What is Illegal Immigration

Illegal immigration is a broad concept with several overlapping definitions which can make it a bit intricate. In fact, the concept goes much beyond its basic definition which states that it is the movement of people across international borders without abiding by immigration laws of the destination nation. Other than such unauthorized entry into a nation, over-staying or violation of visa norms also qualifies for illegal immigration.

Illegal Immigration: An Overview

Simply put, immigration refers to movement of people from one country to another. Every country has its own terms of entry which you are supposed to follow when you enter it. If you violate these terms of entry that are laid down by the administration, it amounts to 'illegal immigration'. With most of the countries putting stringent immigration laws in place, illegal immigration seems to have become more rampant than it ever was. Basically, the cases of illegal immigration are more common in developed and developing nations - wherein 'opportunities' exist in plenty. The definition of illegal immigration or illegal immigrant tends to differ from one nation to another.

When a foreign national enters the country by crossing its border either by land or by water without being detected by the concerned authorities it qualifies for unauthorized illegal immigration. As such entrants are not detected by the authorities, they are not subjected to the mandatory procedure of inspection. Smuggling of people across international borders has become quite common of late, with more and more individuals willingly doing it for a stipulated amount of money as their fee. In the United States, these individuals - who operate at the US-Mexico border, are informally referred to as 'Coyotes'. Even those people who make a legal entry into the country, but resort to fraudulent means - like faking identity or using false documents, to do so, are considered illegal immigrants.

At times the foreign national in question enters the country by legal means (with proper documents), but doesn't leave the country even after his visa - which grants him the permission to stay in the said country for a stipulated period, has expired. Such cases also qualify for illegal immigration. Similarly, those cases wherein the person violates the terms and conditions of the visa also tantamount to illegal immigration. A person with student visa is allowed to study in the issuing country, but he is not allowed to work there. If caught, such offenders (as well as those who employ them) are subjected to punishment - which may differ from one country to another. In most of the countries the person who violates visa terms and conditions is deported. Even asylum seekers - who flee their country because of unrest or any other such problem and seek refuge in the neighboring country, are considered illegal immigrants.

Illegal Immigration in the United States

The data compiled by the US Census Bureau shows that there are as many as 38 million immigrants (legal as well as illegal) in the country today. Furthermore, these immigration facts and statistics also reveal that one-third of these 38 million people are staying in the country illegally. In context of the United States, illegal immigration refers to the act of violation of U.S. immigration policies and national laws by foreign nationals. On the technical grounds, a person can be referred to as an illegal migrant in the United States if:

• he/she enters the United States without authorization or inspection.
• he/she stays in the United States beyond the legally authorized period.
• he/she violates the terms of legal entry in the United States.

Even though the actual number of illegal immigrants in the United States is not known, it is estimated that there are somewhere around 7 - 20 million illegal immigrants in the nation as of today. Interestingly, the United States happens to be a favorite destination for people from Latin-American nations with the promising economic incentives that it has to offer. At 52 percent, more than half of these illegal immigrants come from the neighboring nation of Mexico by illegally crossing over the US-Mexican border. Yet another 22 percent of these come from other Latin-American nations. Illegal immigration statistics compiled by the Center for American Progress reveal that the US administration has to shell out a whopping US$41 billion every year to forcibly evacuate these illegal immigrants.

While the US administration is trying its level best to curb illegal immigration by initiating 'immigration reforms', critics argue that the need of the hour is enforcement - and not reforms. Everybody knows why illegal immigration is bad for the economy, but we can't ignore the fact that we are dependent on these immigrants to a great extent now - at least when it comes to low skilled jobs. In the state of California, illegal immigrants account for 10 percent of the working population. If not as high as California, other states also have a significant share of illegal immigrants in their total work force. In such circumstances, any harsh decision to evacuate illegal immigrants can lead to chaos in the country, and therefore the administration has no option but to play safe and resort to policy making (instead of force) to solve this issue.