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The issue on illegal immigration has been facing America for so many years and currently, there are about more than 12 million illegal aliens in the United States, with a million entering the country as legal immigrants on a yearly basis. More than half of this aliens are those who have entered legally but extended their stay without filing for extension. The rest have made their way through borders and risked their lives cramped in trucks and literally crossing the borders.

Despite this, the government is still trying to make things good for illegal immigrants and the country as well. Policies have been changing over the years, with President Obama giving amnesty decrees granting illegal immigration law exemptions to a certain percentage of undocumented aliens.

This is the migration of foreigners to a country who are not legally eligible to migrate or extend their stay for more than a given period yet they refuse to leave. According to the United States Department of Home Security, people involved in illegal immigration are those non-US residents who either cross the borders without inspection or people who were given visas to stay for awhile but instead of leaving, they overstay.

This controversy had been viewed from different angles by two groups, the proponents and opponents are debating whether this is good for the United States or not.

Here are some benefits and setbacks supporters and critics shared about this issue.

1. It helps the economy.According to supporters, illegal immigrants work for cheaper labor and are often hardworking people because they are saving money to bring back to their families. With more than enough labor force, businesses can increase production and reach their targeted sales. If businesses are booming, it is also good for the economy.

2. Undocumented aliens are willing to take all kinds of jobs.With the goal of making it in the land of milk and honey, an undocumented alien can work at jobs the average American will not be willing to take. This way, goods and services will be delivered on time. When it comes to doing household chores, cleaning, feeding the pets and taking care of an adult in need of care and attention, an illegal immigrant can take on these types of jobs. And knowing how busy working Americans are, it helps to get support from someone. This is also applicable to meet the needs of an impaired adult.

3. Illegal immigrants who work also pay taxes.Some illegal aliens who have managed to get jobs in home care, restaurants and automobile shops pay revenue to the agency. But doing so, having them stay illegally somehow allows them to compensate the government, one way of the other. Also they have to open back accounts and buy necessities like automobiles. The money and taxes they pay help the U.S. economy.

4. Undocumented aliens contribute to a richer culture and biodiversity.For some, having mixed cultures in a country is a good thing. This is why they are in favor of illegal immigration because these immigrants bring in their culture and skills to the nation.

5. Deporting these illegal immigrants can cost the government so it is better to let the stay.There are supporters who claim that if all the people who are overstaying in America will be deported, it will cause a lot and it is never that easy. This expense is not the kind of money the United States can afford. Besides, there are other issues that America needs to focus on other than illegal aliens.

1. The threat of terrorism and crimes.Opponents of illegal immigration argue that America is faced with national issues such as threats of terrorism. Although not all are terrorists and bad people, there are some who come to the U.S. to havoc fear and commit crimes like drug-trafficking and illegal activities. There have also been reports of more than a hundred cases of crimes related to illegal immigrants.

2. Illegal immigrants take jobs away from Americans.Critics of illegal immigration are rallying over the policies of the government regarding this controversy. They say that because of the influx of illegal workers, more and more Americans remain unemployed because employers sometimes favor illegal immigrants over legal residents because of cheap labor and longer working hours.

3. Illegal immigration costs money.Opponents contend that taxpayers money is spent in paying for border patrol and deportation. This is one of the complaints of groups against illegal immigration. They also raise that poor illegal immigrants medical expenses are paid for by the government and this money come for taxpayers as well. Unauthorized aliens who get sick or give birth on American soil have to be given medical attention even without insurance and money to cover for hospital bills at the expense of the American taxpayers. Moreover, children of illegal immigrants waiting to be deported need to be taken care and this requires money.

4. Undocumented aliens add to the population.Those who are not happy with illegal immigration complain that with the increasing number of illegal immigrants and some with children, more people add to overcrowding buses and trains as well as students granted with scholarships which should be given to legal immigrants, these situations are not favorable to most of the people.

5. Illegal immigration is a law violation.Some critics are fuelled with the fact that amnesty is granted to illegal aliens. They say that this is an act that should not be tolerated. These people came illegally and should not be allowed to stay longer. They are in violation of the law because letting them stay will only encourage them to do other illegal doings.

The debatable issue on illegal immigration is not about to end with the developments taking place as time passes on. Contentions from two opposing groups will still be present as policies are ever changing and immigrants keep on coming from different parts of the world. Government leaders and different sectors who are affected with the issue should take these things in consideration to come up with clear-cut solutions to illegal immigration.

