Immigration - A Never Ending Source of Controversy

I have been interested in immigration to the United States for a while now, mostly because it is an almost endless topic with so many great details behind it. I also had a teacher at my old school who was an immigrant, and it was a long and hard process for her to become a citizen, which made me want to look more into the topic.

Immigration to the United States has become more of a problem throughout the years, and it is holding back people who seek better opportunities or a new beginning. More than 10 million undocumented people currently reside in the United States, and the numbers are increasing by 700,000 people each year. Immigrants who come to the United States face many difficulties in gaining residencies and citizenship to the country. To receive a green card (resident alien status) the immigrant must satisfy requirements set by the government. Some of the qualifications include: having a family member who will be able to sponsor you while you reside in the country, have a job inside the country, or be a refugee who will be able to meet the definition of refugee and have special interest to the United States. The problem that comes after you receive your green card is that an immigrant must follow the 10 steps to naturalization. Then the subsequent issue is that they must be able to pass a test proving that they are able to speak, write, and read in English, and have knowledge on U.S. history. Finally they must also be able to pass a Catch 22 test. They must be considered a to be a person of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States during all relevant periods under the law - US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Which is saying that if you have committed a crime then you aren’t eligible to become a U.S. citizen, however most of the immigrants who come to the U.S. have to come illegally. Despite the many issues that come with immigration the number of people who come to the United States is still growing.

Here is a graph showing the number of Immigrants coming to the U.S. in previous years

http://www.immigrationeis.org/sites/default/files/images/charts/immigration_into_us_1.gif

Another issue that has come with immigrants is their effect on the economy. They come to the United States to work for little pay in the jobs that Americans reject, but then we blame the immigrants for stealing away from them. There are really many benefits that immigrants have on the economy, but are still looked down on because of the costs, one of which is that other people who are already citizens have to compensate for things that immigrants can’t pay for. If an illegal immigrant sends a child to public school, other parents would have to compensate for payments that might need to be made because they are unable to pay the government due to their risk of being discovered and deported. If an illegal immigrant is at risk of being deported then they must go into hiding. There are many organizations around the country that help keep undercover immigrants safe. For example there is an organization called Sanctuary Philadelphia which hides immigrants in churches around Philadelphia until they have been granted residency to the country.

This is a picture of where most immigrants are located in the U.S.

http://blogs.forrester.com/f/b/_tp/.a/6a00d8341c50bf53ef0120a5528170970b-pi

The real problem with illegal immigration is security, not the threat to the economy. Despite the fears that immigrants will take over the nation’s economy, the issue that hides behind is that Americans are afraid for security reasons. They are afraid of a possible terrorist attack, or government infiltration that could end in an American tragedy. This is the opinion of many, but not all Americans.

It is important for people to know, that our country, the United States of America, a country made up of immigrants is now making it more difficult than ever for people to be a part of our nation. This is all based on a matter of rights, Americans are refusing to give immigrants their constitutional rights, and I feel our country should stop contradicting itself.

Now I would like to get a first hand perspective on the immigration process, and also get more of an outlook from a legal standpoint.

To read my bibliography click here!