Thomas 1

Bella Thomas

Baker

World Literature 12

April 5, 2019

The Huddled Masses

As of 2017 more than 44.5 million immigrants reside in the United States. That is the

highest in this nation since the beginning of census record-keeping (Zong 2019). A recent influx

of migrants, combined with modern news reporting, has made immigration an unavoidable topic

in today’s political climate. Recent debates and policy changes have brought to light the many

underlying issues with the current legal immigration system. The American immigration

procedure is in desperate need of reform in order to end family separation, admit asylum seekers,

and expedite due process.

There are many people who perceive legal and illegal immigrants alike as a threat to

national security. News outlets that support this notion have substantiated their claims by

reporting on stories such as that of Hector Rodriguez-Chavez who, in late November of 2018,

had to be forcibly subdued when he pulled a loaded gun on a Border Patrol agent (FAIR 1). This

unease has been amplified by the media and White House itself. In March, President Donald

Trump remarked, “As we take action to restore our national sovereignty and defend this nation

from criminal cartels, human traffickers, and drug smugglers. Crime of all kinds coming through

our southern border and other places.” Remarks such as these validate those who are
 Thomas 2

apprehensive of immigrants as a whole, and may inspire the type of legislative crack-down for

which the White House is aiming.

While allegations of drug-smuggling and criminal cartels may worry those who inhabit

border states, other American residents are concerned about a more economic threat. “They’re

taking our jobs,” added Trump in 2015. “They’re taking our manufacturing jobs. They’re taking

our money. They’re killing us.” The United States job market has always been competitive, and

now some citizens feel threatened by the possibility of being replaced by an immigrant.

Companies, specifically those in agriculture and manufacturing, have been known to hire

immigrants, legal or otherwise, for lower wages thus ensuring greater profit. It is widely believed

that American companies do this in order to circumvent issuing fair wages, and many consider

immigrants to be a hindrance to economic growth. In 2018 Chief of Staff John Kelley remarked

on migrant workers, “They don't speak English;... They don't integrate well; they don't have

skills.” This exemplifies the belief that migrant laborers, because they are unskilled and willing

to work for less, assure lower wages for native-born Americans competing for the same jobs.

However, immigrants are an intrinsic element of society. Not only are illegal immigrants

49 percent less likely to be incarcerated than native-born Americans, they are a vital asset to a

growing economy (Landgrave, et. 10). As the adults of the Baby Boom generation, who were the

drivers behind the United States’ expanding workforce, begin to retire, immigrants will play a

crucial role in the future working-age population (Passel, et. 1). An inherent component to being

an American worker is paying taxes. While a misinformed few believe that illegal immigrants

abuse the legal system and reap the benefits, quite the opposite is true. One study done by the

The Institution on Taxation & Economic Policy finds, “Undocumented immigrants contribute
 Thomas 3

significantly to state and local taxes, collectively paying an estimated $11.64 billion a year.”

Illegal immigrants pay their fair share and receive nothing in return; many live in poverty

because they are not able to apply for food stamps, Medicaid, or any type of federal aid for fear

of being deported.

Taxes and poverty are not the only challenges undocumented immigrants face; they are

not even the first. In recent years, President Trump has issued a “zero-tolerance” policy

regarding immigrants traversing the Mexican border: regardless of motive, including seeking

asylum, all migrants are being separated from their children and held in detention until they can

appear in immigration court. The New York Times writes, “As of December, the department

had identified 2,737 children who were separated from their parents under the policy and

required to be reunified by a federal court order issued in June 2018.” However, the order never

reached fruition and many families are still separated today; and even when reunited, the

families’ struggles are not over. “Now when I look at him, he’s not the same… I consider the

damage irreparable,” comments the immigrant and mother after being reunited with her son,

13-year-old Alejandro, who was taken at the border and held in a cage for two months.

Previously, asylees were permitted to stay with their children in the U.S. as they awaited a court

date to plead their case; nonetheless, Trump dubbed this policy “catch and release”, it was then

declared too risky, and family separation was implemented. Family separation has lead to

hundreds of documented cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, separation anxiety, and

depression in children over the last two years.

