Illegal immigration is defined as the trespassing across the national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the concerned country. The most commonly seen pattern of illegal migration is from countries with low socio-economic level to comparatively developed ones. Although there are a myriad of causes behind it, the primary motivation that plays a major role in illegal immigration is the hope for greater economic opportunities and improved quality of life. Crossing the prohibited borders is not the only way in which the process of illegal immigration is carried out. There are times when a person enters a country legally, but violates the terms and conditions of his visa and passport. If he overstays in the destination country, crossing the legally allowed time frame, it equally accounts for illegal immigration. There are various models which purposefully justify the concept of illegal immigration. At the end of the day, when we look at things, it is all about a person trying to better his life. It is here that compassion and justice intermingle to form a complex concoction, giving rise to a moral question as to who is at fault. Is it the man who left the door open or the man who entered the house without permission?
Definition of illegal immigrant
Illegal Immigrant is the person not being a citizen of the country entered into a country without a valid sanction or continue to stay in a country after the expiry of his valid stay in that country.
Illegal immigration is the movement of people across national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country. Illegal immigrants are also known as illegal aliens to differentiate them from legal aliens
Article Summarization
The authorities must be harsh with employers who hire illegal immigrants
With no job opportunities, foreigners would not be lured to overstay and work illegally.
Recently revealed that about 40,000 Indian citizens went “missing” in Malaysia after their tourist visas expired and that the visa-on-arrival facility had been abused.
India has been advising its people not to work in Malaysia illegally.
to ensure those seeking employment here through legal means are not cheated
Causes of illegal immigrant
Poverty
While economic models do look at relative wealth and income between home and destination countries, they do not necessarily imply that illegal migrants are always impoverished by standards of the home country. The poorest classes in a developing country may lack the resources needed to mount an attempt to cross illegally, or the connections to friends or family already in the destination country.
Overpopulation
Population growth which exceeds the carrying capacity of an area or environment results in overpopulation. Spikes in human population can cause problems such as pollution, water crisis, and poverty. World population has grown from 1.6 billion in 1900 to an estimated 6.7 billion today. In Mexico alone, population has grown from 13.6 million in 1900 to 107 million in 2007.
Family reunification
Some illegal immigrants seek to live with loved ones, such as a spouse or other family members. Family reunification visas may be applied for by legal residents or naturalized citizens to bring their family members into a destination state legally, but these visas may be limited in number and subject to yearly quotas. This may force their family members to enter illegally to reunify.
Wars and asylum
It is important to note that the status of “illegal immigrant” may coincide with or be replaced by the status of “asylum seeker” for emigrants who have escaped a war or repression and have illegal crossed into another state. If they are recognized as “legitimate” asylums by the destination state, they will then gain legal status. However, there may be numerous potential asylums in a destination state who are unwilling to apply or have been denied asylum status, and hence are categorized as “illegal immigrants” and may be subject to punishment or deportation.
Effects of illegal immigrants to Malaysia
Poverty
Illegal immigrants that enter the country are searching for job that offered higher wages that they cannot even get at their own country. The job’s vacancies in Malaysia are limited. So, by the entering of illegal immigrants, local citizens will be unemployment. That is because employers are preferred to employ foreign employees due to lower cost that needed. The increasing rate of unemployment will lead to the increasing rate of poverty. Unemployment may cause the citizens do not have source of income and resulting to the poverty cases.
Increase in the crime and social ills
When there are too many illegal immigrants in the country, the crime cases and also social ills will be increased. The criminal and background of illegal immigrants that enter the country are being unknown. So, whoever can enter our country illegally including criminal and they will make problems in this country. For example, there are many cases on robbery that lead by illegal immigrants. They also always make problems among them such as fighting that sometimes cause death.
Increase in government expenditure
In order to overcome the issues of illegal immigrants, government had done many strict acts. Government had done all those acts to forcibly repatriate the illegal immigrants to their country. Government need to spent higher expenses because they want to sent as many as illegal immigrants as possible. The high expenses included the cost in repatriate them and also in handling them. The expenses should be spent to the country, but it being wastefully used for handling illegal immigrants’ issues.
Health problems
Foreigners’ employees that want to enter and work at this country must undergo certain medical checkup in order to ensure they are in good health condition. It is also to ensure they are free from infectious diseases such as H1N1, tuberculosis and others. On the other hand, the illegal immigrants are not undergoing such medical checkup. So, if they had had the diseases, the possibility they will spread the diseases is high. Then, many of the local citizens will be infected. Health problems can affects the country badly.
Slavery
Some of the illegal immigrants are entered the country through agents. They are offered jobs and will get high payment. However, many of them are being cheated by the agents and be slave to them. For example, many women being smuggle to this country and forced to work. At the first time, they are promises job with high payments. But when they arrived the country, they forced to be sex slave or prostitutions.
