Friday, February 22, 2013
2013 - Immigration
Question: What should the U.S. approach to creating a path to legal immigration for illegal residents be? What should the U.S. approach to future illegal immigration be? (In your answer, be sure to reference the DREAM Act, as well as the Biblical perspective on immigration which we discussed.)
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Today immigration is a very long process. The easiest way to live in America is to be born in America. But since not many people are born here, if they want to come, they have to get a green card, which signifies that the U.S. government has allowed them to take permanent-residence status here to live and work. To get a green card, they either have to be married/ related to a U.S. citizen, or they have a special job which requires them to travel to a different country and live there. Right now the U.S. allows 25,000 green cards per country each year, but if there are many applicants for green cards, then it is going to be a long wait for others. Most just come in illegally: 60% cross the U.S. border illegally, only 40% enter legally but stay past their visa’s date. But, immigration is being addressed in government. The president is trying to pass a new act called the DREAM act, which will allow permanent residency to certain undocumented people who graduate from a U.S. high school as minors and have lived here five years prior to this act. They can also gain residency through this act if they have a degree from a U.S. college or have served and completed two years in the armed forces. What I see from this is an invitation for more illegal immigrants to ship their kids over the border so the kids can become legal automatically. Also, critics fear that gang members will also be covered by this act. In fact, it is estimated that 10 to 12 million illegals live in the United States. Allowing more immigrants in our borders will make finding jobs for American citizens even harder when it is already difficult to find employment. The Christian view of immigration is that we should all care for the stranger,(immigrants, that is) but that does not mean we should care for everyone and invite them over so we can take care of them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the United States should accept legal, law abiding immigrants with open arms, and we also need to speed up the process so that these immigrants can become citizens quicker. We need to stop illegal immigration, though, because it is becoming a rapidly growing problem for our nation. We should clamp down on our border control, cut benefits that illegal immigrants receive, and not reward them by allowing these people to become citizens through our Congress’s proposed Dream Act.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I agree completely with The Gift of the Stranger excerpt. Jesus tells us in Mark 12:31 to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, showing us, his followers, that everyone is our neighbor, not just those who live by us. Legal immigrants take all the proper steps to becoming American citizens, and they should be awarded for doing their job. Unfortunately, the process of becoming an American citizen takes many years. The New York Times ran an article stating that the waiting period can be as long as twenty-three years! I believe one way we should speed up this process is by making the path to citizenship a simpler process, yet still having the careful background checks.
Illegal immigration is a problem today in America. Today, there are an estimated eleven million illegal immigrants in our country. One way to prevent illegal immigration in the future is to secure our borders more efficiently. With 11 million illegal immigrants in America, there is obviously a lack of border patrol. Recently, the National Guard was placed on border control, and illegal immigration has been reduced the past few years from 12 million people to 11 million people. We need to send more National Guard troops to the border. If they patrol the border tightly, anyone they catch sneaking illegally across the border should be arrested and sent back to their home land. With tighter security at the border through our National Guard, our country can reduce the number of illegal immigrants.
We can also reduce illegal immigration rates by cutting all the benefits that these people receive. A recent study showed that illegal immigrants receive up to 10 billion dollars in federal benefits, which is completely illegal. According to this same study, the government does not even check to see if these people are citizens. Newsmax magazine reportedly said that, “Many illegal workers are paid in cash ‘under the table’ and thus file no tax forms at all; but a number of undocumented workers, according to the Treasury report, are receiving public benefits contrary to federal and state laws.” If we would cut these benefits, we would save billions for our federal budget. Illegal immigrants should be given a warning stating that they have a short amount of time to leave America. After this amount of time, they will receive only severe medical emergency help from our nation.
I do not support the Dream Act because I believe it rewards illegal immigrants by permitting them citizenship. While I do respect them as people and I understand they may endure difficult situations, there is no reason to give them citizenship. I think of all the many people who are waiting to receive citizenship legally. We cannot quickly grant the illegal group their wish and take eternity to grant the legal group their wish. As Christians, we are told to act justly. Sometimes, justice is not doing the convenient thing. It is doing the right and difficult thing. Our nation should not allow illegal deeds to be rewarded or to be ignored.
The process of immigration right now is too cumbersome; it needs to be more efficient and less costly so an immigrant can go through the process successfully. In one of the articles we read in class it said that the waiting list for green cards is so long that the government is considering the applications made in 1989. That’s way too long of a wait for the immigrants in the country right now. The reason we have so many illegal immigrants in our country is because of the difficulty of trying to achieve legal citizenship. The U.S. should create a fair, consistent, efficient, less costly path that allows immigrants to successfully become citizens while deporting and prosecuting illegal immigrants currently residing in our country and restricting the amount of immigrants that come in to the U.S.
ReplyDeleteA fair and consistent path needs to be established so the illegal residents in our country can become legal and so immigrants don’t continue to come in illegally, a path that has similar criteria to the DREAM Act, but doesn’t allow all immigrants across the board to become legal. For example, if an immigrant is serving in the armed forces he should be allowed to become a legal citizen of this country because he is putting their life on the line for this country. Also, if an immigrant has been paying for taxes such as social security, Medicare, income, etc for the past 5-10 years he should get legal status. It isn’t fair for immigrants to receive the benefits of such programs without having to help fund them in the first place. Another possible option is if he owns land in the U.S. By owning property he is paying property taxes and by doing so is funding different government programs. Another aspect of the DREAM Act is dealing with immigrants who have come as minors, graduated from high school, and have lived in the U.S. for 5 years prior to the making of the act. This is a fair way to deal with the illegal residents currently residing in our country.
We need to treat immigrants with respect and care for them as we would want to be, but at the same time we cannot allow them to take advantage of our system. The Bible says to love your neighbor as yourself but that doesn’t mean opening our arms and letting everybody in just because we’re told to be nice. The Bible also says to care for the stranger, but we don’t have the resources to accommodate millions of immigrants. If we don’t do anything about immigration, our nation’s population will increase by 56 percent! According to an article, our schools are overcrowded and underfunded, our health care costs have skyrocketed, and we are struggling to keep our way of life let alone fund the millions of people attempting to get into our country without a legitimate reason to become a citizen. To approach future illegal immigration we first must deport and prosecute the illegal immigrants who reside in this country and are not on a path to get legal status. Illegal immigrants seem to be causing more problems than they can solve such as how in one article is says that while immigration has a very large impact on the population of the U.S. it has only a small effect on slowing the aging of our society. By strengthening border control and tightening security we can limit the amount of immigrants that entire our country illegally so that the U.S. can benefit from the good, hardworking immigrants and citizens together trying to make our country better.
