Illegal immigration is an increasing crisis that needs to be stopped. According to the Centers for Immigration Studies, the illegal immigrant population in the United States in 2015 ranges from 10.9 million to 15.7 million. The increasing number of illegal immigrants poses as a threat to our safety, quality of life, and economy, therefore we as a nation must enforce stronger laws against illegal immigration and enforce our borders.
One of the main concerns of illegal immigration is that it's a threat to our nation's security due to the unchecked population that are continuously crossing our borders. In a study conducted by Heather Macdonald, a Manhattan Institute scholar, examining California in the illegal alien aspect, it was discovered that around 95 percent of all homicide warrants and 65 percent of felony warrants in Los Angeles were for illegals. In southern California, 60 percent of gang members, who participate in assaults, drug distribution, robberies, extortion, and drive-by assassinations are illegal immigrants.
People crossing the borders illegally are obviously not required to go through screening whereas the people who cross the border legally will go through lengthy background checks that will ensure that those who enter our country will come with good intentions. With the current growth of crime rates, it is imperative that our borders are fully enforced to prevent people from illegally entering the country Furthermore, as stated by The Federation for American Immigration, “Adult illegal aliens represented 3.1 percent of the total adult population of the country in 2003. By comparison, the illegal alien prison population represented a bit more than 4.54 percent of the overall prison population” (Martin). To clarify, the fact that there is a higher percentage of illegal immigrants in jail than that of legal immigrants in jail shows that illegal immigrants seem to be incarcerated more often than legal citizens, and ...