What Is the Purpose of Immigration Laws?

The Statue of Liberty was once one of the first things that immigrants coming across the Atlantic saw.

Immigration refers to the process through which an individual moves from one country to another with the intention of establishing a residence in the new country. Immigration laws are in place that make it more difficult to emigrate from one country to the next.

Immigration Laws & Citizenship

Immigration laws in the United States are used to control how non-citizens come in and out of the United States. In the United States, an individual is considered alien if that person had not been born in the United States, does not have American born parents and has not acquired citizenship.

Crime

Criminals who do not have US citizenship are not allowed to enter the United States, protecting the US from dangerous immigrants.

Health

At one point, those with contagious diseases or mental illnesses were not allowed to enter the United States in order to protect United States citizens from potential health problems. This is not practiced as much anymore.

Immigration and the Labor Force

Immigration laws are designed to limit the number of workers entering the country so that there is not a surplus of workers. When there are more workers, there are fewer jobs available for citizens already within the country.

National Security

Immigration laws are used to prevent potential enemies of the state from entering the country.

References

• National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers: Why Do We Have Immigration Laws