My thesis is that the government should deport all illegal immigrants since they are hurting our economy by not letting those of us who are here legally and/or are legal to be in the United States. Then if they truly want to be legal immigrants in our country then they have to come here legally and do this as they have for who knows how long. But also have the DREAM ACT initiated because some of the illegal immigrants were forced to come and didn’t understand why because they were too young to really understand the concept of him/her being and illegal immigrant.
ReplyDeleteSince we have a problem with people coming into our country illegally, we need to start taking those who are illegal and deporting them for being there without our government’s permission. Because they are taking the jobs that we who are citizens here need. They have come here looking for a new home and they have failed to get a green card in which would allow them to live here while going through the process of getting citizen ship but instead of leaving like they should have they stayed here. Thereby making them illegal immigrants taking the few jobs that we need for the people who are citizens can’t get because they illegal immigrants have already taken them.
In contrast to the previous paragraph, I think that initiating the DREAM ACT would be a great help to our country. Some of the illegal immigrants who have been here for a while were taken here by force to our country. They were too little to understand that when they came here that they would be here illegally and that their “green card” was just a way for them to get by the police without getting deported. Thence by initiating this act we would have new citizens who are loyal to our country and would provide their skills and knowledge to our country to make it better.
In conclusion, it would be best to use the DREAM ACT so that way we have more of a population who is loyal and will provide their skills toward making this country better but also deporting those who came here by their own free will knowing full and well that that they would be here illegally. Not only would this solve a lot of our immigration problems, but it would better our country by getting jobs to those who are citizens of this country.
RESPONSE: I don’t agree with what part of what Lisa said because they are taking jobs away from those who are educated and are citizens of our country and that needs to stop. But I do agree with that we do need to care for people as God commands but there are strangers in our own country who are citizen that would benefit from our help as much as the immigrants would.
The following post is from Danika Wagenaar ...
ReplyDeleteI believe that the United States should accept legal, law abiding immigrants with open arms, and we also need to speed up the process so that these immigrants can become citizens quicker. We need to stop illegal immigration, though, because it is becoming a rapidly growing problem for our nation. We should clamp down on our border control, cut benefits that illegal immigrants receive, and not reward them by allowing these people to become citizens through our Congress’s proposed Dream Act.
First of all, I agree completely with The Gift of the Stranger excerpt. Jesus tells us in Mark 12:31 to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, showing us, his followers, that everyone is our neighbor, not just those who live by us. Legal immigrants take all the proper steps to becoming American citizens, and they should be awarded for doing their job. Unfortunately, the process of becoming an American citizen takes many years. The New York Times ran an article stating that the waiting period can be as long as twenty-three years! I believe one way we should speed up this process is by making the path to citizenship a simpler process, yet still having the careful background checks.
Illegal immigration is a problem today in America. Today, there are an estimated eleven million illegal immigrants in our country. One way to prevent illegal immigration in the future is to secure our borders more efficiently. With 11 million illegal immigrants in America, there is obviously a lack of border patrol. Recently, the National Guard was placed on border control, and illegal immigration has been reduced the past few years from 12 million people to 11 million people. We need to send more National Guard troops to the border. If they patrol the border tightly, anyone they catch sneaking illegally across the border should be arrested and sent back to their home land. With tighter security at the border through our National Guard, our country can reduce the number of illegal immigrants.
We can also reduce illegal immigration rates by cutting all the benefits that these people receive. A recent study showed that illegal immigrants receive up to 10 billion dollars in federal benefits, which is completely illegal. According to this same study, the government does not even check to see if these people are citizens. Newsmax reportedly said that, “Many illegal workers are paid in cash ‘under the table’ and thus file no tax forms at all; but a number of undocumented workers, according to the Treasury report, are receiving public benefits contrary to federal and state laws.” If we would cut these benefits, we would save billions for our federal budget. Illegal immigrants should be given a warning stating that they have a short amount of time to leave America. After this amount of time, they will receive only severe medical emergency help from our nation.
I do not support the Dream Act because I believe it rewards illegal immigrants by permitting them citizenship. While I do respect them as people and I understand they may endure difficult situations, there is no reason to give them citizenship. I think of all the many people who are waiting to receive citizenship legally. We cannot quickly grant the illegal group their wish and take eternity to grant the legal group their wish. As Christians, we are told to act justly. Sometimes, justice is not doing the convenient thing. It is doing the right and difficult thing. Our nation should not allow illegal deeds to be rewarded or to be ignored.
I believe that the process for becoming a legal citizen should be updated for immigrants, that the Dream Act is a good concept, and that our country needs to change its spending on benefits for illegal immigrants.
ReplyDeleteMany immigrants live in the United States illegally. Sixty percent of them crossed the U.S. border illegally, and forty percent entered legally but stayed beyond their visa. Immigrants with visas were given permission to stay for tourism, missions, education, or temporary work. Visas do not provide permanent residence. Whether they crossed the border illegally or overstayed their visa, these people are now residents in the U.S. but are not legal citizens. The process for becoming a citizen is difficult and takes many years.
I think that the process for becoming a legal immigrant should be updated. It needs to be changed because it is a difficult process that takes too long. Some people probably come to the U.S. illegally because the legal process is too time consuming for them. If somebody truly wants to become a citizen of the United States, they should be allowed to follow that dream. It is good for the government to have a system set up for this to happen.
I believe the Dream Act is a good concept as long as it is not misused. The Dream Act would give permanent residency to illegal immigrants who graduate from high school. Many children did not have the choice to come here because their parents brought them when they were young. This would give them the opportunity to become a citizen if they would want to after they finish high school. Some people feel the Dream Act is wrong because it rewards illegal immigrants, but, the ones who would benefit from the Dream Act are the ones who were too young to know better or choose differently.
I think one of the things we need to change in our country is spending. Much of our hard-earned money is going to help illegal immigrants. More and more legal citizens are losing their jobs and cannot find work. Some illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from those who are living here legally. Also, federal money, received through taxing the working citizens, is paying billions of dollars to provide benefits for those who are not working, including the illegal immigrants. They should not receive medical care and benefits if they are not abiding by the laws of our country. I agree with Danika where she said that we need to cut back on public benefits to save money in the federal budget.
In the Bible, the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart” and to “love your neighbor as yourself.” I think that this verse says that we should show love and mercy to everyone. I believe that providing a way for illegal immigrants to become citizens is fulfilling this verse. We should not show hatred or unkindness to them because of their cultural differences. I do not think this means we allow immigrants to stay here illegally. The Bible also tells us to follow the laws of the government, which is something these people need to do.
I think that one of the major reasons people immigrate illegally to the US is because the US is very strict about the immigration policy, and lets very few people from each country into the US each year. The poor and people that really want to enter America are often overlooked for the more desirable, educated foreigners. As a result, many are forced to immigrate illegally to survive.
