The Exploratory Essay is designed to help students explore a topic that they are interested in writing about for the Research Paper. The Research Paper, in turn, is designed to help both the write and the reader learn something valuable about a chosen topic which is in some way controversial, and about the nature of research and discovery. However, as opposed to the Research Paper in which the writer typically will assume a detached and objective stance, This Exploratory Essay allows you to relate the evolution Of your own thinking about a topic as you first start with your own ideas and then describe your inquiry process as you begin to examine sources and others’ views.

Illegal immigration is a situation in which foreigners try to migrate across country borders without proper permission and documents, resulting in the violation of the destination country's laws of immigration (Aranda and Menjivar).

Having legal permission to stay in a country is the right thing to do by a person as it ensures that he abides by the immigration laws of a country. If a person has legal status within a country, then he would enjoy certain privileges. He can be assured that he would not be deported from the country in which he stays (Carey and Branton). Also, it means that he can legally work within that country in which he is. He can also travel in and out of the country in which he resides.

There are various factors which cause illegal immigration. The most common factor which causes illegal immigration is to grab a better financial opportunity and a better quality of life in the destination country (Hopkins, 2014). Other motivating factors include poverty, family reunification and chain immigration, among others (Moya & Pinto, 2015). These illegal immigrants generally move from developing countries to developed ones (Hopkins, 2014). 

Immigration can have a range of effects on both the country of origin and the host country.  For instance, consider the economic impacts of this. The host country’s economy can benefit from having cheap labour and can also be hurt because these illegal immigrants work for illegal wages. An illegal immigrant will receive his payment in cash, and hence he is not subjected to tax deductions, especially in the USA (Aranda and Menjivar). However, they do receive benefits such as healthcare and education. In this manner, they are a cost to the government of any country. Also, they tend to take away the jobs of many high-school dropouts. In terms of social impact on illegal immigrants, they are treated poorly and provided lesser wages (Carey & Branton, 2014). The presence of illegal immigrants within a country creates an opportunity for terrorists to come and stay within the country. They also add to the population of the host country. 

A very common controversy in this regard is whether illegal immigration falls under the category of crime or civil offence. In the USA, people who stay without proper permission from the government are referred to as illegal aliens (Aranda & Menjivar, 2014). When anybody is referred to as an illegal, it gives a false impression that he might have committed a crime. However, being present in the USA, without proper documents, is not a crime; rather, it is considered as an immigration law violation (Moya and Pinto). Hence, an illegal immigrant in the US is directly deported.

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