The fickle nature of the government is only too evident as the census is around the corner, well at least in the case of illegal immigrants. Usually illegal immigrants are a burden to the state, represent an increase in crime rates, take away jobs, etc. But with the census coming up all that changes and suddenly, illegal immigrants are a blessing in disguise.

Why? Money is a valid reason. The more they come out and get counted in the census, the more money a state receives for healthcare, education, transport and a number of other services. Federal aid in the form of $400 billion will be dispersed using a formula that takes into account the population of a state. So in the days leading up to the census you can expect to see a lot of cajoling and coaxing to get the illegal immigrants to stand up and be counted.

Unfortunately this will not be an easy task. The population in question lives in constant fear of being separated from their families, being thrown in jail and being deported. Add to this, the sterling work being done by the Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in dealing with illegal immigrants and the point becomes obvious. When a Federal Worker arrives at their doorstep and inquires whether they would answer a few questions, chances are an illegal immigrant would not say “yes of course, why don’t you step in”.
Of course this also raises an ethical question. If a state benefits in gaining financial support due to its illegal immigrant population, should it pursue tougher stances against them in the future or not?

With the E-Verify system targeting adult illegal immigrants, another new system has been launched to target their children. Arizona and Oklahoma have passed what are seen as landmark bills which require school districts to verify the legality of children in schools.

Arizona’s new law translates into plain English such as

1. Find out how many kids in the school are illegal immigrants

2. Figure out how much it is costing the taxpayers to provide them with education.

The second condition also requires inclusion of students who are there legally but are not citizens of the U.S. While these may seem heartless and callous laws, in the face of recession and increasing efforts to reduce the illegal immigration population, they seem to be a plausible way to address the issues. However, since the laws do not state what documents a school needs to verify a student’s status, those details will have to be specified soon.

Oklahoma, on the other hand, is not targeting existing students but those who are prospective ones. The state wants verification to be performed at the enrolment stage and also wants the schools to determine if the students need to attend an “English as a Second Language” program. It also wants the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction to put together a report every year on how the enrolment of students illegally present in the U.S. is affecting the quality of education of students who are citizens. Once again this last issue deals with cost and is a practical but callous method of improving facilities in schools.

Whether these laws are adopted by other states depends on their success…or failure.

It may be called the Golden State but to illegal immigrants it has fast turned into the “Pewter State” or so it may seem, as California an all-time low growth in the illegal immigrant population. The state always had and still has the largest count of illegal immigrants in the nation but that position is deteriorating fast.

Back in 2000, California was home to 30 % of illegal immigrants in the country. However by 2009, that number had dropped to 24 %. This does not mean that illegal immigrants have left the state, in fact the population numbers are more or less unchanged, but rather that newcomers to the nation prefer to go elsewhere. The fact that California’s illegal immigrant population has grown from 2.5 million in 2000 to 2.6 million in 2009 (only a meager 100,000) is evidence of a lack of attraction.

Experts point out that this is mainly due to the troubles that California and the nation are facing. With recession hitting every part of the nation, California especially has been hit hard as it has been suffering from a recession beginning in the early parts of the nineties. The lack of jobs, steadily increasing cost of living and public services that are deteriorating fast have made the state undesirable for illegal immigrants.

Although other states have seen a boom in their illegal immigrant population, the overall numbers in the nation have actually dropped; from 11.8 million in 2007 the population has fallen to 10.8 million in 2009. Experts point out that the recession is the main cause for the drop as many illegal immigrants have gone back to their native countries due to the lack of jobs.
The data was made available in a report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics.

An Idaho bill, aimed at bringing about hard hitting reforms to combat illegal immigration, has crashed in committee. The bill put forward by Republican Phil Hart is designed to discourage illegal immigrants from seeking jobs in Idaho. The crux of his plan is to dry up jobs for them in the entire state.

The bill proposes a “three strikes” rule, where employers are penalized on increasing levels for each infraction of employing illegal immigrants. On the “first strike”, where an employer is found guilty of employing illegal immigrants they are simply required to terminate the services of those employees and sign a court document declaring that they have done so. The “second strike” causes the employer to lose their business license for a maximum of ten days and a “third strike” would again cause a suspension of the business license, but this time up to a period of a year. Businesses that get hit by the third strike will also not be allowed to shut down and transform into a new business. The strikes can be taken off the records if the business manages to go through a period of three years between their violations.

The bill attempted to bring about a sense of responsibility in the businesses which would see them aid immigration authorities in combating illegal immigration. However, the bill needs to be thought through further as it does not consider the fact that some businesses, like growing fruit, do not require business licenses. This and other facts like what happens to farms that get shut down etc need to be addressed before it becomes a viable bill. So it appears that the bill killing in Idaho was done with good reason.

Surprising as it sounds, the illegal immigrant population has actually reduced. Even more surprising is the amount by which it has reduced - by almost one million. In 2009, the 11.6 million illegal immigrant figures had dropped to 10.8 million, continued the trend experienced in 2008. This has brought up two very interesting questions.

1. What is causing the downturn?
2. What can be done to the remaining numbers?

Steven Camarota at the Center for Immigration Studies, points out that this trend, of the last two years, is a clear indication that the problem of illegal immigration can be solved. However, his belief in the immigration authorities and their capabilities in discouraging illegal immigrants may not be well placed. The chief cause of the downturn is believed to be attributed to the state of the economy. The lack of jobs for millions of U.S. citizens has in turn affected those working in the country illegally. With no means to keep themselves afloat, many have returned to their native countries.

This has led to many fresh calls to reopen an old debate on drying up jobs for illegal immigrants. Those in favor of this move hold the new trend as proof that jobs are the main reason people cross over illegally and that taking away the incentive will more or less solve the whole illegal immigrant problem. The counter argument claims that there are many millions among illegal immigrants who contribute to society and live a positive life in the country. Legalizing them would be the proper thing to do, they argue, pointing out that this population is still here because they have no desire to go back no matter how hard times are.

Guantanamo Bay or “Gitmo”, as it is more infamously known, is in preparation for more human detainees. However this time, it is not an influx of terror suspects but it will be the refugees from the earthquake stricken nation of Haiti.

The quake, which hit Haiti on 12 January, has left over 200,000 dead and over 300,000 injured. An estimated 250,000 homes have also been destroyed resulting in over a million people being rendered homeless. Aid has flooded in from all parts of the world, but the scale of the devastation is such that the efforts at this stage are relegated to stopgap measures. Even basic needs such as drinking water and sanitation are in short supply.

In light of this, U.S. authorities are expecting vast numbers to flee the nation in search of greener pastures, namely the United States. Those who are intercepted at sea will be held at a special site on the opposite side of the Gitmo base that holds almost 200-suspected terrorists. Tents, toilets and supplies have already been set up to hold the influx of Haitians. Strangely, Gitmo may feel like Déjà vu for some of the refugees, where thousands of Haitian boat people were held in the early 1990’s.

The Gitmo base has been prominent in the effort to aid Haiti as it has been used to transport personnel as well as supplies to the grief stricken areas.