ReplyDeleteThe Dream Act is a reward for those who have successfully entered this country. Simple enough. Though some say we need to help those who had no choice to immigrate or not, I think that's just to bad, because there are other hard working Americans that are being beat out for jobs by people who should not be here in the first place. Our Christian perspective; however, should overrule my own bias, because the Bible has many references of how we as Christians should accept the aliens into our society. As a counterpoint to my own argument, I say that God also wants us to follow our leader's choices and laws (unless they contradict God's laws). So my conclusion is that Illegal immigration should be limited, while the Legal immigration process should be facilitated, so more people who really need to can enter the US. A point that would be good to add to the DREAM Act is: anyone who graduates a college in the US has the opportunity to become a US citizen.
On another topic, the Arizona law, where officers may ask for the green card of any person they have suspicion of, is a great idea!
America is to worried about 'offending' it's citizens. If you are a citizen, then you should have nothing to be worried about and should not mind having to prove your citizenship to the authorities.
In an overall conclusion, my opinion is that facilitating the Legal immigration and providing more security against Illegal immigration is the most simple solution.
I agree with Brandon in that illegal immigrants mainly come here without any legal status because of the inefficiency of the government. Government should be more open to those who come here legally by speeding up the process required but would still have a means of punishment for those who ignore this country's laws.
DeleteImmigrants have always is been a key part of society. Everyone in the US except Native Americans is more than likely a decedent of Europeans who moved to the Americas in search of a better life. The chaos and poverty in other countries has always caused immigrants to flock to the United States. This constant flow of diversity has greatly benefitted the US by bringing in hard workers and the well-educated from countries around the world into our economy, politics, and general life. Immigrants are a founding part of our culture and our attitude of tolerance shouldn’t change because of ethnicity.
I believe we also need to provide assistance to those who come here legally through a work Visa or those who have responsible family here in the US. America, by the perception of many right side conservatives, is too far liberal to be productive, they might be correct. After all, it was a capitalistic market that forced everyone to try their hardest, because what you worked for was what you got. On the other hand socialism is helpful in supporting equality. Social Security can play a big part in the life of a worker who has been injured and is unemployed. Most of the time, a push in the right direction can set a person on the path of success. First we must give people that chance for success. Citizenship should not be based off intelligence or affluence. Work Visas are the way I believe to be the best judge of character, and for those who abide by the laws and prove to be beneficial should be streamlined though the immigration maze I believe that we should help people who come here legally and in turn they will help us build our country.
Finally I believe that we should make illegal immigration so difficult that nobody will attempt it. Illegal immigration is generally a pretty recent problem, and it is what has given immigration, as a whole, a bad name. There has also been recent legislation called the Dream Act. This states that the children of illegal immigrants have a nearly a free ticket to citizen ship. The only part I agree with is that the kids must prove responsible enough to graduate college to become full citizens. A common phrase to explain the US is that “you can be whoever you want to be,” this is only partially true because you are affected by who your parents are. The same way money and possessions are left to descendants, debt and criminal fines are also passed on, and The Dream Act contradicted this because the parents did something illegal and the kids got away scratch free. I also believe that employers and police should be responsible for determining someone’s illegal status when they either are searching for employment or are arrested. I believe that policy for illegal immigration is severely lacking any sort of impact and penalty.
I agree with Billy (who agreed with Danika) that the most simple solution to the illegal immigration problem is to make it easier for the LEGAL immigrants to enter the US. The 25 year waiting list for immigrants is ridiculous, and should be made simpler and faster. Also with Billy's (and Danika's) point, border security is also necessary. Some immigrants could be illegal because they are participating in other illegal activities, so we should have more border security.
DeleteI agree with Mary and Danika, that we should deport those who are not law abiding, and are not hurting our economy, or our citizens, with crime. I belive that we need to, at least, control the amount of immigrants we allow into our country, with more people in a smaller area means more crime, demand of more jobs, and the over usage of resorces.
ReplyDeleteI think the DREAM act should come into play. The reasons why I say this is because the childeren that were brought here against their will, well did not have much of a choice. So who are we to blame them for such a crime?
I also believe when people come here in search of jobs, and in search of a place that they 'fit in', and the immigrants try to live as free Americans, should be welcomed and followed by other immigrants. For those who come to our country in order to do harsh crimes for thier self, such as drug trafficing, or a immigrant smuggler, or even to come abuse the system that our government has provided, these types should be deported and made for sure not to come back. That last group I explained should be deported, because in the U.S.A. there is a sense of pride to hold and to charish, and that pride is getting ruined by those types of people.
I agree with Danika when she said from 'Newmax,“Many illegal workers are paid in cash ‘under the table’ and thus file no tax forms at all." In more situations than not this is a true statement. The government cannot keep records, and that person is also under the radar of paying everyday normal taxes. Cut some benefits to reduce the abuse of our government.
We as a country need to crack down on border patrol, which this could offer more jobs for people within the our country already, but need to make it harder for just anyone to be a border patrol person. We need to put a end to illegal immigrants as soon as possible.
I believe we, the United State, should accept legal immigrants, but crack down on the illegal citizens. I also believe that we should speed the process up for people to become legal citizens. Many immigrants come illegally because it takes about 25 years to get accepted and get a green card. We need to make it harder for immigrants to come into our country illegally, but we also need to make the process of becoming a legal citizen quicker.
ReplyDeleteIf we continue to do nothing about illegal immigration, more immigrants will come illegally to our country. What's the point of even having border patrol or the paper process? We would be wasting more money on something that isn't working. If our country is serious about reducing illegal immigration, then they need to do something about it.
I agree with what Danika said, everyone is our neighbor no matter how far away they may be. During his time on earth, Jesus helped anyone who needed him. I believe we should do the same. We need to help our neighbors, but it needs to be legal. In Romans 13:2 it says "therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God, and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves." God has told us to obey our government, it doesn't matter where you are from it still applies to you.
Illegal immigration is a big problem in our country. Over the past years we have tightened the border by sending in more troops, thus reducing people from crossing illegally. If we continue to tighten security around the borders, this big problem will drastically reduce and become a small problem. As Danika mentioned in her post, ever since we brought more troops in to secure the border, the amount of immigrants crossing illegally went from 12 million to 11 million. If we keep our borders secure and kick out the illegal immigrants, people will stop trying to cross illegally and go through the process of becoming a legal citizen of the United States.
The president is currently trying to pass an act. The DREAM Act. This Act allows individuals who have graduated from a U.S high school, graduated from U.S college with a degree, or individuals who have served in the arm forces for at least 2 years. I agree with Lisa and Danika on this subject. The DREAM Act shouldn't be passed. This act is pretty much saying, "Hey, come into our country, we don't care if your illegal!" They haven't earned their citizenship. I believe that if this act if passed, immigrants will find a way around this and we would be back to where we started. I believe the best way to reduce the amount of illegal immigrants is to change the things that are not working and replace them with something else. We should not throw everything away because something wasn't working. Why fix something if it isn't broken? There are holes in the current process, but if we focus on fixing those problems then our system will work better.
