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Illegal immigration in the United States is one of the most controversial issues of today. The
United States is a nation built on immigrants is why the nation was deemed “The melting pot,”
because of all the different nationalities residing in this country. The argument of immigration
and whether or not it enhances or threatens life in the United States, have some states such as
Arizona and Texas saying that we need to come together in controlling our nation’s borders.
Although we are trying to protect our citizens, immigration laws treat immigrants poorly. We
need to reexamine the immigration laws, so that they do not treat immigrants unfairly as well as
protect our citizens while guarding the borders.
Let’s first take a look at how the laws can be unfair. On April 23, 2010 at 4:35 p.m. Jan
Brewer, the Governor of Arizona, signed into law proposition SB 1070, which basically states
that law enforcement can ask anyone who he/she believes is an illegal immigrant for his/her
documents. During a Spanish “Breaking News” broadcast, one of the Spanish reporters from
Telemundo asked the governor, “How would you describe an undocumented person?” The
governor could not answer the question. The fear of this new law is that it will create racial
profiling. Adam Nagourney from The New York Times stated in an article called, “Immigration”
that both the Republican and Democratic parties need to agree for better security on our borders,
but at the same time, allow some balance with those already living in the United States. Although
many are in support of Arizona’s new SB 1070 law, such as Kris Kobach, a law professor at the
University of Missouri-Kansas City. Kobach participated in writing the law that states, “The bill
will withstand any preemptive challenge, because it reinforces existing federal immigration law
and creates no new immigration crimes.” He also states, “Critics who claim the bill will not
withstand legal challenge, need to read the 18 page law.” Unless the new immigration law is
challenged in court, the law will go into effect this summer. The most criticized aspect of the
Arizona law is,”will it create racial profiling?” there is a mandate in section II of the Arizona law
that states local law enforcement officials must verify a person’s immigration status “where
reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an illegal alien who is unlawfully present in the
United States.” Questions are still being raised on the potential abuse of this new law by law
enforcement official. Arizona is not the only place “cracking down” on immigration; even other
countries who have tolerated the arrival of immigrants into their country for quite awhile are now
beginning to set its limits or at least taking it into consideration. There are signs of racism and
crimes of racism being committed in all parts of the world. Some organizations were formed
with a clear intention for immigrant bashing. In the article, “Opposition to Illegal Immigration is
Based on Racism,” Emile Schepers states,”the organization which, launched Proposition 200 in
Arizona, an initiative to stop immigrants from getting driver’s licenses, Protect Arizona Now, is
now trying to go nationwide. In Congress, some 71 House members, almost all Republicans,
have formed an anti-immigrant caucus under the leadership of Tom Tancredo(R-Colorado), are
determined not only to pass extreme anti-immigration legislation, but to block even President
Bush totally inadequate guest worker program.”
We need to remember that immigrants are people too and that like any other person, we
need to work for what we have. We should reexamine some laws that we have against
immigration and make it so that people can try to make a living in whichever place they choose
to live. Latinos, remember the notorious bracero program [a policy that allowed Mexicans to
work in the United States, particularly seasonal agricultural workers], which become
synonymous to worker abuse. They rightly insist that we not repeat the same mistakes from the
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past. One way to respond to this is to insist that there be no worker program in an immigration
bill, or that it be as small as possible” There is a statement which is, “Those who do not know

their history, are doomed to repeat it.” The author is asking that we should at least meet each
other halfway and come to some kind of compromise instead of singling out immigrants. They
work hard to try to make a living in this country, just as any other American would, and if
anything, immigrants may even work harder than most Americans do because he/she are
frequently being exploited. By take low paying jobs, usually off the books, and work long
stressful hours, just barely making enough money to support themselves and family. On the other
hand there are those who claim that illegal immigrants are taking away jobs from the American
citizens’ and are a great burden to the economy. There are also those who claim that health bill
crisis in the United States is due to the illegal immigrants. But what they fail to realize is that
illegal immigrants cannot get health coverage and cannot afford to pay for a policy to cover them
or their family. Yet, we continue trying and make it that much harder for immigrants to survive
in this country. Nothing in life is free, and we are making our immigrants pay much more.
Cecilia Munoz makes a statement in her article, “Protecting Immigrants Rights,” that was right
on point. She suggests, “We must replace the undocumented migrant stream with a safe, legal,
worker-friendly visa program. It’s essential to winning the battle over our broken immigration
system, and to winning the larger war that this ugly debate has become.” Let’s look at the graph
below, which shows an estimated number of illegal immigrants by states.
Take a look at some of the important reasons why immigration laws are unfair due to the
treatment of the immigrants. Immigrants awaiting deportation are separated from their families.
There are those who state that immigrants should not enter the country illegal, and then they
would not be separated from family. But what type of county have we become when we separate
children from their parents? Many human rights are violated in detention centers. Immigrants are
treated inhumane and prejudged by guards, even though they have not committed any crime.
Although opposes state that entering the country illegally is a crime, but it is not a crime it is a
civil issue. Many of these detention centers, operated by profit agencies called “Corrections
Corporation of America.” have inadequate medical care. Some of these detention centers mix
immigrants detainees with people who have committed criminal crimes and serving a sentence.
In the following photographs one can see some of the inhumane injustice that immigrants go
through. The unfair treatment of immigrants in immigration detention facilities has become a
growing problem. Immigrants in detention facilities are denied rights and often are held for
unreasonable amounts of time. Opposes claim that illegal immigrants have no rights, but we all
as human begins have rights. In facilities people are also neglected and have prudent amount of
food and limited access to recreations.

