Immigration Policy

Immigration policy reforms are important as cross-border movements have become rampant. Therefore, a country like the USA, where many people migrate too, needs to oversee migration activities and control them. Immigration policy reform is likely to face ethical, social, and economic challenges; thus, it is important to know the reasons behind those reforms. Ethically, immigration laws may be a result of considering which people a state opens its borders to considering whether or not these people raise a conflict of interest (de Haas, 2021). For instance, when two states are at war, it may not be appropriate for the states to open their borders to welcome citizens of the other state since that would amount to conflict of interest. The other ethical reason for reforming the immigration policy which is to avoid discrimination. In the United States, immigrants are protected under the civil rights law, which protects them against any kind of discrimination, despite their status (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d.). This is to show that they uphold the ethics of promoting equity and justice.

Socially, immigration policy reforms aim at providing proper guidance for immigrants to settle. This includes the processes of registration and documentation. Immigrants need to be identified so that they can integrate successfully within the local community and avoid problems with the authorities. A lack of proper reforms may cause many immigrants to be deported. For example, immigration reforms help reduce the number of illegal migrants and prevent social crimes such as human trafficking and drug trafficking (de Haas, 2021). Additionally, immigration policy reforms are needed for social interactions between immigrants and local people. This is because immigrants will, at some point, acquire permanent residency and join important institutions such as schools. Immigration reforms may consider unifying families and setting up laws that are accommodating. Family reunification is an important factor for some migrants, and migration policies should help such families so as to boost their physical, emotional, and social well-being.

Economic reasons for immigration policy reforms include economic expansion, enhancement of the workforce, and improvement of economic contributions (Engler et al., 2020). Through immigration policy reforms, skilled immigrants can join the labor force and fill employment gaps, eventually improving development and production within the state. When immigration policy reforms are welcoming and accommodative, a state can attract and retain skilled immigrant workers who help prevent labor shortages and keep economic activities running. Though integrating immigrants into the economic system, they significantly contribute to the economy. These contributions include the enhancement of revenues and taxes and consumer spending (Engler et al., 2020). Immigrants can build their businesses in host countries, pay taxes, and expand entrepreneurship. They can also contribute to innovation processes that can support economic activities at large. Therefore, countries need to put reasonable immigration policies in place so as to support legal migration and integration processes.

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