We can't keep ignoring what is going on in our country. Coming into the United States illegally, is well, illegal. The more we keep ignoring this problem the worse the situation is going to get. We need to make coming into this country illegally difficult and coming into this country legally quicker.
I believe that the U.S. government needs to secure our national borders first otherwise our problem will just continue to escalate. We need to make it possible for illegal immigrants who do not have a criminal record and who contribute to society to become legal. However they still need to apply for legal status and not just automatically become legal and start living off our welfare system. They need to have proof that they have a job or a third party who is willing to sponsor them and support them if necessary for the next ten years which prevents them from abusing our welfare system.
ReplyDeleteIn order to secure our national border we need to allow our American citizens along the border to protect their property and their family without worrying about facing criminal charges if force is necessary. Also I agree with Danika that we need to send more National Guard troops to patrol our borders because they have already helped the amount of illegal immigrants who come across the border decrease. Also since the government knows almost everything else about everyone I am sure that they can keep track of all the illegal immigrants who have overstayed their work visas and deport them back to their own country. Also for illegal immigrants, the government needs to cut out all the benefits that they are receiving and stop all illegal activity that is happening under the table.
I do not agree with the DREAM Act and believe these people also need to go through the same process to become legal just like everyone else. I do agree that we need to speed up our immigration process so these young illegal immigrants can become legal more quickly. However when they do become legal we need to prevent them from being able to go on welfare for at least ten years, since they proved to us already that they had job. Also in agreement with Lisa if we let more immigrants in our borders it will make it harder for American citizens to find jobs when our unemployment rates are so high.
The Christian view on immigration is that we need to love our neighbor as ourselves and take care of all strangers. I believe that this does not mean that we just forgot about our own citizens and let everyone in. We are taking care of them by letting them even apply for legal status, and they should have to go through the same process as all other immigrants have to go through. We cannot just let them have the easy way in because then that is rewarding them, and what they are doing is illegal.
Immigration is a huge issue today. However the U.S. is doing a better job of handling the issue due to better border control. I agree with Lisa that we should still keep control over the situation. The dream act is basically giving special privlages to foreign citizens rather than help our own people in our country,they want to allow immigrants to stay by having a college education or by being in our country for 5 years. We need the jobs for american citizens rather than give them to people who are not part of our country whether they are legal or not. But the other side of this is a large part of the country depends on foreign workers for agriculture labor. A benefit to border control is it creates many needed jobs for the American people. Another thing i agree with lisa on is yes the christian view is to care for the stranger,but we can only help those who help themselves and do the right thing. America needs to speed up the process and get a better system so those who do apply for citizenship will get there application looked at right away. By adding more legal citizens to the country we can gain more tax revenue that our country desperatly needs.
ReplyDeleteI think we should let everyone into our great country. We should have open arms to anyone and everyone. We should be caring kind citizens to our brothers and sisters of our fellow countries. They have the opportunity to come to our country. It's not their fault they were born into poverty or any other deficit, they just want to come here for a fresh start. We should let them. Because everyone deserves a second chance.
ReplyDeleteOur first step to letting anyone and everyone into our country is to get rid of border control. It is very hard for illegals to sneak across the border without getting caught and I want them to just be able to walk right into our country. We should also just give everyone green cards. They shouldn't have to apply for they should just be able to come in and grab one. Illegals are people too.
I agree with the DREAM act in the fact that it's not their fault that they were forced to come here against their own will. This is in agreement with StormCloud34 who said we should not blame them for something that's not their fault. The bible says we need to love our neighbors as ourselves and care for all strangers here in american and in other countries.
I disagree with the opinion that the DREAM act is a bad idea because of the reasons below. I also think that the immigration process should be easier, and border control should increase in order for the number of illegals to decrease.
ReplyDeleteThe DREAM act, proposed by Obama and his administration, will allow for children who were smuggled into the United States against their will to gain citizenship by attending United States’ high schools and or colleges, or by participating in the US military for two or more years. Although people may say that this is a bad idea because it will cause more illegals to bring their children here for a better life, after this act is passed, only those children who were already here between certain dates will be applicable to this program. For example, if a family came illegally to the United States in hopes that their children will be granted US citizenship after the DREAM act had been passed, those children would not be eligible for the DREAM act program. Therefore, passing the DREAM act will not cause more illegal immigrants to come to the United States. There are several advantages to passing the DREAM act. One of those advantages is that it will motivate those children who have inherited the title of “illegal immigrant” to finish high school and college. This will educate them and make them more qualified for good jobs, which will allow them to support themselves and their families. If they have no way of becoming a citizen, and are constantly living in fear of being deported, they will likely not have as much motivation to go to college and receive a quality education, because of the fact that not having a green card will make it difficult to have a legal, well paying job. Not being able to attain a good job may result in some individuals participating in illegal activities, such as gang association, theft, or other violent activities. Therefore, if these children are educated and become citizens, they will be able to live an honest, legal life.
Thousands of people want to enter the United States each year and become legal citizens of our amazing country. The United States allows 25,000 people to attain a green card per country each year. If you are coming from a tiny country, such as Vatican City (the country with the smallest population in the world, with 920 people), you will have a very good chance at attaining a green card. However, if you are coming from a large country, like China (pop. 1,306,313,800) the chance of you being one of the lucky 25,000 people is very slim. I think that the number of people given green cards should be proportional to the population of the country. For example, the number of people given green cards from Vatican City should be way less than the number of people given green cards from China. The US should set a number of immigrants total that would be allowed in each year and then set the number of people per country allowed in proportional to the population of that country. This would make it easier for immigrants from a large country to attain a green card and enter the US legally.
In the future, the US needs to monitor the number of illegal immigrants coming in each year and make it harder for them to get into the US illegally. Border control should increase, making sure that there are no corrupt border patrol officers allowing immigrants in. Also, illegal immigrants who come in legally with a travel visa should be monitored and kept track of to make sure that they leave the country when the visa expires. This will make it harder for the illegal immigrants to be in the US.
I agree with Billy stating that we need to tighten up our border control. We let too many illegal immigrants through that take up jobs for our people and other legal immigrants. In the United States there are roughly 11 million illegal or undocumented immigrants. This number is way too high. These undocumented immigrants use things such as roads, and other services the government provides that the rest of us have to pay tax on. But they do not pay any taxes besides sales tax.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with the Dream act that Obama has tried to put into motion. I believe that the idea in theory is good, but it will be too hard to complete and encourage more illegal immigration. We need to make the system for becoming a legal citizen a little easier, but still not accept more of them.