 Thomas 4

The core issues of the American immigration process are not new, and neither is the

accompanying stigma. In 1987, Zofia Zajac immigrated to from Poland to Canada in order to

escape the rising wave of communism in the Soviet Union. Looking back, she comments,

“Some people I knew went to U.S., but many of them never got green cards, and they would

work illegally for years with no healthcare or other citizen rights…. so we came here where

immigrants were more welcome.” The trepidation surrounding immigration procedure in the

United States is the reason many asylees risk migrating illegally, and their concerns are not

unjustified. The U.S. currently has a backlog of over 700,000 immigration cases, and in 2018 the

attorney general issued a case quota for judges in immigration court, which could considerably

compromise the due process for defendants by allowing more deportation than fair rulings

(Southern Poverty Law Center 14). This would be a more pressing issue if immigrants in

detention were not already “facing judges who deny asylum at rates nearing ​100 percen​t” (SPLC

24). Their odds for a fair trial are abysmal at best.

Immigration court is classified under the Executive branch of the United States instead of

the Judicial branch because deportation cases are classified as civil, rather than criminal,

sanctions. That also means that immigrants are not granted protection under Sixth Amendment of

the Constitution, and they have no right to representation in court. As reported by the National

Immigration Council, ​“...only 37 percent of all immigrants secured legal representation in their

removal cases.”​ This includes children who migrated without family, or whose parents were

deported while in custody. Often times, children, as young as two or three, are forced to

represent themselves in court. According to ​Syracuse University’s TRAC Immigration ​database​,

“As of 2014, more than 80 percent of children who showed up to court unrepresented were
 Thomas 5

deported... For children who appeared in court with legal representation, only 12 percent were

deported.” These statistics are not unknown to potential asylees and immigrants, and their fear

and doubt will morph into the desperation that drives them to risk entering the U.S. dangerously

and illegally.

The current American immigration system is dysfunctional and unsustainable. The

United States can not pride itself on being the land of freedom and justice while simultaneously

belittling those seeking what was promised. The Founding Fathers were immigrants and asylees

and the current U.S. government has crafted a system to impede refugees following in their

footsteps. Instead of accepting the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses, America has given

cages, broken families, and irreparable damage. Immigrants are the foundation of this country.

They have given everything to make America great and asked for nothing in return; it is time

America did the same for them.

 
 Thomas 6

Works Cited

“Access to Counsel in Immigration Court.” ​American Immigration Council​, 13 Dec. 2016,

americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/access-counsel-immigration-court.

“Examples of Serious Crimes By Illegal Aliens | Federation for American Immigration Reform.”

Serious Crimes Committed by Illegal Aliens | FAIRus.org,​ 2019,

www.fairus.org/issue/illegal-immigration/examples-serious-crimes-illegal-aliens.

Gee, Lisa, et al. “Undocumented Immigrants’ State & Local Tax Contributions.” The Institution

on Taxation & Economic Policy, Feb. 2016.

Gonzales, Richard, and John Burnett. “John Kelly On Trump, The Russia Investigation And

Separating Immigrant Families.” National Public Radio, 10 May 2018.

Hoban, Brennan. “Do Immigrants ‘Steal’ Jobs from American Workers?” ​Brookings​, Brookings,

19 July 2018,

www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2017/08/24/do-immigrants-steal-jobs-from-ame

rican-workers

Jordan, Miriam. “Family Separation May Have Hit Thousands More Migrant Children Than

Reported.” ​The New York Times​, The New York Times, 17 Jan. 2019,

www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/us/family-separation-trump-administration-migrants.html.

Landgrave, Michelangelo, et al. “Criminal Immigrants in 2017: Their Numbers, Demographics,

and Countries of Origin.” ​Cato Institute​, 4 Mar. 2019,

www.cato.org/publications/immigration-research-policy-brief/criminal-immigrants-2017-

their-numbers-demographics.
 Thomas 7

“No End in Sight.” ​Southern Poverty Law Center,​ Oct. 2018,

www.splcenter.org/20181003/no-end-sight

Passel, Jeffrey S., and D’Vera Cohn. “Immigration Projected to Drive Potential U.S. Labor Force

Growth through 2035.” ​Pew Research Center​, Pew Research Center, 8 Mar. 2017,

www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/03/08/immigration-projected-to-drive-growth-in-u-

s-working-age-population-through-at-least-2035/.

Representation for Unaccompanied Children in Immigration Court. 2014, Representation for

Unaccompanied Children in Immigration Court.

“Remarks by President Trump on the National Security and Humanitarian Crisis.” 2019.

Yan, Story by Holly and Claudia Morales, directors. ​The Lasting Effects of Family Separations.​

CNN​, Cable News Network, 8 Sept. 2018,

edition.cnn.com/2018/09/07/us/child-separated-from-mom-interview/index.html.

