The United States is one of the countries with the highest number of immigrants in the world. The country is filled with immigrants from diverse cultures who come into the country in search of the American Dream. While most of the immigrants came into the country legally, large proportions are unauthorized and undocumented. Most immigrants come from Mexico, while others are from China, Central America, and Canada. There have been recent debates about the immigration policies President Trump enacted since coming into office. In most of his comments, the President referred to Muslims, Mexicans, and MS-13 immigrants as animals that only brought discord in the United States. These statements and policies have resulted in challenges for these immigrants groups within the U.S. and those planning to come into the country. People come to the U.S. for various reasons ranging from looking for employment, escaping harsh regimes, violence, and abuse ( Martínez, 2017) . Most immigrants come to the U.S. with the dedication to work hard to secure a better future for their families. Immigration offers many benefits to the U.S., particularly the contribution immigrants make in the labor sector ( Martínez, 2017) . However, many people in the United States who feel left out in the economic and social changes blame immigrants for their woes. Since taking office, President Trump has spread a message of fear about the threat MS-13 poses to America’s security ( Correa-Cabrera & Lopez-Santana, 2019) . Particularly, this notion led to the implementation of significant immigration policy shifts that justified the construction of the Mexican wall to prevent criminals, drugs, and illegal immigrants from crossing the border. According to the President these stringent measures and wall aimed to confront a national security crisis by increasing the number of detention centers and border patrols, increased utilization of advanced technology to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing the border, and stricter enforcement of immigration laws ( Correa-Cabrera & Lopez-Santana, 2019) . Particularly, the President has referred the MS-13 as an underlying problem to the illegal immigrants in the U.S. The increasing numbers of the MS-13 gang in the U.S. soil have resulted in fears due to their alleged affiliations with human trafficking and drug cartels with a history of committing homicides and other illegal activities. The Muslim community is another group that has faced challenges with the new immigration rhetoric since President Trump came into office. Muslims face ethnic and racial discrimination in their efforts to access the American dream ( Wahedi, 2019) . Particularly, modern immigration laws have been used to justify the stereotypes and restrictions on Muslims further. The travel ban instituted by the President is an example of the regulations that are geared towards the anti-Muslims rhetoric. The executive order was issued days after the presidential elections to prevent ‘invaders’ from entering the country ( Wahedi, 2019) . Furthermore, this order was geared towards national security issues to protect Americans from foreign terrorism. For many years, immigrants from Muslim nations were banned from becoming full citizens. This issue intensified after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which resulted in racial profiling and hatred towards the Muslim community ( Wahedi, 2019) . Following the executive order, travel bans and valid visas for people coming from Muslim countries were revoked. The issue surrounding discrimination and banning various groups from entering the U.S. reveals that the U.S. immigration system is broken. Other views assert that the U.S. immigration policies are friendly and that they only change depending on the political climate, such as the 9/11 attacks ( Martínez, 2017) . The immigration laws have led to positive outcomes, such as enabling people from different parts of the world to enter the country. Furthermore, immigration laws made it possible for individuals fleeing the communist regime in Cuba to enter the country. Furthermore, the Amnesty Bill made it possible for immigrants to legalize their status, thus opening doors for accessing opportunities in the country. However, the current immigration situation does not reflect the values and the foundations of America of creating a society of equality as articulated by Martin Luther. The executive orders have only added more complexities to the situation as immigrants have been unable to settle in the country. Most immigrants work under unfair wages, are separated from their families, and are put in prison for immigration violations ( Martínez, 2017) . Bearing this in mind, the current laws provide evidence of how the U.S. lacks policies that provide a coherent vision for its immigrant situation. Moreover, there is a tendency to favor immigrants who are Christians and white as opposed to those who do not look white. There needs to be a discussion about immigration policies to avoid conflict with the liberties and human rights of specific groups of people trying to enter the country. A new approach needs to be taken about the best ways of dealing with the immigrants coming into the country without jeopardizing Americans' national security and the well-being of immigrants. Overall, the American dream of a land filled with equality and a better life for everyone has been an inspiration for many people who come into the country with the prospects of better opportunities. However, this dream has only been a reality to a few who continue to benefit and flourish in the opportunities the country presents. Conversely, other groups, such as Muslims, Mexicans, and immigrants from South America, have faced stagnation and discrimination in their efforts to access the American Dream. The vetting of Muslim immigrants, building a wall to prevent Mexican immigrants from coming into the country, and enacting stringent measures to prevent refugees from accessing the country are examples of the broken immigration system.
References
Correa-Cabrera, G., & Lopez-Santana, M. (2019). The myths of Central American undocumented immigration and MS-13 in the United States. Cal. W. Int'l LJ , 50 , 119.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Martínez, J. F. (2017). Immigration, President Trump, and Christian visions of the united states. American Theological Library Association, 12 (1), 65-77.
Wahedi, S. (2019). Muslims and the myths in the immigration politics of the United States. Cal. WL Rev. , 56 , 135.
