In America, there are Illegal immigrants going around the border and trying to find any way through. Whilst some of the reasons may not be very good, many immigrants choose to do this for a variety of reasons such as wanting to start a new life, may have a hit in their country, political instability in their nations, dangerous jobs and positions that could lead to death, unsafe conditions, gang violence, etc. This has made people leave their country and face two choices. Either go into a country illegally or to wait to go into a country in a long lengthy process that could affect them as they could be denied access and eventually sent back to their country. This has been a problem for decades and it really shouldn’t be. The problem with Illegal immigrants is the idea that they have to live in fear even when some communities and cities that allow them to stay in America with the risk that at any moment they could be deported. Laws have been put in place on how Illegal immigrants could become legal immigrants eventually but with the Trump administration not being the kindest towards immigration laws and policies, it could harm both the government and the people trying to get into the country. America has always been seen as the land of opportunity, a place where people could learn and be welcomed into communities regardless of what their status is. Another problem other than administrations is the media and coverage.
The media can either be the source of information or the source of fake news and the media has always had it tough on immigration. Some media have antagonized Immigrants in general as they are viewed as people who commit crimes and drug dealers when that is simply not true as in many graphs it is seen that as of 2014-2015 Illegal and legal immigrants commit less crime than native-born Americans. It’s bad when native-born people commit more crime than Immigrants, and it’s even worse how some immigrants are used as scapegoats or targeted in specific for their race. Not to mention how many believe in the media to give them reliable information showing a bias towards certain races for their being and not by who they are.
In addition to all this, we have obscured the economics and how Illegal Immigrants actually contribute to the economy in their cities. Many Illegal Immigrants may go to safe havens to live a normal life, and some make companies. These small companies can provide employment, not only for other immigrants but also for people seeking to find a job as some jobs may have high requirements and others may have low pay. Because of this, Illegal immigrants contribute to the economy as they are able to provide employment, get money, expand their business, and repeat. This shows that Illegal Immigrants aren’t just here to escape problems in their country but to expand their possibilities in business and in jobs.
Illegal immigrants have helped America more than they have harm America and there has to be a revision into policies and laws as while there should be laws to keep Illegal immigrants in check, we should be more lenient to those who have made successful careers in the States. Not only that but all who contribute to our economy as they are helping us, not harming us. As technology evolves we could make the process for visa’s and immigration much more efficient and quicker, but while we wait for that time, all we can do is give leniency to immigrants who more often than not just want to live a life better than the one they had in their country.
Alexander Gonzalez – St. Ignatius – DMSF
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