Final answer:
Undocumented immigrants are feared to pose a security threat due to concerns of unchecked borders and potential for illegal activities. Strict laws, like Arizona's Senate Bill 1070, aim to control undocumented immigration but raise issues of racial profiling and civil rights violations. The debate on managing the status of undocumented immigrants is ongoing, influencing national security and immigration policy discussions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question of how undocumented immigrants can pose a fear of security threat is a complex issue with various perspectives. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the focus on border security significantly increased. There are concerns about the long land borders that the United States shares with Canada and Mexico, as well as the many unsecured ports which could potentially be points of entry for malicious actors.
States like Arizona and Alabama have enacted strict immigration laws and measures, such as Senate Bill 1070 in 2010, which allows police officers to demand immigration papers based on "reasonable suspicion." Critics argue these laws encourage racial profiling and could potentially violate civil rights. Such legislation has made undocumented immigrants fearful and less likely to engage in necessary day-to-day activities, including seeking health services, out of fear of detection and deportation.
Diverse immigration policies have been proposed and debated within the United States, including the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which intended to reinforce border security and establish pathways for undocumented immigrants to gain legal status. The deep divisions over immigration and how to manage the approximately 11.5 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. continue to fuel discussions of national security, civil rights, and immigration reform.