Zajac, Zofia. “The Struggles of Immigration.” 1 Mar. 2019.

Zong, Jie, et al. “Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United

States.” ​Migrationpolicy.org,​ 14 Mar. 2019,

www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigra

tion-united-states.
 Thomas 8

E-SOURCES

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, Newspaper, ​Website,​ Book, Interview, Blog, Speech,
Other: ​US Census
Topic of Article​: Immigration
Paragraph E-note will be used in​: DQQBASH - Introduction
Work Cited Entry from Easybib
Zong, Jie, et al. “Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United
States.” ​Migrationpolicy.org,​ 14 Mar. 2019,
www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-un
ited-states.
Complete URL:
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigrat
ion-united-states
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Website

“More than 44.5 million immigrants resided in the United States in 2017, the historical high
since census records have been kept.”

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, Newspaper, Website, Book, Interview, Blog,​ Speech,
Other:_________
Topic of Article​: Stricter Immigration
Paragraph E-note will be used in​: Con Paragraph #1
Work Cited Entry from Easybib
“Remarks by President Trump on the National Security and Humanitarian Crisis.” 2019.
Complete URL:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-national-security-hu
manitarian-crisis-southern-border-2/
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Speech

“As we take action to restore our national sovereignty and defend this nation from criminal
cartels, human traffickers, and drug smugglers. Crime of all kinds coming through our southern
border and other places.”

E-note #2:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Speech

“We’re on track for a million illegal aliens to rush our borders… It’s an invasion of drugs and
criminals and people.”

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, Newspaper, ​Website​, Book, Interview, Blog, Speech,
Other:_________
 Thomas 9

Topic of Article​: Illegal Alien Crime

Paragraph E-note will be used in​: Con Paragraph #1
Work Cited Entry from Easybib
“Examples of Serious Crimes By Illegal Aliens | Federation for American Immigration Reform.”
Serious Crimes Committed by Illegal Aliens | FAIRus.org,​ 2019,
www.fairus.org/issue/illegal-immigration/examples-serious-crimes-illegal-aliens.
Complete URL:
https://www.fairus.org/issue/illegal-immigration/examples-serious-crimes-illegal-aliens
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Archive

“In late November, an illegal Mexican alien attempting to cross the border into California,
Hector Rodriguez-Chavez, pulled a loaded gun on a Border Patrol agent and had to be forcibly
subdued. Rodriguez-Chavez had a long criminal history of violent drug crimes and gun offenses
had been deported at least five times over a twenty-year period.”

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, Newspaper, ​Website​, Book, Interview, Blog, Speech,
Other:_________
Topic of Article​: Illegal Alien Take Jobs
Paragraph E-note will be used in​: Con Paragraph #2
Work Cited Entry from Easybib
Hoban, Brennan. “Do Immigrants ‘Steal’ Jobs from American Workers?” ​Brookings​, Brookings,
19 July 2018,
www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2017/08/24/do-immigrants-steal-jobs-from-american-w
orkers/.
Complete URL:
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2017/08/24/do-immigrants-steal-jobs-from-ame
rican-workers/
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Trump 2015

“They’re taking our jobs. They’re taking our manufacturing jobs. They’re taking our money.
They’re killing us.”

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, Newspaper, Website, Book,​ Interview​, Blog, Speech,
Other:_________
Topic of Article​: John Kelly (Chief of Staff) on Trump, Russia, Immigration
Paragraph E-note will be used in​: Con Paragraph #2
Work Cited Entry from Easybib

Gonzales, Richard, and John Burnett. “John Kelly On Trump, The Russia Investigation And
Separating Immigrant Families.” National Public Radio, 10 May 2018.
 Thomas 10

Complete URL:
https://www.npr.org/2018/05/10/609478998/john-kelly-despite-times-of-deep-frustration-no-regr
ets-taking-white-house-job?t=1554217152488
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​NPR John Kelly 2018

“They don't speak English;.. They don't integrate well; they don't have skills. ”

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, Newspaper, Website, Book, Interview, Blog, Speech,
Other: ​Data Report
Topic of Article​:Undocumented Immigrants’ State & Local Tax Contributions
Paragraph E-note will be used in​: Pro Paragraph A
Work Cited Entry from Easybib
Gee, Lisa, et al. “Undocumented Immigrants’ State & Local Tax Contributions.” The Institution
on Taxation & Economic Policy, Feb. 2016.
Complete URL:
https://itep.org/wp-content/uploads/immigration2016.pdf
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Page 3 paragraph 4

“Undocumented immigrants contribute significantly to state and local taxes, collectively paying
an estimated $11.64 billion a year.”