The welfare system also will need to be changed. We need to make sure that these people are actually trying to get jobs and not just abuse the system. Approximately 100 million people, citizens and non citizens, are on the welfare system. Every two out of 98 people abuse the system, and that might not seem like that much now, but when you do the math, it comes out to be a lot more than people think
In conclusion the points that I have been establishing here is that we need to tighten border control, get rid of the Dream Act, and change the welfare rules. This will probably not stop the problem of illegal immigration, and nothing probably ever will, but we need to try to help the problem as much as we can and limit it.
The U.S. is taking the wrong approach when it comes to making illegal residents into citizens of the United States. Also we need to reform our current process of how we allow immigrants to become citizens. But in doing these things we will need to also tighten up at our borders to ensure illegal immigrants couldn’t make it back in if we sent them out.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to illegal residents living in the U.S. we cannot reward them for coming into our country with things like the DREAM Act even if it was not those persons choice to come into the US illegally. Also we as a nation can hardly afford to send our own kids to college and now the government wants to make us help to put them through college for free? I do not think you will get much support for that from the tax payers of America. If the government would put in place a new way to accept immigrants, one that went through applications much faster, we could send them out of the country and put them at the top of the list for their country. But these current illegal immigrants would have to be well behaved, law abiding citizens to be put on the list. Any currently illegal resident that has any criminal record or unacceptable behavior in the US will be sent out for good. It isn’t a huge issue that they are here, it is the fact they are here illegally.
As for our current process of citizenship, it is absolutely terrible. People who applied in the 80’s to become citizens are now just being evaluated. If we could figure out a way that sped up the evaluation process immigrants would feel less obliged to try to come over here illegally. It isn’t like all the people who are coming over here are bad people, Danika chose a good verse in her blog with Mark 12:31 ,”Love your neighbor as yourself.” We need to be accepting to the people who want to come over here and make a contribution to our communities. But we need to make it possible for them to get here legally in a respectable amount of time.
Once we have the legalization processes figured out and have dealt with the illegal residents we need to ensure that it stays that way. Therefore we should tighten up our borders by providing more border patrolmen and reinforcing our fences. I think we should really focus on the areas where we know the most immigrants are making it here from and figure out how we can stop that. Although I think we would see a huge decline in illegal immigrants trying to make it across the border once we fix or legalization processes, there will always people with criminal intentions or drug traffickers trying to make it across that we need to stop.
I believe the United States should open its arms to legal immigrants. The government should have restrictions on benefits and better control of the borders because of those who come illegally. I believe the Dream Act is a good idea. We, as Christians, need to love others, but follow the laws of our government.
ReplyDeleteMany people come to the United States. Some come legally and others illegally. They come because they think it is better here and that there are more opportunities. The U.S. welcomes immigrants and has steps in place for immigrants to become citizens. I think that the government has a good plan for this, but it should be changed so that it does not take so long. Some immigrants choose to stay here illegally, but not all illegal immigrants made the choice. Some illegal immigrants came when they were too young to choose. I think that if the government makes a way for immigrants to become legal citizens, and they choose not to follow it, then they should be kicked out.
Another thing the government should work on is having better restrictions at the borders and better restrictions with benefits. Many illegal immigrants cross over the borders to come into the U.S. without the right paperwork. As several of my classmates said (Danika, Billy, and Collin) the government needs to tighten up the border patrol. I also think that citizens should help immigrants find work so they can earn money. For people who do not work, they should not have benefits given to them. I think that if they are trying to earn enough money by working, but cannot provide for their families, then they should receive help. Our federal government is spending too much on helping those who do not work, which is causing us to go further into debt.
The government is considering starting the Dream Act, which would allow illegal immigrants to become citizens after they have been here for five years and graduate from high school. I think that it is a good idea because some of these illegal immigrants did not choose to come here. This gives them the opportunity to become a legal citizen and motivation to finish school. I think that if they get into trouble and have a criminal record, they should not be allowed to stay.
I believe the Bible teaches us to treat each other with love, but that we are supposed to obey the laws of the government. Sometimes love means discipline. If people are not following the law, then they need to be disciplined. If they are, then we should love others regardless of where they came from.
I think since our country has many unemployed citizens already here we should stop letting people immigrate here until we get our own citizens jobs. For illegal immigrant restriction I think we should make more of an effort to find employers employing illegal immigrants and make the fine for employing illegal immigrants punishable by jail time. The bible says that we should help our neighbor but I don’t think that our country is in a state to be helping others because we cannot take care of ourselves. The DREAM Act helps those who are already here and since it is a one-time deal it will give those who grew up in this country unknowingly illegal a chance to become a legal citizen.
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. is at an unemployment rate of 8%. Since we cannot even employ our own citizens then why are we letting more people in whom take jobs that our own citizen need. If we let more people immigrate then we will have more unemployed people and still no more jobs then we had before. Also when people can’t support their family they will do anything to keep them healthy which may mean that they resort to criminal activities and that would raise the crime rate. I’m not saying immigration is a bad thing but that right now our country has a hard enough time with those already here and if our unemployment rate goes down to start letting more in again.
Illegal immigrants come to the US to work and earn money to send back home for their families. If we make more of an effort to find those employing illegal’s and give them jail time or much larger consequences for employing illegal’s then maybe we can eliminate the desire to immigrate illegally because employers won’t hire them in fear of hefty consequences. If we take away the reason people want to come here then they won’t see any reason to come.
The DREAM Act is a one-time deal where if your parents made you come to this country illegally but you have been here long enough to consider this home and you know now other home. I think you should get a chance, if you want, to become legal. We are not rewarding them for coming here and we probably won’t give another chance like this for future generations it is for the ones who are already here and consider this home.
I agree with Brandon when he said that part of the reason that we have so many illegal immigrants is because our laws regarding immigration are so strict that for many there is no other way to get in. In our country we enjoy a peace and freedom that many can only dream about and due to the fact that we only accept a limited number of immigrants from each country each year it makes it nearly impossible to gain entry in any reasonable time into our country.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons our county is so promising to such illegal individuals is our lax healthcare system which is not regulated well enough to prevent individuals from taking advantage of it. There are about 100 million people on welfare today and about every two in 98 abuse this system, in those numbers it becomes more of a liability than a help and leads to the public becoming angry.
I think the Dream Act is a great idea, it's not their fault that their parents brought them into this country and if they did complete and education while in this country we are only improving our selves by accepting them. while the dream act is a little more inclusive than I would like, I think it is our best compromise possible.
In conclusion I think that we should reduce the severity of the restrictions on our immigration and be more lax on the amounts of immigrants we let in. Also I believe we should help indorse the Dream Act and make it better for our immigrants. But beyond that we need to reduce the capability to use our welfare system and abuse the graciousness of our country.
I think that the United States should increase border control to stop so many illegal immigrants to cross the border but I also agree completely with the dream act proposed by President Obama. The process that immigrants have to go through to become a citizen should be more straightforward and I agree with Emily that the number of green cards issued to countries should be proportional to that countries population.
