The Border Security and Immigration Improvement Act: A Modern Solution to a Historic Problem
![handle is hein.journals/stjohn78 and id is 945 raw text is: THE BORDER SECURITY AND
IMMIGRATION IMPROVEMENT ACT: A
MODERN SOLUTION TO A HISTORIC
PROBLEM?
KIERA LOBREGLIOt
INTRODUCTION
The United States is essentially a country of immigrants;
however, current United States immigration policy fails to
adequately safeguard the rights of certain immigrant groups.
Our nation's views toward immigration have changed
considerably over the decades.1 Today, there is a marked focus
both in the political arena and in general public discourse on the
problems caused by illegal immigration from Central and South
America, and in particular from Mexico, to the United States.2
The United States government estimates that over 200,000
t J.D. Candidate, June 2005, St. John's University School of Law; M.A., 2002,
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; B.A., 2001, Boston University.
1 National attitudes and corresponding public policy are some of the many
factors contributing to the migration flow in and out of the country. IMMIGRATION
AND CITIZENSHIP: PROCESS AND POLICY, 212-14 (Thomas Alexander Aleinikoff et al.
eds., 5th ed. 2003) [hereinafter IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP]. The elements
influencing this flow are often referred to as push-pull factors and include
economic, social, and political problems in the country of origin and comparative
advantage in the destination country. Id. at 214-15.
2 Last summer, Congress introduced various bills and joint resolutions dealing
specifically with or relating to immigration issues. See, e.g., 149 CONG. REC. E1600
(daily ed. July 25, 2003) (statement of Rep. Kolbe) (discussing his recent
introduction of the Border Hospital Survival and Illegal Immigrant Care Act, which
aims to address problems arising from the Immigration and Naturalization
Service's instruction to the Border Patrol not to apprehend injured illegal
immigrants in order to. escape financial responsibility); 149 CONG. REC. S9960 (daily
ed. July 25, 2003) (statement of Sen. Cantwell) (proposing the International
Marriage Broker Act of 2003, legislation aiming to protect foreign women who meet
their American husbands through ... Internet sites and catalogs). Recently, the
problems associated with illegal immigration and possible reform measures have
also been brought to the attention of the general public. See, e.g., Steven
Greenhouse, Congress Looks to Grant Legal Status to Immigrants, N.Y. TIMES, Oct.
13, 2003, at A9; Tim Padgett, People Smugglers Inc., TIME, Aug. 18, 2003, at 42.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/stjohn78&div=46&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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The Border Security and Immigration Improvement Act: A Modern Solution to a Historic Problem
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