Is Our Current Immigration Policy Fair/Just
Our current immigration policy is not fair/just. One problem with it is the number of illegal immigrants who have entered the country. Another problem is the limited amount of legal immigrants entering the country. People living in third world countries deserve to have a chance to have all the opportunities that America brings. Most of our ancestors immigrated here at one point.
One of the big problems about the immigration policy is the number of people breaking this policy by illegally entering the U.S.. The number of illegal immigrants in America is way too high. There are currently estimated around 11.7 million people who entered the country illegally. Julia Preston at the New York Times said that “Recent figures, including reports from the Border Patrol of illegal crossings at the southwest border, suggest that the numbers began to grow again last year.” They are taking away jobs from americans who deserve them. The reality is that illegal immigration hurts the U.S. middle class and it is severely damaging to the U.S. economy. “Because of illegal immigration, every single day wages are lost, taxes don’t get collected, hospitals provide “free healthcare” for which they are never paid, huge criminal gangs of foreigners are roaming our streets and the cost of providing social services to illegal aliens is slowly bankrupting state and local governments” (WVWNEWS). The needs of the people of America must come before those who have snuck in.
One of the reasons so many people are getting into the United States of America is because of a weak border control. It is important that border control cracks down on illegal immigrants. We can improve it by adding more border control agents. Some Senators say that it would be a good idea to require fingerprints to get into our country. This could reduce the probability of criminals entering. However without increasing the number of border control agents this policy would not be enough to have a large effect on the number of illegal immigrants in America. It is the only way to prevent these people from breaking our laws and customs.
Another reason America’s immigration policy is not fair is because it only allows six hundred and seventy-five thousand immigrants into the country each year. This number is way too low. These people have done nothing wrong yet are living in poverty. They deserve the chance to get naturalized. People think that these people are all criminals. Instead they are mostly good people who are starving, sick, thirsty and living in the of the worst conditions with limited, if any shelter. We as Americans can do
something about it by allowing more people to have a better life in the U.S.A.. They power our culture and are a big part of the way America is being run. “We are a nation of immigrants. Successive waves of immigrants have kept our country demographically young, enriched our culture and added to our productive capacity as a nation, enhancing our influence in the world” (Griswold). By adding just one hundred thousand more immigrants every year we are changing lives. The more immigrants there are the more diverse America is. People don’t realise it but immigrants are the backbone of our society. Albert Einstein, one of the smartest men ever to walk the earth, moved here from Switzerland. The potential is out there, these people just need the opportunities that America brings. With more immigrants we can effect our future as country in positive way.
Obama and the government had the power to change things but instead let the topic slide through their fingers and by pushing the reform into next year. Boehner had been unwilling to enter into talks with the Senate on a broad bill that will help these people. These immigrants need change right now. It is important that they get this change as soon as possible (Parker).
In conclusion our current immigration policy is not fair/just because it does not stop enough illegal immigrants and does not allow enough legal immigrants who deserve a chance to live in America. The current immigration reform needs to be changed. Boehner and the house need to get their act together and realise this is serious issue. America has always stood for freedom, why can’t we allow a few more legal immigrants enjoy it with us.