ReplyDeleteThe dream act is going to be put into place to help those immigrants who were brought to this country against their will. They shouldn’t be punished for someone else’s crimes and they shouldn’t be shipped back to a country where they won’t have anything. With the dream act they will have a chance to attain citizenship by attending high schools or colleges. Or joining the military for two years. A lot of people aren’t sure this act is such a good idea, but how else are immigrants supposed to ever get ahead if no one ever helps them.
Gaining citizenship legally in this country can take forever, which is why many choose the route of coming over illegally. If gaining citizenship was easier and took a shorter amount of time we would have less illegal immigrants in this country and we could cut back on border control which saves the country money.
I agree with lisa the the easiest way to live in America is to be born in America.Lots of illegals apply to become a US citizens and the process is very long. The process should be faster because at least they want to become a citizen and not just stay in America illegally.I agree with the DREAM act because if they are able to graduate from high school or get a US collage degree then that may show that they want to become a US citizen and work hard here in America. And i dont think its a child's fault if they were born here in the US while their parents are still illegal. I think a lot of illegals come here to find a job in America, and have more freedom, but then there are others that come to America to abuse the system the goverment provides which is welfare and they live off of that. There should be a limit as too how much a person needs welfare. They should'nt be able to live off of welfare. I agree with Maisie when she says that Some illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from those who are living here legally. And that's true, because lots of people who are living here legally can not even find jobs.I also agree with Lisa when she says care for the stranger, but if we care too much then that would mean letting more illegls into our country and feeling bad for them. We can only care so much on helping illegals out.
ReplyDeleteIf the problems that come with illegal immigration are to be stopped, they must be targeted at the source: welfare. In my opinion, welfare seems to be the biggest detractor to our success as a country. It is abused to the point of actually being somewhat comical. People have too many kids that they cannot support and the government sends them a check to feed and clothe every single one of those children. They make no effort to find employment because the government pays them enough to live a fairly comfortable lifestyle. All of this money comes from hardworking taxpayers’ pockets and goes right into the hands of the unemployed. My solution to this problem is to eliminate the welfare system entirely. Yes, I can already hear the cries of "what about the people who have fallen on hard times???", and I realize this is quite an aggressive step; but there comes a time when you must ask yourself if it is worth it to deal with the system abuse just to help out a few honest people. I have faith that our economy would rebound substantially from what it has been in recent years and everything would work out fairly well on our end.
ReplyDeleteI agree with @BillyVanWingerden on his views about the DREAM ACT for the most part, I would just like to make one change. I do understand that minors brought here in most circumstances have had no choice on whether or not to come, so I could see them possibly getting some help. By help I mean a choice: serve in the military for a minimum of 3 years or get out. This strategy would prove successful because it will weed out any freeloaders and show the government who really is willing to die for this country and wants to make it their home. As for everyone who was not brought here as a minor, either get in line with everyone else or serve for 5 years. The increased number of years comes with more maturity and a sense of responsibility that compels you to do whatever it takes to bring your loved ones here for a better life.
The Biblical take on the subject is to love your neighbor as yourself, but I believe this is taken out of context most of the time when this topic is discussed. Yes, the Bible does say to love your neighbor as yourself and to help those in need, but it does not say to let people take advantage of you and do nothing in return. I have absolutely no problem whatsoever accepting someone who is willing to put forth the required effort to make this great country their home. If you are willing to swear allegiance to the flag and assimilate into our society peacefully, then by all means, come on in.
The following post is Betsy's ...
ReplyDeleteAt the moment, America’s process of becoming a legal citizen is a great idea, but it is not working. The reason we have so many illegals in the U.S. is because it takes way too long to process everyone’s applications. They cannot wait that long to move. When we think of immigrants, we think of gang members, drug cartel, and criminals. But the majority immigrants are hard-working, honest people. We need to update our system and make it easier to become legal.
America needs to develop a better process. Immigrants should take a series of tests and background checks to allow entrance into the U.S. We also need to cut back on welfare. People coming to the U.S. take advantage of the system. We need to reduce welfare benefits and create jobs for people coming to the U.S. People receiving welfare should be required to find work.
Unlike Emily, I think the Dream Act is a great idea. I believe it will work if we keep on top of it. I can see many people abusing this act. Yes, I agree that it is not their fault if they were forced to move here illegally, but how are we going to confirm that they meet all of the requirements of the act. If people were able to get past the border, then they will definitely be able to cheat the system with the Dream Act. It is a great concept but it needs a few revisions. Maybe within a few years they will have worked out all the kinks and have the Dream Act well on its way. That would be great.
Immigration is a tricky subject when dealing with it through a Christian perspective. In multiple places in the Bible, it clearly states to “love your neighbor as yourself.” It would be great if could just let anyone enter the U.S. without tests, cards, or paperwork. But the few bad ones ruin it for everyone. We need to be able to trust the people we allow into our country. I am not against people trying to immigrate here. In fact, I think it is great for those who are trying to come here honestly and are willing to work hard. What I am against is those who come here to cause trouble. However you look at the situation, it is going to be a tough road to change. The one thing we need to keep in mind is that at the end of the day, we are all God’s children.
The following post is from CJ ...
ReplyDeleteI believe that illegal immigrants should not be here. Green cards should be easier to get so then immigrants don’t have to come here illegally. Legal immigrants are ok because they went through the steps and got a green card. The DREAM Act is a difficult subject, they didn’t have a choice to come but it also rewards them for coming here illegally. Illegal immigrants should be deported, and the government should crack down on the illegal immigrants coming in through borders.
I agree with Collin that we let too many immigrants in and that they take our jobs that unemployed U.S. citizens should be doing. I understand that some unemployed citizens don’t want to work sometimes, but that shouldn’t matter. Give the job the illegal’s are doing to the ones that want to work. Rewarding illegal immigrants with the Dream Act, will influence more illegal’s to come here thinking that they could get the same treatment. Agreeing with Billy, I think we need to tighten up our border control. Too many illegals are coming here from Mexico and even Canada. This could be stopped if the border control is tighter and have truthful border control people that don’t smuggle people in. we could have more border control officers working around the clock.
Jesus says that we need to love one another as we do ourselves and take care of strangers. Agreeing with Billy, I think that we should not forget about our own citizens and let everyone in. We should allow some in but not all. Some of the ones that should not be let in are criminals, terrorist, or immigrants that will bring danger to the United States.
In conclusion, my points are that immigrants here illegally should be deported, the DREAM Act may influence illegal immigration, and border control should be tighter.
The following post is from Zack ...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brandon in that illegal immigrants mainly come here without any legal status because of the inefficiency of the government. Government should be more open to those who come here legally by speeding up the process required but would still have a means of punishment for those who ignore this country's laws.
