occurring once these individuals have entered the U.S. This a loophole
that is being exploited and is often the easier choice immigrants face when the reality of the
complicated process becomes or seems too daunting. There is a waitlist of 4 million to enter the
U.S and another waitlist of 15 million to re-enter U.S legally (Enforcement). With a waitlist
millions long the choice to obtain a visitors visa to gain entry into the U.S. becomes more
appealing. Roger Daniels, a professor of history emeritus at the University of Cincinnati, quoted
in his book Guarding the Golden Door a suggestion to heed in dealing with immigrants by
former U.S. President George W. Bush who stated, We must be responsive to those who seek to

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immigrate to this country by legal means, and to those who have emigrated and now seek to
become U.S. citizens (Daniels 263).
The visitors that entered the US last year (2015) numbered around 45 million and of
those entering the US 482,781 stayed in the US past the expiration of their visas (Gomez). There
are an estimated 11.4 million illegal immigrants residing within the U.S. The U.S. also spends
nearly 2.5 billion a year in deportation of illegal immigrants that Bill Richardson, a former
Governor of New Mexico feels are part of the economic and social fabric of the United States
(Enforcement). A worker program that would allow and integrate current illegal immigrants to
participate would provide a tax base on wages they earned as contribution to society. The
argument that this would take jobs away from Americans is not the real problem with a worker
program as these are jobs Americans will not do but that need to be done. The real problem is
that minimum wage needs to be increased, but that will not change the job description.
The United States of America is a country founded by immigrants. Immigrants played a
key role in building the U.S into the country it is today. With the different skills, knowledge, and
mass numbers contributed by immigrants who sought a better life on Americas shores
immigration was vital to the health of the nation and this still holds true today (Daniels 6). The
reasons may vary from what they once were, but with the restrictions on who and how many
people can immigrate to the U.S. the flow has slowed and so has the benefits that comes with
immigrants. The influx of workers for various fields of industry is a contribution immigrants
have made that has allowed the U.S. to prosper though out its history.
The current rate of admittance into the U.S per year is limited to 675,000 allotted visas.
There are different visas for different immigrants and reasons for entry into the U.S. One of these
is a HB-1 visa that is temporary and is considered a nonimmigrant visa. This offers no stability

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or promise to the individuals who qualify for and depend on these for legal status in the U.S. It is
a specialty occupation visa granting permission to work in the U.S. and can only be filed for by
an employer. They are also limited with only 65,000 allotted yearly and another 20,000 allowed
for foreign educated professionals. These are given to employers for individuals who specialize
in a field of work such as mathematics, engineering and technology (The H1-B). This is one
example of the issues caused by the restrictions made by immigration laws that does not make
sense. In 6 of the last 10 years the quota for these visas were reach in just 5 days after becoming
available for petition to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (The H1-B).
The U.S. needs to have a higher allotted number of visas available for highly educated
and sought after individuals in order to compete with other countries for them. Or better yet do
away with the cap on those visas altogether and have them be approved on a case to case basis.
The same should apply to individuals who seek to come to the U.S. for education because by
limiting the amounts of visas the U.S. only hurts itself by denying itself the opportunity to grow
offered by these immigrants and what they have to offer. There were 677, 928 student visa issued
in 2015 this number also reflects border crossing cards (Nonimmigrant). This figure shows that
there is still an interest for foreign students to study here in the U.S., but if restrictions remain the
way they are these students will leave the U.S after receiving their education. The current
immigration restrictions hurt the U.S and stunt its growth and its ability to grow stronger and
prosperous.
This issue needs to be addressed and not just debated because change is needed and
though it may be through trial and error inaction is unacceptable. Comprehensive reform though
not popular offers a more effective solution that can be adjusted over time as needed to more
effectively solve the problems with the immigration system. A fresh start is needed to begin

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fixing a system that has basically become tougher enforcement measures grafted on to that mess
of an underlying law as stated by Edward Alden a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
(Enforcement).
The immigration system is overly complicated and has faults that need to be repaired.
Immigration restrictions and policies that have become an anchor holding the U.S. back. Andrew
Carnegie said, Anything in life worth having is worth working for and shouldnt be impossible
to achieve and immigration to the U.S should offer hope and not become hopeless.

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Works Cited
Enforcement. Homeland: Immigration in America. Writ. Jim Kirchherr. Prod. Leo Eaton and
John Lindsey. PBS. KUED, Salt Lake City. 27 Jul. 2012. Television.
Gomez, Alan. Nearly 500K Foreigners Overstayed Visas in 2015. USA TODAY. 20 Jan.
2016. Web. 30 July 2016.
Daniels, Roger. Guarding the Golden Door. New York: Hill and Wang A Division of Farrar,
Straus and Giroux. 2004. Print.
The H-1B Visa Program: A Primer on the Program and Its Impact on Jobs, Wages, and the
Economy. American Immigration Council. American Immigration Council. Apr.
2016.

Web. 29 Jul. 2016.

Nonimmigrant Visa Statistics. Travel.State.Gov. The Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S.

Department of State. Web. 28 Jul. 2016.