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, Newspaper, ​Website​, Book, Interview, Blog, Speech,
Other:
Topic of Article​:Undocumented Immigrants’ State & Local Tax Contributions
Paragraph E-note will be used in​: Pro Paragraph A
Work Cited Entry from Easybib
Passel, Jeffrey S., and D’Vera Cohn. “Immigration Projected to Drive Potential U.S. Labor Force
Growth through 2035.” ​Pew Research Center​, Pew Research Center, 8 Mar. 2017,
www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/03/08/immigration-projected-to-drive-growth-in-u-s-worki
ng-age-population-through-at-least-2035/.
Complete URL:
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/03/08/immigration-projected-to-drive-growth-in-u-
s-working-age-population-through-at-least-2035/
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Paragraph 1

“For most of the past half-century, adults in the U.S. Baby Boom generation – those born after
World War II and before 1965 – have been the main driver of the nation’s expanding workforce.
But as this large generation heads into retirement, the increase in the potential labor force will
 Thomas 11

slow markedly, and immigrants will play the primary role in the future growth of the
working-age population.”

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, Newspaper, ​Website​, Book, Interview, Blog, Speech,
Other:
Topic of Article​:Criminal Immigrants in 2017: Their Numbers, Demographics, and Countries of
Origin
Paragraph E-note will be used in​: Pro Paragraph A
Work Cited Entry from Easybib
Landgrave, Michelangelo, et al. “Criminal Immigrants in 2017: Their Numbers, Demographics,
and Countries of Origin.” ​Cato Institute​, 4 Mar. 2019,
www.cato.org/publications/immigration-research-policy-brief/criminal-immigrants-2017-their-n
umbers-demographics.
Complete URL:
https://www.cato.org/publications/immigration-research-policy-brief/criminal-immigrants-2017-t
heir-numbers-demographics
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Paragraph 10

“ Illegal immigrants are 49 percent less likely to be incarcerated than native-born Americans.
Legal immigrants are 75 percent less likely to be incarcerated than natives.”

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, Newspaper, Website, Book, ​Interview​, Blog, Speech,
Other:​ Personal Interview
Topic of Article​:Struggles of Immigrants
Paragraph E-note will be used in​: Pro Paragraph D
Work Cited Entry from Easybib
Zajac, Zofia. “The Struggles of Immigration.” 1 Mar. 2019.
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​April 1

“Canada had open borders at the time because they needed workers. Some people I knew went to
US, but many of them never got green cards and would work illegally for years with no
healthcare or other citizen rights. My dad didn't want that for us, so we came here where
immigrants were more welcome.”

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, ​Newspaper​, Website, Book, Interview, Blog, Speech,
Other:
Topic of Article​:Family Separation May Have Hit Thousands More Migrant Children Than
Reported
Paragraph E-note will be used in​: Pro Paragraph B
Work Cited Entry from Easybib
 Thomas 12

Jordan, Miriam. “Family Separation May Have Hit Thousands More Migrant Children Than
Reported.” ​The New York Times​, The New York Times, 17 Jan. 2019,
www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/us/family-separation-trump-administration-migrants.html.
Complete URL:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/us/family-separation-trump-administration-migrants.html
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Paragraph 4

“As of December, the department had identified 2,737 children who were separated from their
parents under the policy and required to be reunified by a federal court order issued in June
2018.”

E-note #2:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Paragraph 11

“After a review of internal government tallies, The New York Times found last year that ​more
than 700 migrant children​ had been separated from their families in the months before the
government officially announced the zero-tolerance policy.”

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, Newspaper, Website, Book, ​Interview,​ Blog, Speech,
Other:
Topic of Article​: The Lasting Effects of Family Separations
Paragraph E-note will be used in​: Pro Paragraph B
Work Cited Entry from Easybib
Yan, Story by Holly and Claudia Morales, directors. ​The Lasting Effects of Family Separations.​
CNN​, Cable News Network, 8 Sept. 2018,
edition.cnn.com/2018/09/07/us/child-separated-from-mom-interview/index.html.
Complete URL:
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/07/us/child-separated-from-mom-interview/index.html
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Minute 2

“Now when I look at him, he’s not the same… I consider the damage irreparable,” said the
mother of 13-year-old Alejandro.