Immigrants have always is been a key part of society. Everyone in the US except Native Americans is more than likely a decedent of Europeans who moved to the Americas in search of a better life. The chaos and poverty in other countries has always caused immigrants to flock to the United States. This constant flow of diversity has greatly benefitted the US by bringing in hard workers and the well-educated from countries around the world into our economy, politics, and general life. Immigrants are a founding part of our culture and our attitude of tolerance shouldn’t change because of ethnicity.
I believe we also need to provide assistance to those who come here legally through a work Visa or those who have responsible family here in the US. America, by the perception of many right side conservatives, is too far liberal to be productive, they might be correct. After all, it was a capitalistic market that forced everyone to try their hardest, because what you worked for was what you got. On the other hand socialism is helpful in supporting equality. Social Security can play a big part in the life of a worker who has been injured and is unemployed. Most of the time, a push in the right direction can set a person on the path of success. First we must give people that chance for success. Citizenship should not be based off intelligence or affluence. Work Visas are the way I believe to be the best judge of character, and for those who abide by the laws and prove to be beneficial should be streamlined though the immigration maze I believe that we should help people who come here legally and in turn they will help us build our country.
Finally I believe that we should make illegal immigration so difficult that nobody will attempt it. Illegal immigration is generally a pretty recent problem, and it is what has given immigration, as a whole, a bad name. There has also been recent legislation called the Dream Act. This states that the children of illegal immigrants have a nearly a free ticket to citizen ship. The only part I agree with is that the kids must prove responsible enough to graduate college to become full citizens. A common phrase to explain the US is that “you can be whoever you want to be,” this is only partially true because you are affected by who your parents are. The same way money and possessions are left to descendants, debt and criminal fines are also passed on, and The Dream Act contradicted this because the parents did something illegal and the kids got away scratch free. I also believe that employers and police should be responsible for determining someone’s illegal status when they either are searching for employment or are arrested. I believe that policy for illegal immigration is severely lacking any sort of impact and penalty.
The following post is from Wyatt ...
ReplyDeleteImmigration in the US today is a major problem; we are having more and more trouble with the border patrol. Immigrants aren’t necessarily a bad thing but when the majority of them are illegal we have issues. Illegal immigrants that take American jobs are hurting our economy and putting too many legal citizens out or work. And it doesn’t help at all when illegal immigrants illegally get onto our welfare system. And like Lisa said it’s estimated that 10 to 12 million illegal immigrants live in the US today. We are pretty much paying for 12 million immigrants to live here illegally.
A solution to these problems is possibly boosting our border patrol. We could attempt to deport all the illegal immigrants. But then there are arguments on all the immigrants that work in the agricultural business here in the valley, without them our Ag. Economy would probably crash. A way of working this might be to bring in enough workers to help through the Ag. Season then send them back to wherever they are from each year.
It is extremely hard for an immigrant to become legal which is probably why a lot of them try to come here illegally. And I’m not saying all of them illegally take welfare but a lot do. Immigration is a good thing but if abused it can turn into something very bad for an economy.
I think we should let everyone into our great country. We should have open arms to anyone and everyone. We should be caring kind citizens to our brothers and sisters of our fellow countries. They have the opportunity to come to our country. It's not their fault they were born into poverty or any other deficit, they just want to come here for a fresh start. We should let them. Because everyone deserves a second chance.
ReplyDeleteOur first step to letting anyone and everyone into our country is to get rid of border control. It is very hard for illegals to sneak across the border without getting caught and I want them to just be able to walk right into our country. We should also just give everyone green cards. They shouldn't have to apply for they should just be able to come in and grab one. Illegals are people too.
The following comment is from Cody ...
I agree with the DREAM act in the fact that it's not their fault that they were forced to come here against their own will. This is in agreement with StormCloud34 who said we should not blame them for something that's not their fault. The bible says we need to love our neighbors as ourselves and care for all strangers here in american and in other countries.
The following comment is from Taylor ...
ReplyDeleteThe United States path for legal immigration is a very long and difficult path to take. We need to make a system that will allow illegal immigrants to obtain citizenship legally. We should welcome people into our country as Jesus commanded us to welcome those who have been excluded. We can use this as a missionary endeavor. Yes, I agree that the illegal immigrants are committing a crime by being here illegally but we need to provide a way for them to become legal. A lot of times there is not a process for the illegal people to get citizenship. First, one must get a green card. There is a long waiting list in many countries to get a green card. To fix this problem, I propose that we hire people to go through these lists more quickly. This will provide jobs for the unemployed. Also, the only two principle ways to obtaining a green card is by means of having family in the U.S. or specialized work. The U.S. government only issues 25,000 green cards a year as their quota. Overall, the easiest way to become a citizen is to be born here. We also need people to do the low paying jobs that no one else wants to do. Another issue that is being brought up recently is the DREAM Act. This act involves the illegal immigrants who were brought in when they were too young to decide for themselves. They were brought up in our school system and raised in our culture. Most of them speak English. If we can make an easier way for them to become citizens but still have several requirements for them to meet, I believe we can start fixing our immigration issue. The DREAM Act wants to allow illegal people who have immigrated from high schools, came to the U.S. as minors, and lived in the U.S. five years prior to this Act to become residents if they complete college a degree or serve for in the armed forces for two years. I believe parts of this act will work but we need to ensure there are not possible ways to get around this act and fake being in the country for five years. I agree with Danika Wagenaar when she says we need to cut out welfare and benefits these immigrants take. If they want to become citizens, we need to make sure they have enough money to support their families in the U.S. and not use our countries money. Many times they avoid taxes by getting paid with cash and do not have to pay taxes. Also, since we have started securing our borders better may be the cause that the rate of illegal immigrants has been falling since 2007. Mexican immigration has declined and just in the past year we have more border control agents than ever before. People crossing the border illegally are at a forty year low.
The following is from Drew Scheenstra ...
ReplyDeleteI believe that our country needs allow and encourage highly skilled and educated workers into our country. The United States should also allow more lower-skilled workers into the country when there is a shortage of labor in agricultural and industrial jobs. We cannot, however, we cannot reward illegal immigrants by giving them amnesty while not increasing security at the borders.
We need to encourage more highly skilled and educated people into our country because these people will help our economy. New ideas and view are always a good idea and people coming from foreign countries can help our companies come up new invention and marketing ideas. These people can help companies like Google and Microsoft grow in the world market. Low skilled workers are also need at times. Allowing more immigrants into the country then there is a shortage of labor in an industrial or agricultural area like a shoe factory is a good idea. These ideas will help grow our country.
The ideas out their like The Dream Act are going to work. These laws would crowd the American job market with too much cheat labor. The Dream Act also does not confront the problem of border patrol which is the root of the whole problem. We need to control people coming into the country to protect our people’s Jobs. People also need to realize that there is nothing in Christianity that says that this is wrong. Loving someone does not mean let them into our country. We need to find different ways to help these people.