More here:
10 Critical Pros and Cons of Illegal Immigration Green ...

Taliban Takeover: The Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan in August last year. (File)

The United States and Russia on Wednesday presented opposing visions at the Security Council for the UN's role in Afghanistan, with Washington's call for robust support of human rights running contrary to Moscow's desires.

With the UN political mission's mandate in need of renewal by March 17, the United States underscored its "strong support" for the human rights work being carried out.

Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva said, however, that Moscow does "not agree that the human rights component of the mission should be reinforced."

"We stand against linking the human rights situation to humanitarian and recovery assistance," she said.

The mission "must not become a kind of a supervisor to meet the interests of those who are not ready to help Afghans without preconditions," she said.

For his part, US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Jeffrey DeLaurentis said the United States supports the mission's human rights monitoring functions and humanitarian coordination role.

He also highlighted its child and civilian protections and work to promote equal participation of women "in all aspects of public life."

The United States additionally took a swipe at Beijing, with DeLaurentis stating that it was "a pity that China spends more time criticizing US actions, than focusing on helping the Afghan people themselves."

"China's the second largest contributor to the UN. What China has done to help the people of Afghanistan, or contribute to regional security, does not match that standing," he said.

At the beginning of the session, the UN envoy to Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, asked the UN to engage with the Taliban without isolating them, which she said was the only way to enact positive change.

"We believe, as the winter season comes to an end, that we have perhaps averted our worst fears of famine and widespread starvation," she said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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"Pity That China Spends More Time...": US Slams Beijing On Afghanistan - NDTV

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced theAfghanistan Vetting and Accountability Act,a bill to strengthen vetting procedures for Afghans who were evacuated to the United States following Joe Bidens botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. Senator Hawleys bill would implement careful and appropriate vetting standards for evacuees and declassify intelligence related to the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.

Senator Hawley said, "Nearly seven months after the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, there has been zero accountability. Now we know that the vetting process for evacuees was rushed and careless. My bill would implement strong new vetting procedures, declassify intelligence related to the withdrawal, and take steps to ensure public transparency and accountability for a disaster that claimed the lives of 13 American service members."

APentagon Inspector General reportreleased last month revealed numerous failures in the Biden administrations vetting process, including at least 50 evacuees with significant security concerns who were allowed to enter the U.S.

Bill text can be foundhere.

TheAfghanistan Vetting and Accountability Actwould:

Excerpt from:
New Hawley Bill to Strengthen Afghan Vetting Procedures, Declassify Afghanistan Withdrawal Intel - Josh Hawley

The Taliban have called on the international community to lift its sanctions on Afghanistan shortly after the United Nations warns about the countrys irreversible economic collapse.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, theTalibans deputy prime minister, made the demand during a conference on the national private sector on Friday, with some foreign representatives in attendance, Afghanistans TOLOnews television channel reported.

I call for...the international community to lift the remaining sanctions on Afghanistan and give the opportunity for Afghans to play their role in the economic development inside and outside Afghanistan, he said.

The official urged that nationwide security had been provided in Afghanistan and the ground was paved for trade and investment like never before.

He urged the Afghan traders inside and outside the country to invest in Afghanistan.

Come to your own country. Your investment and trade here will benefit you and the Afghan nation, Baradar said.

The Taliban authorities lack international recognition six months after overrunning Kabul as the last US-led international troops departed, ending 20 years of war.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has frozen nearly $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank since the withdrawal of its occupation forces from the country in August 2021. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have suspended activities in Afghanistan, withholding aid as well as $340 million in new reserves issued by the IMF last August.

Many of the US allies and Western governments have also largely suspended their financial assistance to Afghanistan since the US troops withdrawal and the Talibans rise to power.

On Wednesday, Deborah Lyons, the special representative of the UN secretary-general and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said that solving the Afghan peoples problems required collaborating with the Taliban.

It is now clear that it will be impossible to truly assist Afghan people without working with the de facto authorities, Lyons said. This must be difficult for some to accept. But it is essential.

Six months of indecision, marked by continued sanctions albeit with some relief and unstructured political engagement, are eroding vital social and economic coping systems and pushing the population into greater uncertainty, Lyons said.

Afghanistan's economic collapse is "approaching a point of irreversibility," she cautioned.

Read more from the original source:
Taliban call for lifting of sanctions on Afghanistan - Press TV

Mellissa Fung is a Canadian journalist who has reported from Afghanistan.

