Immigration Problem is about us, not them: A Critical Analysis

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Added on 2023/04/23

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This article discusses the shortcomings of addressing illegal immigration problems in the United States and blames the U.S government at large for all the issues associated with immigrant control policies. The author suggests that the Illegal Native Employers (INEs) should be addressed first, even with the amendment of the immigration bills in the Senate. The article also talks about the impact of immigrants on the U.S economy.

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Assiatou Balde
English 1100
Prof. Canter
07 Mar. 2019
Illegal immigrants in America
In the article “Immigration Problem is about us, not them” by Jo-Ann Pilardi, is about the
shortcomings of addressing illegal immigration problems in the United States. The author of this
article blames the U.S government at large for all the issues associated with immigrant control
policies. Primarily, it implicates the employment agencies by not doing the right thing and the
affluent both in the manufacturing and service industry for the rise in illegal immigrants. The
overall argument is that the industries and employers encourage illegal immigration by offering
jobs to undocumented workers. This makes it unfair to immigrants because they’re not the cause
of how employers choose to hire their workers. These Illegal Native Employers (INEs) are
responsible for some immigration problems in the U.S. This argument sounds valid since the
employment agencies should be the leading informant about this illegal immigration particularly
when hiring workers. Through the article, the author has applied several comments that affect
some of the immigration issues which are being disregarded.
In a summary of the article, the author talks about the illegal immigration debates which
are treated with pretense since the root of all problems is known. The author documents that the
INEs run the top industrial chains and are well known to the government, yet not even the media
has aired the companies’ roles publicly. The author suggests that it is the INEs that should be
addressed first, even with the amendment of the immigration bills in the Senate. The Fact is, the
INEs should be secured tighter than the borders.

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First, the author is showing that it isn’t only immigrants that are at fault for being hired
when they are undocumented. They’re only trying to get paid while working. The blame should
also be on the employers whom are also referred as “illegal” because they are the ones hiring
undocumented workers. Even adding that they should be called “illegal native employers” which
is INEs are mostly the top employers in the U.S. Although these INEs aren’t reporting some of
their undocumented workers, they aren’t being humiliated.
The second issue is that some immigrants are also getting low income of what they’re
supposed to get. The author gives an example that explains more of how this can be, “many of
our political leaders talk a hard line about "immigration reform" even though they know our
country is mired in its demand for the immigrant work force. We use and exploit the labor of
these millions every day”. The employers use their power and exploit these undocumented
workers who cannot in any way act because they might be arrested or deported. Furthermore,
even the media knows about it but no one is daring to talk about it. The author acts in a way that
shows how frustrating and angry she is.
Finally, immigrants in the U.S have a big impact on our economic problem. Most of them
work a lot of hours just to advance their lifestyles and keep the U.S. economy growing. “We
need to create a fair immigration program for those who want to stay, not one that separates them
by creating a national caste system of "guest workers”. Evidently, this can positively impact our
economy.
A separate study “Undocumented immigration and the business of farm labor
contracting in the USA” from the American Journal of Business by Anita A. Pena supports
Pilardi’s argument on the main issue. This article states that undocumented immigrants in the
U.S have got a lot to do with farm labor contracting with workers (Pena 16). Intermediaries take

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the risk of smuggling labor across the U.S borders at a fee. Their motivation into taking these
risks is that they enjoy a significant amount of payoff from the wages of the immigrants.
Generally, this article implicates labor pressure on industries in the growing immigration
problems in the U.S.
The article describes that, “It is argued that the decline in labor contracting increases
the need for employer‐level bilingual communication skills and compliance with labor
regulations”. This is implied that, the need for immigrant language level is also part of their
hiring process.
In conclusion, both articles agree on the fact that immigration problems lie with the U.S
citizens and not the immigrants. A good part of the contribution to this problem is the labor
industries, particularly, the Illegal Native Employers (INEs). It is unfortunate that the
government is aware of the INEs but will not address their contribution to illegal immigration.
The article suggests, therefore, that the INEs be neutralized first before the illegal immigrants
can be eradicated for once and for all.