As seen in the photographs below and this one above this was taken by Beacon Andrew.

There are more than 28000 illegal immigrates in detention centers throughout the country.
According to SIROW, there are three hundred and fifty different facilities, and Arizona alone has
five. These five facilities hold three thousand detainees and growing. Facilities are owned by a

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company called Corrections Corporation of America that is a for-profit company. Detention
facilities lack many necessities an average person would require; people described surroundings
as confined with lack of food limit and “a complete absence of programming and activities”
immigrants are routinely strip searched and shackled while transported. These facilities also lack
sufficient medical care. The detention centers lack safety for immigrants who did not commit
criminal offenses. Many were cannot attain legal counsel because many did not know English.

Many women in detention centers are escaping their abusive husbands and get separated from
their children who they are trying to bring to the United States.

In this photo we can see a child in a jail like detention center cell. What crime could this child
commit to be placed in a cell?
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In this photo we can see how this cell is set up for a mother and her infant, which was probably
born in the detention center,

This also demonstrates that immigrants in the detention centers are essentially incapable of
getting legal help. The University of Arizona’s Southwest Institute for Research on Women
(SIROW) is one organization who focuses on unfair treatment in immigration detention centers.
SIROW interviewed over forty people who know about the Detention centers including
previously detained detainees, attorneys, and social services providers who have worked with
detainees. They also suggest that ICE and Child Protective Services should “develop policies to
facilitate parent detainees’ ability to communicate about custody issues” this would help prevent
unfortunate events that happen to detainees. Government policies are negatively affecting our
injustice. It overlooks the unfair treatment and the disregard for every day needs. Government
programs such as The Department of Homeland Security and Immigrations and Customs
Enforcement focuses so much on catching illegal immigrants that they do not or choose not to
see the injustice spreading. For-Profit companies such as Corrections Corporation of America are
there to make money off the detainees and make money on how many detainees they contain.
This results in immigrants receiving unfair treatments.
Immigration laws need be reexamined. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) has questioned the
soundness and constitutionality of mandatory detention. She also states that restoring discretion
to the INS on weather to detain or deport individuals would not only ensure fairness, but
alleviate the INS burden. Several amend portion of immigration law are pending in Washington.
Immigrants in the detention centers are prosecuted, judge, and stripped away of the right to due
process by the INS agents who have full authority. Aren’t we a nation of principal, fairness,
justice, and decency? Immigration must be reexamined when detainees are transferred from
facility to facility without the proper paperwork or without the knowledge of the personnel of the
new facility knowing the reason for why they are begin held. They are also transferred far from
their families and lawyers. Rep. Bill McCollum stated it best when he said “We are a just and
fair nation and must strike a just and fair balance in our immigration laws.”
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In conclusion, although we are protecting our citizens, immigration laws treat immigrants
unfair. We must sit and reexamine the laws to be fair, and just only to immigrants but also to our
citizens. Immigrant held in detention center for months, and years separated from their families,
denied legal representation and even the right to worship, are some of the reasons immigration
laws treat immigrants unfair. We must all remember that unless one is a true descendent of
Native American we are all descendents of immigrants. We must remember how many
immigrants struggled and worked to build this county for the future generation. How can we
advocate to have immigrations laws passed that will protect our citizens and our boarders in a
fair and just way?
Reference
Bacon, Andrew (2008,10 08). Pregnant Women Mistreated at the Northwest Detention Center. Retrieved
March 24, 2009, from Tahoma Organizer Web site: http://www.tahomaorganizer.org/pregnant-women-
mistreated-at-the-northwest-detention-center/

Pictures

1)http://blogs.kansascity.com/photos/uncategorized/georgia_arrest_ice.jpg

2)http://www.racewire.org/archives/detention2.jpg

3)http://www.truthout.org/imgs.art_01/3.060206BR2.jpg

4)http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/ice_badge.jpg

Web page link for pictures

http://sites.google.com/a/gatewayhigh.net/detention/in

Web page link for chart

http://www.statemaster.com/red/pie/peo_est_num_of_ill_imm-people-estimated-number-illegal
SOURCE: US Citizenship and Immigration Services, field report, 2000

Paul, William G. "Immigration Laws Do Not Treat Immigrants Fairly." Current Controversies: Immigration. Ed. Louise
I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Apollo Library-Univ of
Phoenix. 20 June 2010 <http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ovrc/infomark.do?
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Muñoz, Cecilia. "Protecting Immigrants' Rights." Contemporary Issues Companion: Race and Ethnicity. Ed. Uma
Kukathas. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Apollo Library-Univ of
Phoenix. 20 June 2010 <http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ovrc/infomark.do?
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Carr, Ann. "Targeting Illegal Immigrants for Deportation Is Unfair and Inhumane." Opposing Viewpoints: Illegal
Immigration. Ed. William Dudley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale.
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Teresa Mendez. "Life as an Illegal Immigrant in America." Contemporary Issues Companion: Illegal Immigration. Ed.
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Tancredo, Tom. "Opposition to Illegal Immigration Is Not Based on Racism." Opposing Viewpoints: Illegal
Immigration. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale.
Apollo Library-Univ of Phoenix. 20 June 2010 <http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ovrc/infomark.do?
&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010226247&source=gale&srcprod=OVR
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Schepers, Emile. "Opposition to Illegal Immigration Is Based on Racism." Opposing Viewpoints: Illegal Immigration.
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