Like everyone else, I have been heartbroken and dumbstruck by the horrific news coming out of Ukraine. Lives have been upended overnight. Men have taken their families to the border, saying goodbye, and then turned around to fight for their country, unsure whether they will survive to see their loved ones again. Civilians children have been killed with increasing abandon by a madman bent on erasing their country, their very being. Parts of beautiful cities have been turned into rubble. A population is on edge, awaiting inevitable violence.

The last time I felt this kind of sadness and fear was last August, when the Taliban rolled into Kabul and took Afghanistan back under their control. Girls were no longer able to go to school. Women were forced to hide at home. Desperate families had to make their way to Afghanistans chaotic airport or the border with Pakistan, to try to flee the inevitable oppression they knew they faced if they stayed. There was no fight and no bombs, as the government quickly capitulated but there was still so much fear.

That fear is just as profound today as it was more than six months ago, as the Taliban continue to tighten their rule with vicious tactics throughout the country.

Last week, the Taliban stepped up house searches in what spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called a clearance operation to round up criminals and confiscate illegal weapons, prompting many to burn books and documents that might hint at any connection with the West. He then announced that citizens who have no excuse to leave the country would be prevented from doing so, which would have effectively denied more Afghans from fleeing a country that is failing economically and in the middle of a famine. (He walked back these comments days later, saying that Afghans with the right documents can still travel out of Afghanistan.)

And last Friday morning at about the same time the first Russian bombs were hitting Ukraine the Taliban were executing a door-to-door search in Kabul, as part of a sweep, targeting former Afghan government and military officials. One of them sent me a desperate appeal, along with a video he filmed with his phone of Taliban roaming up and down his street: Thats them in our neighbourhood. They are looking for us, maam. Please can you help us.

The young person who sent me the video told me he was starting to lose hope. It has been now six months since Afghanistan government collapsed, every minutes of our life is breathing with tension; we are frightened to death. We are stranded here not aware of what will happen to us. We might die here.

As of this writing, more than a million Ukrainians have managed to flee to neighbouring countries since Russia invaded their country last week. Afghans, meanwhile, have few options. Most of the large-scale evacuation flights hastily arranged by different groups over the past six months have slowed or stopped. Bombs may not be tearing up their cities, but they feel certain that death might come in other ways, should they be disappeared by the Taliban.

Canada announced it would prioritize applications for Ukrainians as well as establish new immigration measures for those seeking to reunite with family or start a new life. According to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, the department has approved nearly 2,000 applications from Ukrainian nationals since Jan. 19 of this year. Thousands more will likely apply in the coming weeks and months, and this is great news; every one of them should be welcomed with the kindness and empathy that has made this country one of the most desired destinations in the world for those fleeing violence.

But we also need to remember that there are thousands of other at-risk people still in limbo, waiting desperately for a response to their applications for resettlement. Of the 40,000 refugees Canada committed to receiving from Afghanistan last year, fewer than 8,000 have actually been resettled at this point. Some of those still waiting wrote to me this week, wondering if Ukrainian refugees would be prioritized over them. They were right to worry, it appears: on Thursday, Canadas Immigration Minister announced special new streams specifically for Ukrainians, with no limit on the numbers that can apply.

Reading between the lines of their messages, I know they are worried about some of the prejudices that are already creeping into how we talk about Ukraine and Afghanistan. They know that while Ukraine is being referred to as a western country, and Kyiv a European capital, Afghanistan is seen as a developing country, and Kabul a foreign capital. A CBS News correspondent in Ukraine actually said this explicitly on air last week: this isnt a place, with all due respect, like Iraq or Afghanistan, that has seen conflict raging for decades. This is a relatively civilized, relatively European city, one where you wouldnt expect that, or hope that its going to happen.

I tell the Afghans that Canada is a big country, and that Canadians welcome all refugees without prejudice or preference but its all I can tell them. No one ever wants to be a refugee, and the scenes we are witnessing at Ukraines borders and train stations leave no doubt about how wrenching it is to be forced to leave ones home, life and country, without knowing whether it will ever be possible to return. The least we can do is to make sure they have a safe landing should they decide to start over again in our country, to give them everything they need to rebuild the lives that have been ripped from them. But we also need to treat all refugees equally and compassionately whether they are running from Russian bombs in Ukraine, or Taliban brutality in Afghanistan.

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Opinion: All refugees from Ukraine, Afghanistan, or anywhere else need to be treated with equal compassion - The Globe and Mail