The Illegal Border Crossing and Immigration Movement Trump Can’t Stop

When you think of illegal immigration, you probably think of Central American migrants doing their best to cross the U.S. border, only to be detained by the border patrol agents. But in actuality, most of the illegal immigration in the United States of America occurs when visitors from other countries overstay their tourist and student visas.

The near vast majority of the 11 million immigrants that are in the United States illegally did not take a boat across the Rio Grande or hire a coyote to cross safely into the United States of America. Most immigrants simply packed their belongings and traveled with their families through well-known airline routes and passed entry inspection by showing the appropriate travel visas. Out of the 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, 46% simply overstayed their tourist visas. In 2018, 670,000 travelers who were supposed to leave the United States before their tourist visa had expired decided to remain in America.

The Human Caravans

People from Central America, Africa, and the Caribbean continue to flock to the American ports of entry via caravans of 800 to 1,000 people. You may remember the massive influx of immigrants that came from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador just a few months ago. This large human caravan spread the message via social media accounts in Honduras and El Salvador that they would travel safely through Mexico to the international border, giving opportunists the chance to dream about a new life in the United States of America.

The 2018 caravan swelled to 7,000 people. Hopefuls crossed river borders, caught trains, walked with their infants and children, and hitched rides all the way from Agua Caliente in Guatemala to Tapachula in Chiapas, Mexico. The experience led many of the hopefuls to arrive in Tijuana mid-November 2018.

Many travelers stated they were trying to escape corruption and gang violence from their home countries. Trump vowed to stop the impending arrival of such caravans with the promise of increased border security and the building of a steel wall. Instead of Central American immigrants coming to the United States to improve their livelihoods, Trump suggested that rival gang members from the Mexican cartels were disguising themselves within the crowd in order to enter the United States. In such an instance, the MS-13 gang member, Jose Villalobos-Jobel, was captured trying to cross illegally into the United States at the Calexico point of entry. He was wanted on murder charges in Honduras. The American authorities subsequently deported Jose back to Honduras.

Immigrants From Asia

The 350,000 travelers that come into the United States of America daily are from Africa, Asia, and South America. According to the Center for Migration Studies, most of the immigrants that overstayed their visa are from India.

Case in point, Eddie lost his job in South Korea as an industrial engineer in 1998 during the time of the dot-com bubble. Eddie liquidated his savings and arrived with his wife and two children in Sunnyvale, California, to work as a painter on a tourist visa. His wife obtained work as a domestic housekeeper. Eli, 11, and Sue, 9, started school, but the family struggled financially to pay rent and household bills. The family fell through the cracks. Neighbors did not know that they were undocumented since Eddie and his family did not fit the normal stereotype.

Many Asians settle in Sunnyvale, California, which is 50 miles southeast of San Francisco and close to Silicon Valley. Some Asians have highly skilled trades, and Apple, LinkedIn, and Hewlett Packard sponsor H1 and H2 visas for new arrivals. With such abundant employment opportunities in America, independent programming contractors continue to find work after their employment visas expire.

This only tells a small fraction of the employment landscape for illegal immigration as there are also low-skilled workers in the area. In Sunnyvale, California, many low-skilled workers apply their trades in the local shops and restaurants. Singh, for example, overstayed his tourist visa and worked in an Indian diner making lentils and spinach.

The Crackdown

Trump wants to crackdown on individuals who overstay their visas by increasing the investigations and deportations led by the Department of Homeland Security. This is difficult to execute since individuals are spread out across the American landscape and resource utilization is at a near maximum. His focus mostly targets one group of people, which, as discussed, isn't an accurate picture.

Nancy Pelosi is in favor of immigration reform that secures our borders and promotes the dreams of undocumented individuals by giving them legal status. It's important to keep in mind that migrants are coming to America to escape poverty and violence and to have a better quality of life.