GOVT 2306 : Texas Government Issues: Immigration

Step 1: Identify the issue and how both the US government and Texas government have been currently addressing it (historical perspective).

 

Step 2: Gather a minimum of three scholarly research articles and additional news/current events relevant to the topic.

 

Step 3: Prepare a formal policy report , which includes a discussion of the following:

Answer

Texas Government Issues: Immigration

How both the US government and Texas government have been currently addressing it (historical perspective). 

The issue of immigration is mainly brought out by “Texas Senate Bill 4”.  This bill mainly aimed at banning sanctuary cities in Texas. In 2017, Gregg Abbot the Texas Governor signed the bill hence making it a law. However, there are many legal challenges affecting the bill despite it still being used today. In the bill, public colleges, universities and local officials can be held liable for ‘Class -A Misdemeanour’ in case they do not work hand in hand with the existing federal government especially when it comes to enforcement of immigration law. Fines are some of the measures that are put in place when one is found guilty hence the need to pay fines ranging from $1000 to $25,500. In addition, police officers have been given the authority to check for one’s immigration status whenever a request is made.

History

There were no sanctuary status cities in Texas before this bill came into force. This led to negative responses by the legislature hence the emergence of this bill which aimed at denying policeofficers funds when they did not cooperate. This led to the blocking of funds to certain counties such as Travis County. This move prompted the passage of the Senate Bill.

A formal policy report

A statement of the current policy 

An act that governs Campus police departments as well as local government authoritiesin governing immigration with the aim of relating its duties to certain individuals before the criminal justice systems. As such, this leads to the awarding of penalties in criminal offenses.

Reasons for initiating changes 

These changes were mainly initiated with the aim of providing safe cities to American citizens through the introduction of identification documents by certain individuals, (Correa- Cabrera, 2018). These changes were also enacted with the aim of reducing racial profiling and the issue of discrimination. On the other hand, security officers and police officers had the task of detaining illegal immigrants hence reducing cases of insecurity.

Policy options to be considered 

1. Enhance border security and local law enforcement
2. Implement the use of REAL ID
3. Deny or reduce public Benefit programs
4. Enact employer sanctions
5. Making sure that voters are registered,citizens

Pros and cons of each option 

Enhancing border patrols and the presence of security operatives in local communities ensures the prevalence of peace and security, (Heinrich, 2018, 212).This is a good factor that will lead to a good community. On the other hand, border patrols are expensive and scare away citizens at times. Most importantly, issues of gangs, theft, kidnaps and drug smuggling will be reduced.  REAL identification, on the other hand, encourages the acquisition of genuine drivinglicenses and birth certificates. Only those that are citizens can be identified hence getting the documents. However, a lot of people will be left out of the exercise thus a rise in undocumented people.

Public Benefit programs should be denied because a lot of people have taken advantage of these programs hence making it a costly exercise. Similarly, the absence of this means availability of few dependants. Sanctions are also essential because they make employers liable for employing undocumentedimmigrants, (Kimball, 2017, 35). This leads to a negative image and a slowed economy because of unavailability of the cheap and skilled workforce. Lastly, politics are essential. Only resisted citizens should be allowed to vote. This aspect locks out immigrants hence a form of discrimination. On the contrary, there is a reduction in the number of dependants in the nation’s economy.

The recommended course of action 

The issue of immigrants in society is a tricky one. It is essential to document the existing immigrants in the country and offer them citizenship, (Simon 2018, 7923). This enables the country to have a good workforce which can be easily managed thus increasing productivity in the long run. Proper screening should also be introduced. Most importantly, law enforcers should be all-inclusive hence reducing instances of discrimination and segregation.

The reasoning for selecting that course of action

There is a high demand for labor which is essential for boosting productivity in the country. Immigrants are known to provide efficient, cheap and skilled labor. By formulating flexible laws that can accommodate them, the issue of immigration will be handled, (Vargas et al., 2017, 36). Similarly, these communities should be integrated and treated fairly hence promoting the virtue of humanity. Law enforcers should be at the forefront of educating immigrants on the importance of adhering to rules and regulations that have been put in place. By adhering to this, it is, without doubt, the problem if immigration will be dealt with in a proper way.

Reference

Correa-Cabrera, Guadalupe, and Tony Payan. "Political Turpitude: The Negative Impact of Zero-Tolerance Immigration Policies on Irregular Labor Markets." Issue Brief 7 (2018).

Levitan, Monica. "Professor at Texas Tech Running for Congress." Diverse Issues in Higher Education 34.10 (2017): 5.

Heinrich, Carolyn J. "Presidential Address:“A Thousand Petty Fortresses”: Administrative Burden in US Immigration Policies and Its Consequences." Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 37.2 (2018): 211-239.

Kimball, Ann. "The transit state: A comparative analysis of Mexican and Moroccan immigration policies." (2017): 35

Simon, Miranda. "A data-driven computational model on the effects of immigration policies." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115.34 (2018): E7914-E7923.

Vargas, Edward D., Gabriel R. Sanchez, and Juan A. Valdez. "Immigration policies and group identity: How immigrant laws affect linked fate among US Latino populations." Journal of Race, Ethnicity and Politics 2.1 (2017): 35-62.