Effects to the illegal immigrants’ country
Increase expenses
The country that their citizens involved in illegal immigrants need to make some action in solving the problems. They had to take back the citizens back to country and other related acts. The government expenses will be increased. In addition, if there are several problems that involving their citizens such as health, smuggling and others, they also need to spent some expenses.
Bad image
Illegal immigrants that come to others country will cause many problems and their country will get bad image due to the issues. In addition, if the illegal immigrants had caused such problems such as criminal actions and social ills, the other country will have such bad overview on that country involved.
Loss employees
Due to many citizens that immigrates outside, the country will lost many labor included skilled workers. They immigrates illegally in order to get higher payment that offered bay other countries. However, it also included skilled workers that have high potential for their own country. Then, the country will need to get workers from other countries in order to replaced the citizens that have been immigrates.
Relationships among countries will be affected
Such countries will have diplomatic relationship such as Malaysia and Indonesia. Due to the illegal immigrants’ issues, it can affect the relationship. If the illegal immigrants had cause problem at other countries, the country involved will have bad view to the citizens and also the country. The relationship will be affected due to all the problems.
Effected illegal immigrant to International Trade
Exported on good
Illegal immigrant without doubt, affects some parts of international trade. Our country does not have any records on the amount of them who stayed or came to Malaysia illegally. Therefore, we cannot disclose the amount of workforce or labor force in our country. Most of them work as labor in construction site or factory. Due to this illegally immigrants problem, those factories which employ these immigrant, could not export their goods as in does not come from our own country’s labor force and we cannot disclose it as domestic goods. Simultaneously, it will affect the international trade process.
Skills and technique
In terms of skills and technique, there are a lot of factories which depends on machines and computerized system. We need to send a lot of workers to overseas to develop and upgrading their skills. Due to this illegal immigrant problem, we cannot send any workers as most of factories workers are among them. Therefore, it is difficult for our country to create bond with those developed countries which provide those training for the workers as it is one of the objective of international trade.
Wages and salary
Malaysia is a potential country for development. Many investors likely to invest in our country as they see the profit’s potential. In this situation, a lot of development companies will grab their chance by convincing those investors through development projects. Most of them are keep to hire these illegal immigrant as labor as they know they can pay the labors cheaply. Somehow, it will create problem and give negative images for our country.
Recommendation
Responsibility of Ministry of Human Resource
They should analyze and calculate the amount of unemployed citizen in our country. Through this process, the can arrange or give those labor job to them. They might be calculative in terms of salary compared to illegal immigrants. Therefore, they should be rated on their skills for their salary where higher paid and post for skillful worker and other way around. As the ministry got records for these domestic labors, they can easily walk away from the job as they can be traced easily. In terms of standardizing and upgrading their skills, a lot of programs or classes should be arranged through human resources department also. Simultaneously, all the goods produce by local company which hired local labors can be exported as it is assumed as local goods and could contribute a lot in international trade.
Responsibility of Ministry of Defense
Apart from that, to reduce illegal immigrants, Ministry of Defense should responsible on it. Through Polis Di Raja Malaysia (PDRM), they can gather all the immigrants and send them to their country. Those who already got permit or visa to stay in our country could stay and work for our country in few amounts of labors. So, any bad action by them could be traced and any lawful terms can be charged on them. Therefore, it will be no negative images in our country and investor can easily make profit here without worries.
Co-operation from the company which hire illegal immigrant.
Other than that, those companies which hired a lot of illegal immigrants should support the effort on reducing these immigrants. Hiring them easily is inappropriate way to gain profit quickly. They should be very particular on this matter. Although illegal immigrants did no care a lot on their wage, it is such unlawful manner to hire them as worker as it breaks the rules. Development companies especially need to co-operate with immigration or PDRM in solving this problem. They should disclose the amount of workers or labors they used at the side and provide the records and information of the workers to avoid hiring illegal immigrants.
Change in law
Some of illegal immigrants might think that they will only be send back to their countries if they were caught entering our country illegally. Therefore, they should some change in the punishment for those immigrants. They should be jailed or other higher punishment so that they will realize how hard it is if they were caught in Malaysia. As most of them entered Malaysia through sea, the marine soldier should put a lot of effort regarding this matter. They should analyze how these immigrants can passed the border easily. Besides, they need to be more efficient in guarding the coast and it will simultaneously secure reputation as the navy.
Co-operation with the immigrant’s country
Co-operation with the immigrant’s country also can contribute in reducing illegal immigrants in our country. Through Ministry of Foreign and Domestic, a lot of ways could be discussed with their government upon this matter. They should be responsible on their people who become illegal immigrants in our country. Besides, it will create bond between our country and them so that, we do not have to worry on this immigrants matter anymore as their country will settle it themselves.