Wicked Problem.  In what ways can the United States Government address the issue of immigration?

 Introduction

Immigration today is a topic well covered on National and Local news.  According to Pew Research, “The U.S. foreign-born population reached a record 47.8 million in 2023, an increase of 1.6 million from the previous year. This is the largest annual increase in more than 20 years, since 2000” (Moslimani\Pew Research).  The impact of immigration has many considerations when it comes to the economy, immigration enforcement, and local impacts on border towns and sanctuary cities.

 1)       According to the American Immigration Council, “The presence of a significant number of undocumented immigrants in the United States poses many legal and political challenges. But these millions of undocumented immigrants, most of whom have lived in the country for more than five years, are working across the country, contributing billions of dollars to the U.S. economy” (American Immigration Council).  Per this report, undocumented immigrants paid $89.8 Billion dollars in Local, State and Federal taxes in 2024.

a)     Discussion Question: How do the numbers represented by the American Immigration Council make us feel about the value of immigrants to the United States economy? 

 2)     The next topic is undoubtedly a topic of great discussion in America today and that’s the topic of the United States Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its authority to enforce U.S. immigration policies and remove undocumented immigrants from the country.  Perhaps more controversial is the interpretation of policies and tactics used by ICE to track the undocumented immigrants and what the difference is between undocumented and illegal immigrants.

a)      The first question we are going to ask is, do undocumented immigrants have the same constitutional rights as U.S. citizens?  We will start our conversation with a quote from the Department of Immigration and Customs website. “ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) removes aliens from the United States who are subject to a final order of removal. ERO facilitates the processing of illegal aliens through the immigration court system and coordinates their departure from the United States. ERO's robust removal program reduces the number of alien absconders in the U.S. Removal management involves planning and coordinating removals across the country and developing and implementing strategies to support the return of all removable aliens to their country of origin.

     ERO removal operations require complex coordination, management, and facilitation efforts to successfully remove/return aliens from the United States. ERO accomplishes this mission through contract/chartered flights and commercial airlines for escorted and unescorted removals. In collaboration with the ICE HSI Office of International Operations and the Department of State, ERO also works with international partners to successfully execute removal operations (Office of Homeland Security).

Followup Discussion Question:  Is ICE ERO’s policy a violation of due process for the undocumented\illegal immigrants if we consider the undocumented immigrants are not U.S. citizens?

 3)      “The United States has a long history of welcoming immigrants from all parts of the world. During the last decade, USCIS welcomed more than 7.9 million naturalized citizens into the fabric of our nation.  Deciding to become a U.S. citizen is an important milestone in an immigrant’s life. Candidates for citizenship must show they are committed to the unifying principles that bind us as Americans. For that commitment, in return, they will enjoy the rights and privileges fundamental to U.S. citizenship” (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). 

a)      Considering the numbers provided by the Citizenship and Immigration Services, what can we conclude about the volume of naturalization efforts covered by the United States?  Are these numbers more or less than you thought they would be and what do you feel you can determine about the stress on the United States to process this many efforts of immigrants to become citizens?

                                                              i)      Discussion question:  The USCIS has a 10 step program (USCIS) for immigrants to become U.S. citizens.  These steps include filling out an N-400 application, interviews, background checks and Oath of Allegiance to the United States.  This process can take up to 15 months.  Given the amount of time necessary, what do you see as potential bottlenecks in this process?

 4)   Of all the Immigrants currently in the United States, what percentage would you think are considered permanently legal?  Consider this and let’s tell each other our answers.  According to an April 2025 report from MigrationPolicy.org, “About 73 percent of immigrants in the United States held permanent legal status (as a naturalized citizen, green-card holder, or refugee or asylee) or a long-term nonimmigrant visa (Batalova/migrationpolicy.org). 

a)    Discussion Question: Do these numbers make you think positively or negatively about reports on National and Local news?  Was your guess on the percentage of legal immigrants close to what this report states?  If not, what do you think impacted your initial idea the most?

5)    Finally, in July 2023, the Census Bureau released a study that shows the “total foreign-born or immigrant population (legal and illegal) of 47.83 million” (Camorota/Center for Immigration Studies).

a)    Do you consider this number reasonable when considering the country was founded by and continues to be populated by immigrants?

                                                            i)      Discussion Question:  Should the United States have a threshold for immigration and what factors should go in to making that determination?

 Conclusion:  In our discussion, we have heard reports on the number of immgrants entering the United States, the steps available to immigrants to become U.s Citizens, the steps taken to remove undocumented\illegal immigrants and the economic impact immigrants have on our economy.  Considering all of these factors, we’ve discussed steps forward in immigration and heard several perspectives on what the United States does and can do better to enforce immigration laws and process immigrants who want to be in the United States.

Works Cited

Camarota, Steven A. “American Community Survey Shows Record Size and Growth in Foreign-Born Population in 2023.” CIS.Org, 12 Sept. 2024, cis.org/Camarota/American-Community-Survey-Shows-Record-Size-and-Growth-ForeignBorn-Population-2023?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=46884364&gbraid=0AAAAAD8CHmoRJWW3Kk47PS7ZRRklMMR7D&gclid=CjwKCAjw9anCBhAWEiwAqBJ-c5amsU9f4bsZFSeHlejKxFjZ2xA8rK_wTVk6lU0AyiSAcPGB1b7WTBoCkNMQAvD_BwE.

“Enforcement and Removal Operations.” ICE, 28 Apr. 2025, www.ice.gov/about-ice/ero.

“U.S. Immigration Statistics.” American Immigration Council, map.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/locations/national/. Accessed 12 June 2025.

“Immigration Enforcement.” Office of Homeland Security Statistics, ohss.dhs.gov/topics/immigration/immigration-enforcement. Accessed 12 June 2025.

“Naturalization Statistics.” USCIS, 24 Jan. 2025, www.uscis.gov/citizenship-resource-center/naturalization-statistics.

10 Steps to Naturalization, www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/brochures/M-1051.pdf. Accessed 12 June 2025.

 Batalova, Jeanne Batalova Jeanne. “Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States.” Migrationpolicy.Org, 14 Apr. 2025, www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=46884364&gbraid=0AAAAAD8CHmoRJWW3Kk47PS7ZRRklMMR7D&gclid=CjwKCAjw9anCBhAWEiwAqBJ-c5amsU9f4bsZFSeHlejKxFjZ2xA8rK_wTVk6lU0AyiSAcPGB1b7WTBoCkNMQAvD_BwE.