Introduction: Today in America, there are around eleven million illegal immigrants and Mexicans make up a little over half of the group. Immigration has been a common problem for numerous years. This has also been a popular topic in recent political debates and news reports. Immigrants come over to the U.S. for a variety of reasons, whether for family, make more money, more employment, better education, or other reasons. For my research, I want to focus on Mexican immigrants and why they immigrate to the U.S. and how they affect the U.S. economy. Immigrants coming in to the U.S. can affect the lives of citizens in a variety of ways. There are pros and cons to those reasons, and I want to research how those reasons are either pros or cons in the U.S. and how they are affecting jobs, income, health care, education and other important aspects of daily life. 

II. Border patrol to keep immigrants out of the U.S. has been a popular topic for many years now. According to "a recent study by the Center for Migration Studies found that since 2007 most undocumented immigrants came here legally on what we call nonimmigrant visas (visitors, students, temporary workers) and overstayed" (Wernick). Immigrants looking to come to the U.S. for education, employment, or visitation for business reasons can request a visa from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). If the immigrants gain permission from the USCIS to enter the U.S. with a visa, "each employment category for admission has different requirements, conditions, and authorized periods of stay" that must be adhere to in order to stay in the U.S. (Working in the U.S.). Students looking to come over for educational reasons must be able to meet specific criteria's like: be involved in a full-time institution, be proficient in English or enrolled in classes to eventually lead to proficiency, as well as many other criteria's. Those looking for work have many visas to choose from either temporary or permanent, each with their own specific criteria's and responsibilities that are required of them. Lastly, for those looking to come for business reasons stay for only a short time of a maximum of six months. If they are able to pass their specific criteria's as well, the can participate in settling an estate, negotiate contracts, consult with business associates, etc. Any immigrant looking to gain a visa to the U.S. can apply through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and many overstay their visit, which is why we have such a large number of undocumented immigrants from Mexico. 

Immigrants contribute to the economy in many different ways, like paying taxes. "According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, in 2014 undocumented immigrants paid approximately $11.7 billion in state and local taxes. That includes more than $7 billion in sales and excise taxes, $3.6 billion in property taxes, and $1.1 billion in personal income taxes" (Wernick). 

With over 11 billion immigrants living in the U.S., they obviously make an effect on the U.S. economy. "Immigrants are typically attracted to growing regions and they increase the supply and demand sides of the economy once they are there, expanding employment opportunities" (Nowrasteh). Immigrants are creating a better life for themselves, as well as benefiting the U.S. economy. Even with the abundance of jobs that the U.S. offers, "immigrants likely compete most directly against other immigrants so the effect on less-skilled native born Americans might be very small or positive" (Nowrasteh). This means that chances are immigrants aren’t taking jobs from native-born who are looking, but they are creating more jobs and allowing Americans to work for the job they are looking for. 

III. Jose Vargas is an illegal immigrant who was sent to the U.S. from Mexico as a child by his mother, so he could live a better life. He came to California to live with his grandparents. While living in California, he quickly learned the difference in the life he lived, versus a child who was a U.S. citizen. It started when he realized his green card, and all of his documents to be in the U.S., were fake. He was determined to work hard and be rewarded with citizenship. Being an illegal immigrant still, his life was different. "It means going about my day in fear of being found out. It means rarely trusting people, even those closest to me, with who I really am" (Vargas). He worked hard and was given many opportunities in the U.S. like, attending school to get an education, having a successful job, eventually receiving a driver's license and social security card. He achieved all of these things that he would’ve never been able to have the opportunity of if he was never sent to the U.S.

V. With Donald Trump just being elected President, immigration has become a very popular topic. Throughout the entire election, Trump made it very evident he was anti-immigration and this would be one of the first things he fixes when he gets elected into office. After only a short period of time being in office, Trump has already started his steps to kick the immigrants out and keep them from coming in. On January 23, Trump signed three orders which would take the steps to get the immigrants out of our country and make sure they don’t have an easy way in. The first order is on border security. The purpose of this order is to "obtain operational control of the U.S.-Mexico border by planning, designing and constructing a wall along the length of the border" (Warren & Kerwin 2). One of Trump's main debates was building a wall to keep the Mexicans from crossing over the border. The problem with building the wall is it will be "expensive, difficult to construct, ineffective in deterring illegal migration, harmful to the environment on the border, offensive to personal property rights, and a threat to the economic and social well-being of border communities" (Warren & Kerwin 3). From the list, this proves the many issues with building a wall with no promise that it will even work to keep immigrants out. There are many ways that immigrants come into the U.S. other than just sneaking over the border. 

The second order is on interior enforcement. One part of this order is enforcement priorities. This order "expands the priority list of noncitizens subject to deportation to anyone charged of a criminal offense(...), who abused any program to public benefit, who is subject to a final order of removal, but has not departed" (Warren & Kerwin 8). This is a broad order that gives authorities more power and enforcement to crack down on immigrants for little offenses. Another part in this order is to increase ICE agents by 10,000. This would be a very costly order with the "anticipation of the launching of more aggressive enforcement activity throughout the country, including raids, which spread fear in immigrant communities" (Warren & Kerwin 9). 

The last order is on refugees. This order was titled for "protecting the nation from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals" (Warren & Kerwin 10). This order has a long step-by-step process that is used to make sure we are protected with the right people in the U.S. They are suspending visas and doing extreme vetting on refugees. This process will include " suspend the issuance of visas to countries designated as being detrimental to the interest of the United States for 90 days" (Warren & Kerwin 10). The second part to this order which "requires implementation of uniform screening standards for all immigration programs, to include assessments such as whether an individual is a risk, will be a positive contributor to the nation, and has the ability to make contributions in the national interest" (Warren & Kerwin 10). This order is made to keep the countries safety in our best interest. This will provide us with safe enforcers that are guaranteed to protect our country.   

Conclusion: The large number of immigrants coming from Mexico make an impact on the U.S. in various ways. Some people believe they are causing major problems and ruining the U.S., while other believe they should be given a chance and their impact doesn’t affect the U.S. too greatly. Different ways the Mexican immigrants are affecting the U.S., whether someone believes in a positive or negative way, is by job availability, health care, education, income, and other ways. 
