According to William Dudley, the presence of illegal immigrants in today's America is the product "of the gap between the number of people allowed to legally immigrate to the U.S. and the global demand for U.S. residency" (12) which has created a huge influx of illegal aliens, especially from Mexico, into the United States within the last decade or so. This situation is supported by the findings of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) which shows that between 1992 and 1998, "825,000 people on average annually immigrated and became legal permanent residents" in the U.S.;" however, INS figures indicate that "millions of illegal immigrants" without "green cards" or visas "choose to ignore the law and melded into American society without official permission" from the INS (13).
             Those who oppose illegal immigration maintain that these numbers are nothing short of an "invasion that threatens the economic and social future of the United States;" conversely, those who support illegal immigration are strongly against all efforts to "deport or otherwise punish or deter illegal immigration," due to viewing such efforts as "too harsh and inhumane" (Dudley, 14). This raises a very important question-are these illegal immigrants victims or criminals? If they are victims, then it is clear that something is amiss in their countries of origin related to economics and politics, but if they are criminals, then they are no different from those who commit other crimes against American society. Within the last several years, a huge debate has raged concerning whether or not to grant amnesty to these "victims" and/or "criminals," meaning that if granted amnesty, these immigrants would be allowed to remain in the U.S. and to seek out legal citizenship and permanent residence.
             Amnesty for illegal immigrants, also known as "legal f...