Zuhaib Ali

Q. Is the legal process of immigration beneficial for Latin Americans and Could the legal immigration process be the cause of illegal defection and can the solution be a modern system? Immigration is the process of moving to an international destination where one is not born and of which they are not the locals or natives and have no rights to citizenship for permanent settlement when they move there. This essay argues whether or not legal process of immigration is beneficial for the people of Latin America who migrate to international destinations and become permanent residents over there which is not beneficial at all to them. It also takes a stand on legal immigration being the cause of defection in the foreign countries by the immigrants. The writing reflects that the only solution is a modern system where the Latin Americans do not need to move to foreign lands if they have the life, they desire in their native countries so that they don’t have to move to the USA or other nations for improved lifestyle. The process of immigration is not beneficial for Latin Americans. There are a number of drawbacks for them caused by legal process of immigration. Legal process of immigration can provide significant economic benefits, such as a more versatile labor force, a larger talent pool, rising demands, and a greater variety of advancement. Even so, it is also asserted that immigration is causing overpopulation, congestion, and additional strain on government services (Bouvier, et al., 1986) There is also a discussion about how the fact that immigrants being unskilled workers puts downward pressure on wages and even causes local workers to lose their jobs. The advantages are way less than the drawbacks of the immigration process. Because of an increase in the supply of unskilled labor, firms can fill vacancies at lower wages than previously. The impact on wages is disproportionately felt by the low-income and those with few educational qualifications. According to a recent study, an increase in immigration has an effect on overall wages – with a 10% increase in immigration, wages fall by 1% (Urquia & Bolumar, 2015). Another study discovered negative effects of immigration on the lower paid; they discovered that a 1% increase in the ratio of migrants to non-migrants’ results in a 0.5 percent decrease for the poorest 10%. Another disadvantage of legal process of immigration for Latin America is that if low-skilled immigrants or those who are not in labor markets are allowed in, real GDP per person will fall. To some extent, Immigration may cause some native-born workers to be displaced, resulting in structural unemployment. For instance, if migrant workers obtain unskilled labor because they are ready to work for lower pay. Those native-born low-skilled employees may have a more difficult time finding new jobs in elevated professions. Immigration and increased local population put additional strain on social services such as educational institutes, healthcare facilities, road systems, and public transportation. In concept, higher growth would result in more tax revenue, allowing for increased spending (Gimenez, 1992). However, migration occurs commonly in specific areas. Local residents may notice a decline in the quality of social facilities as the population grows faster than the number of schools, hospitals, and roads, among other things. This is the reason it’s not beneficial for the Latin Americans. The migration to foreign lands will decrease the labor force in the Latin American countries which will result in higher wages and lower productions. This is also a huge con of legal immigration. It is right that legal immigration process causes the illegal defection in the destination countries. When people from Latin America move to countries like the USA and other European countries, the legalization of the migration process allow them to be the permanent residents of the destination country. This defection is like shifting allegiance with the immigrant country instead of the native country. The 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, the majority of whom are from Latin America, pose a much more complicated social, political, ideological, and moral problem. One's legal standing has a significant impact on one's economic and social opportunities (Massey & Pren, 2012). Legalization provides a 6% benefit while imposing a wage penalty ranging from 14% to 24%. A number of group-specific Congressional measures have resulted in status changes for hundreds of thousands of Latin American immigrants. Amnesty for all undocumented immigrants will benefit both the economy and social cohesion in the United States by ensuring that immigration rules are applied fairly and consistently. Another universal amnesty is required to better understand the reality of Latin American immigration. In a world where migration has become a modern phenomenon and is expected to increase, the only viable solution is to adapt to modern social systems and established economies that can prevent migrants from fleeing violence or poverty. Why not expand opportunities for regular migration, or even provide short-term protection to migrants in need? Employers would not hire irregular migrants if they were not needed, as they are frequently exploited and abused as a result of their irregular status. These are actions that can aid in the resolution of the short-term problem. But nothing will really change until it is recognized that the entire situation has changed dramatically and that the United States, which has been a country of origin for migrants for centuries, has become a country of destination for Latin Americans over the last four decades. The provision of the basic facilities to people in the society is necessary to prevent the immigration to foreign lands (Becker & Coyle, 2011). The presence of good health services, job opportunities, good and clean water and electricity, schools, a functioning justice system, and a thriving agriculture sector are all critical in Latin American countries in order to keep people from migrating. Reducing unemployment is one of the crucial parts to prevent immigration as it is the greatest cause of migration. Peace in the country is another important factor as violence will lead citizens to flee to peaceful lands. Providing the basic amenities like educational institutes, health care services, transportation and peaceful lands with employment opportunities is the modern solution for migration crisis. In the end, it is safe to state that fleeing to other nations is not beneficial for Latin Americans as it not only damages the destination countries also impacts greatly the native countries where skilled workforce is needed. The legal migration is the cause for immigration and the solution is a modern system where it is a country’s responsibility to help improve the living standards and conditions of the people so they don’t move to other destinations for immigration. The countries need to educate its people and protests in mainstream media to implicate the immigration laws or even canceling the nationality rights if people still want to migrate to other countries. They should make immigration, people, and their culture normal part of society. Sources Becker, G.S. and Coyle, D., 2011. The challenge of immigration: a radical solution. Institute of Economic Affairs Monographs Occasional Paper, (145). Bouvier, L.F. and Gardner, R.W., 1986. Immigration to the US: the unfinished story. Population Bulletin, 41(4), p.n4. Gimenez, M.E., 1992. US ethnic politics: Implications for Latin Americans. Latin American Perspectives, 19(4), pp.7-17. Massey, D.S. and Pren, K.A., 2012. Unintended consequences of US immigration policy: Explaining the post‐1965 surge from Latin America. Population and development review, 38(1), pp.1-29. Urquia, M.L., Vang, Z.M. and Bolumar, F., 2015. Birth outcomes of Latin Americans in two countries with contrasting immigration admission policies: Canada and Spain. PLoS One, 10(8), p.e-.