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, Newspaper, Website, Book, Interview, Blog, Speech,
Other: ​report
Topic of Article​: Representation for Unaccompanied Children
Paragraph E-note will be used in​: Pro Paragraph D
Work Cited Entry from Easybib
Representation for Unaccompanied Children in Immigration Court. 2014, Representation for
Unaccompanied Children in Immigration Court.
Complete URL:
 Thomas 13

https://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/371/
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Report

“As of 2014, more than 80 percent of children who showed up to court unrepresented were
deported, according to Syracuse University’s trac Immigration ​database​. For children who
appeared in court with legal representation, only 12 percent were deported.”

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, Newspaper, ​Website​, Book, Interview, Blog, Speech,
Other:
Topic of Article​: Access to Counsel in Immigration Court
Paragraph E-note will be used in​: Pro Paragraph D
Work Cited Entry from Easybib
“Access to Counsel in Immigration Court.” ​American Immigration Council​, 13 Dec. 2016,
americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/access-counsel-immigration-court.
Complete URL:
https://americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/access-counsel-immigration-court
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Paragraph 6

“Represented immigrants in detention who had a custody hearing were four times more likely to
be released from detention.”

E-note #2:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Paragraph 6

“Nationally, only 37 percent of all immigrants secured legal representation in their removal
cases.”

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, Newspaper, ​Website​, Book, Interview, Blog, Speech,
Other:
Topic of Article​: Why Immigrants Give Up On Their Immigration Cases
Paragraph E-note will be used in​: Pro Paragraph D
Work Cited Entry from Easybib
“No End in Sight.” ​Southern Poverty Law Center,​ Oct. 2018,
www.splcenter.org/20181003/no-end-sight
Complete URL:
https://www.splcenter.org/20181003/no-end-sight
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Paragraph 13

“The first seven months of 2017 saw the average daily population in Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) custody ​jump 14.4 percent over 2016​ – from 34,376 people to 39,322,
despite a ​decline in unlawful border crossings​ during the same period.”
 Thomas 14

Source Type (Underline One):​ Magazine, Newspaper, ​Website​, Book, Interview, Blog, Speech,
Other:
Topic of Article​: Why Immigrants Give Up On Their Immigration Cases
Paragraph E-note will be used in​: Pro Paragraph C
Work Cited Entry from Easybib
“No End in Sight.” ​Southern Poverty Law Center,​ Oct. 2018,
www.splcenter.org/20181003/no-end-sight
Complete URL:
https://www.splcenter.org/20181003/no-end-sight
E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Paragraph 24

“Many immigrants in detention end up facing judges who deny asylum at rates nearing ​100
percent​.”

E-note #1:Page # “quote” was taken from: ​Paragraph 14

“Additionally, the attorney general has issued a directive to clear the nation’s backlog of ​714,067
immigration court cases​ by using case-closing quotas for judges, an approach that threatens to
compromise the due process rights of immigrants as it generates more deportations than fair
decisions.”
 Thomas 15

Outline for Persuasive/Argumentative Paper

Thesis​: ​The American immigration procedure is in desperate need of reform in order to end 
family separation, admit asylum seekers, and expedite due process.  
 

I. Con-​ U.S. immigration should be stricter.

A. Illegal immigrants bring crime.

1. “Crime of all kinds…” (Trump)

2. “In late November, an illegal Mexican…”​ (Fair 1)

B. Illegal immigrants steal jobs.

1. “They’re taking our…” (Trump)

2. “They don’t speak..” (Kelly)

II. The immigration system needs to change

A. Immigrants improve our society.

1. “Undocumented citizens contribute…” (Gee, et. 3)

2. “Immigrants will play…” (Passel, et. 1)
3. “Illegal immigrants are 49…” (Landgrave, et. 10)

B. We must end family separation.

1. “As of December…” (Miriam)

2. “Now when I look at him…” (Anonymous)

C. We need to be have the ability to admit more asylum seekers.

1. “Canada had open…” (Zofia)

2. “Many immigrants in detention end…” (Southern Poverty Law Center
24)
3. “Additionally the attorney general…” (SPLC 14)

D. We need to redefine due process for immigrants.

1. “As of 2014, more than…” (Syracuse 1)

2. “Nationally, only 37 percent…” (Eagly, et. 6)
3. “Represented immigrants in detention...” (Eagly, et. 6)

Conclusion​: ​The current American immigration system is dysfunctional and unsustainable.