Should Undocumented Immigrants Be Given The Path To Citizenship? Have you ever gone to school barefoot before? If so, you certainly realize how difficult a situation it can be. I have seen poverty with my own naked eyes. I have witnessed children between the ages of 9 to 12 years walk 10 miles in bare feet on an empty stomach to get to school. It’s every parent’s dream to see their children have a better education than them. The United States offers both education and job opportunities. That’s why many undocumented immigrants risk so much to come to the United States. Most immigrants live in extreme poverty and hardships in their homeland. Their search for survival is what drives them out of their countries. The United States provides a great healthy environment to live in and wonderful job opportunities. As an immigrant, I came to the United States in search of a better life. I completely understand what most immigrants go through to get their American dream. Many studies and much recent history show that giving immigrants the right to citizenship would increase revenue for the U.S. government, increase job competitiveness, and decrease crime. Therefore, undocumented immigrants should be given the right to citizenship. My good friend Diana Ramirez was born in Mexico. At the age of 3, her family travelled to The United States in search of greener pastures. In 1986, her family was granted amnesty by the Immigration Reform and Control Act signed into law by President Ronald Reagan (NPR). This law was passed in order to control and deter undocumented immigrants to the United States. Furthermore, this law provided legalization to undocumented immigrants who had been present illegally in the U.S. continuously since 1982. Like Diana, 3 million other undocumented immigrants were granted amnesty. Her story is common among 11 million other undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. today. Out of this figure, 1 million undocumented immigrants have been deported by the Obama administration (Passel). This has brought a lot of fear and mistrust in immigrant groups across the nation (Escalona). According to a study by the Census Bureau on immigrants working in America, the U.S. remains a nation of immigration. Their statistics show that 1 in 6 U.S. workers is an immigrant (NPR). This source shows how immigrants play a vital role in the economy. Doing way with these 17% immigrant workers would hurt the economy. United States continues to be a land of opportunity because immigrants have a diverse background. Immigration brings cultural exchange into the country. Immigrants also provide a wide range of fresh new ideas and talents. Immigration provides a wealth of people who are eager to work at the lower end of the spectrum where many American don’t want to work. According to the White House, passing the immigration reform would increase revenue by $48 billion, which would be made over a decade. This would make the budget deficit decrease by $ 18 billion, which would be made over a decade plus a billion a year later (Associated Press). With immigration, 750,000 to 900,000 jobs would be created by newly authorized immigrants. This would also add $329 billion to the U.S. economy and 1.4 billion additional jobs by 2030 (Marczark). Every undocumented immigrant would be charged a penalty fee for staying in this country illegally by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This money would be used to process immigrants’ documents and lead to more money into the U.S. economy. While some think that this is the way forward, Mitt Romney, the former Republican governor, said in an interview with “Fox News Sunday” that, “People who have come here illegally should not be given a special path way to permanent residency or citizenship in this country” (Associated Press). But this is what Ronald Reagan, the face of the Republican Party, said in 1984: “I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally” (NPR). This shows just how much the attitude on immigration has changed the past 30 years. Recently, Fox News reported on April 07, 2013 that, Senator McCain and other Republican Party members are disagreeing to pass the immigration reform. McCain explained that Ronald Reagan’s immigration reform didn’t work therefore; he was avoiding making the same mistake. In addition, legalizing immigrants would boost immigrants’ wages, which would further increase consumption and increase job competiveness. Undocumented immigrants would have the courage to look for jobs that they wouldn’t get before due to living in fear of deportation. This would definitely bring new opportunities for them to go to school and better themselves. According to the House Minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, immigration reform would increase the minimum wage to $10 per/hour, as reported by Fox News on January 13, 2013. In return this would increase spending among immigrants. As a result of this progress, immigration reforms legislation brought about today would not spend more money on border security. The reducing cost of immigration reform for this economy will be an added advantage. Moreover, passing the immigration reform would reduce the number of “Hit and Run” crimes because immigrant drivers would hold an identity, therefore reducing crime. Fox News reported on January 3, 2013, that some religious leaders in Connecticut are calling on State officials to permit undocumented immigrants to get drivers’ licenses and register their vehicles. This will reduce the number of accidents on the road. Also, this will enable undocumented immigrants to learn the laws on the roads by going through driving lessons. The safety on the roads will be improved because driving skills of immigrants will be tested. The subject of immigration still remains a hot topic. Immigration reform law already has an extensive history: Ronald Reagan signed an immigration reform act, in 1984. Even though this law was widely considered unsuccessful, it brought undocumented immigrants out of the fear of being deported and granted them freedom. Also, it is important to consider that anyone who is in this country illegally encounters some form of abuse either financially or physically (Passel). Some undocumented immigrants are criminals, while others are decent people who deserve a chance to freedom. The opposition argues that legalizing immigrants would become a strong magnet to increase unauthorized immigrants and worsen our already broken system. They fear that Americans’ jobs will be taken away. With this said, news reports from Alabama show that farmers are complaining that their harvests have rotted because there are very few American workers willing to work in the fields. This is because the state of Alabama passed some toughest immigration laws in the country in late September 2011. This has made a lot of undocumented immigrants leave the state because they are afraid to be stopped by the police or deported (Passel). According to Fox News, on February 18, 2013, the Obama administration has proposed that their immigration plan would create a visa for immigrants already living in the country and permit them to become legal permanent residents in a period of 8 years. The facts stated above clearly demonstrate that giving immigrants a path to citizenship will increase revenue for the U.S. government, increase job competitiveness, and decrease crime. Immigration is what has shaped the basic nature of this great nation. The foundation of United States is based on freedom. This is a country that all mankind believes will exercise freedom and unity. As an immigrant, I had a dream to come to this great country and live my American dream. I therefore understand what’s in the hearts of all those 11 million undocumented immigrants: the desire to live an American dream.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 00:57:14 +0000
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