The concept of human rights refers to the fundamental freedoms and rights that a person acquires at birth and could be deprived of under no circumstances. Examples of such rights include the right to life, asylum, expression, work, privacy, and equal treatment. Every country is obliged to grant these rights to its citizens; however, numerous problems arise when it comes to immigrants, especially illegal ones. People from the Third World could afford official migration and have to risk their life to find their place in the sun. The present essay discusses human rights related to immigration and analyzes if there are any ways to improve the situation of migrants.
The United States is one of the most prosperous countries in the world. For this reason, it is a desirable destination for the citizens of emerging nations of South and North America. People try to escape to the US because they know that here there is a constant need for “cheap service and domestic workers” (Nazario 8). The bitter truth is that even by doing low-skilled jobs, immigrants earn more money than taking more prestigious positions in their home countries. In 2020 more than 250,000 people from Honduras were living in the US, and this number is constantly increasing (Bermeo & Leblang para. 1). However, the country cannot satisfy the right for equal treatment, education, work, and healthcare of illegal immigrants because they are not registered officially. On the one hand, that is fair because these people crossed the border illegally and are the citizens of another country de facto. At the same time, by not helping immigrants, the country suffers considerable losses. For example, as Bermeo and Leblang put it, an increase in rainfall shortages causes a rise in the number of immigrants and the growth of homicide rates (para. 8). Furthermore, employed immigrants “spend their wages on homes, food, TVs and other goods and services and expand domestic economic demand” (Budget Model para.6). From this, it could be inferred that the US, or any other prosperous country, could benefit from helping immigrants and protecting their fundamental rights and freedoms.
The valid counter-argument to the aforementioned statement that immigrants contributed to the domestic economic demand by spending money in the host country is that most of them send money back to their families. As it is noted in Enrique’s Journey, Enrique’s mother, Lourdes, left her son and escaped to the US to send the earned money home to give her children a better life (Nazario 17). Adults like Lourdes flee to another country alone not because they do not love their family and would like to live independently, but because moving altogether is too costly (Nikolova et al. para 2). Still, the point is that she never came back, and children had to grow up missing their mother. Indeed, after living several years in the prosperous US, the idea of returning to Honduras seems unappealing. Furthermore, immigrants find a place to live and a job and create new families (Nazario 22). From one point of view, undoubtedly, those who are left behind benefit from the immigration of parents who send them money. The study of Nikolova et al. reveals that families that receive remittances could be characterized as more positive and satisfied (para. 6). Simultaneously, children of such parents often grow up into depressed adults (para. 7). For example, Enrique eventually became addicted to drugs (Nazario 36). From this perspective, immigration violates a human right to family life. In addition to that, deprivation of a child from an immigrant parent causes the breach of the right to social security. In some cases, there is no way to check if the money sent by immigrants is spent on children, and these threats a child’s right to an adequate living standard.
The final idea that should be discussed in this paper is whether host countries could do something to improve the legal status of immigrants and protect their human rights. The most effective way to cease the violation of the human rights of immigrants is to accept them, regardless of whether they crossed the border legally or illegally. Nonetheless, it is fair to notice that such an approach to immigrants will only motivate more people to escape to the US or other Western countries. This, in turn, will exacerbate the negative effects of migration for both host and home countries. At this point, the primary suggestion is to prevent immigrants from getting into vulnerable situations. Immigrants should be provided with shelter and food while officials are making decisions on their legal status. The second suggestion is to fight the root cause of migration from underdeveloped nations. For instance, the US could allocate subsidies for poor countries to increase the quality of living and assist in economic development. Although this idea seems to be theoretically viable, it rarely works well in practice. As is it noted by Bermeo and Leblang, the major hindrance to the effectiveness of the proposed solution is corruption and poor governance (para. 11). From this, it could be inferred that it is necessary to invest in “improved governance, anti-corruption measures, and violence prevention” in such countries as Honduras (Bermeo & Leblang para. 11). In other words, one of the approaches to prevent violation of immigrants human rights is the decrease of migration flows between poor and developed countries.
To conclude, illegal and legal immigrants commonly face a violation of their basic rights and freedoms. However, in the case of illegal immigration, the problem is exacerbated by the fact that the government cannot keep records of these people and control their living conditions because they hide from legal authorities. Nevertheless, it is necessary to remember that infringement of the human rights of immigrants forces them to become criminals or drug dealers. Their children and relatives also might become socially insecure after one of their parents escapes from the country. Overall, the phenomenon of illegal immigration is challenging because it is not clear whether the host country should take responsibility for people who were not allowed to come there. Still, legal and illegal immigrants are human beings first, and all people possess human rights that could never be violated. It might be hard to ensure that an immigrant’s right to a home, work, and education was not violated. At the same time, it is hard to fight the primary causes of immigration – poverty, hunger, and unemployment. Nonetheless, it is necessary to search for a solution to this problem because people escape from developing nations not for adventures but for the sake of a better life that they could not have in their homeland.
Works Cited
Bermeo, Sarah & Leblang, David. Climate, Violence, and Honduran Migration to the United States. Brookings. 2021, Web.
Budget Model. The Effects of Immigration on the United States’ Economy. 2016, Web.
Nazario, Sonia. Enrique’s Journey: The Story of a Boy’s Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother. Random House Incorporated, 2007.
Nikolova, Milena et al. International Migration: What Happens to Those Left Behind? Brookings. 2018, Web.