In conclusion our country needs to change our country’s policies. We need to find a way to control who gets into the country and when while also increasing border security to minimize the root of the problem. These ideas should help our country grow it economy while controlling who gets into our country.
The following is from Collin ...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Billy stating that we need to tighten up our border control. We let too many illegal immigrants through that take up jobs for our people and other legal immigrants. In the United States there are roughly 11 million illegal or undocumented immigrants. This number is way too high. These undocumented immigrants use things such as roads, and other services the government provides that the rest of us have to pay tax on. But they do not pay any taxes besides sales tax.
I do not agree with the Dream act that Obama has tried to put into motion. I believe that the idea in theory is good, but it will be too hard to complete and encourage more illegal immigration. We need to make the system for becoming a legal citizen a little easier, but still not accept more of them.
The welfare system also will need to be changed. We need to make sure that these people are actually trying to get jobs and not just abuse the system. Approximately 100 million people, citizens and non citizens, are on the welfare system. Every two out of 98 people abuse the system, and that might not seem like that much now, but when you do the math, it comes out to be a lot more than people think
In conclusion the points that I have been establishing here is that we need to tighten border control, get rid of the Dream Act, and change the welfare rules. This will probably not stop the problem of illegal immigration, and nothing probably ever will, but we need to try to help the problem as much as we can and limit it.
The following is from SooJin ...
ReplyDeleteI think U.S should accept immigrants from other country. Because I think they are helpful to America. Because they came to U.S.A for good reason like getting job and they want to live more abundantly. So I think because of that reason they will do their best in your country and I think that will be helpful to your countries economy too. And I also agree with Dream Act. Even though their parents come to U.S illegally their children was too young , don’t know anything about at that time and so we can’t say just they are illegal or that is crime. So I think U.S government should have to give opportunity to them can be the legal immigrant at least.
The following is from Josh Anderson ...
ReplyDeleteI think since our country has many unemployed citizens already here we should stop letting people immigrate here until we get our own citizens jobs. For illegal immigrant restriction I think we should make more of an effort to find employers employing illegal immigrants and make the fine for employing illegal immigrants punishable by jail time. The bible says that we should help our neighbor but I don’t think that our country is in a state to be helping others because we cannot take care of ourselves. The DREAM Act helps those who are already here and since it is a one-time deal it will give those who grew up in this country unknowingly illegal a chance to become a legal citizen.
The U.S. is at an unemployment rate of 8%. Since we cannot even employ our own citizens then why are we letting more people in whom take jobs that our own citizen need. If we let more people immigrate then we will have more unemployed people and still no more jobs then we had before. Also when people can’t support their family they will do anything to keep them healthy which may mean that they resort to criminal activities and that would raise the crime rate. I’m not saying immigration is a bad thing but that right now our country has a hard enough time with those already here and if our unemployment rate goes down to start letting more in again.
Illegal immigrants come to the US to work and earn money to send back home for their families. If we make more of an effort to find those employing illegal’s and give them jail time or much larger consequences for employing illegal’s then maybe we can eliminate the desire to immigrate illegally because employers won’t hire them in fear of hefty consequences. If we take away the reason people want to come here then they won’t see any reason to come.
The DREAM Act is a one-time deal where if your parents made you come to this country illegally but you have been here long enough to consider this home and you know now other home. I think you should get a chance, if you want, to become legal. We are not rewarding them for coming here and we probably won’t give another chance like this for future generations it is for the ones who are already here and consider this home.
The following is from McKenzie ...
ReplyDeleteI believe the United States should open its arms to legal immigrants. The government should have restrictions on benefits and better control of the borders because of those who come illegally. I believe the Dream Act is a good idea. We, as Christians, need to love others, but follow the laws of our government.
Many people come to the United States. Some come legally and others illegally. They come because they think it is better here and that there are more opportunities. The U.S. welcomes immigrants and has steps in place for immigrants to become citizens. I think that the government has a good plan for this, but it should be changed so that it does not take so long. Some immigrants choose to stay here illegally, but not all illegal immigrants made the choice. Some illegal immigrants came when they were too young to choose. I think that if the government makes a way for immigrants to become legal citizens, and they choose not to follow it, then they should be kicked out.
Another thing the government should work on is having better restrictions at the borders and better restrictions with benefits. Many illegal immigrants cross over the borders to come into the U.S. without the right paperwork. As several of my classmates said (Danika, Billy, and Collin) the government needs to tighten up the border patrol. I also think that citizens should help immigrants find work so they can earn money. For people who do not work, they should not have benefits given to them. I think that if they are trying to earn enough money by working, but cannot provide for their families, then they should receive help. Our federal government is spending too much on helping those who do not work, which is causing us to go further into debt.
The government is considering starting the Dream Act, which would allow illegal immigrants to become citizens after they have been here for five years and graduate from high school. I think that it is a good idea because some of these illegal immigrants did not choose to come here. This gives them the opportunity to become a legal citizen and motivation to finish school. I think that if they get into trouble and have a criminal record, they should not be allowed to stay.
I believe the Bible teaches us to treat each other with love, but that we are supposed to obey the laws of the government. Sometimes love means discipline. If people are not following the law, then they need to be disciplined. If they are, then we should love others regardless of where they came from.
The following post is from Dylan ...
ReplyDeleteIf the problems that come with illegal immigration are to be stopped, they must be targeted at the source: welfare. In my opinion, welfare seems to be the biggest detractor to our success as a country. It is abused to the point of actually being somewhat comical. People have too many kids that they cannot support and the government sends them a check to feed and clothe every single one of those children. They make no effort to find employment because the government pays them enough to live a fairly comfortable lifestyle. All of this money comes from hardworking taxpayers’ pockets and goes right into the hands of the unemployed. My solution to this problem is to eliminate the welfare system entirely. Yes, I can already hear the cries of "what about the people who have fallen on hard times???", and I realize this is quite an aggressive step; but there comes a time when you must ask yourself if it is worth it to deal with the system abuse just to help out a few honest people. I have faith that our economy would rebound substantially from what it has been in recent years and everything would work out fairly well on our end.
I agree with @BillyVanWingerden on his views about the DREAM ACT for the most part, I would just like to make one change. I do understand that minors brought here in most circumstances have had no choice on whether or not to come, so I could see them possibly getting some help. By help I mean a choice: serve in the military for a minimum of 3 years or get out. This strategy would prove successful because it will weed out any freeloaders and show the government who really is willing to die for this country and wants to make it their home. As for everyone who was not brought here as a minor, either get in line with everyone else or serve for 5 years. The increased number of years comes with more maturity and a sense of responsibility that compels you to do whatever it takes to bring your loved ones here for a better life.
The Biblical take on the subject is to love your neighbor as yourself, but I believe this is taken out of context most of the time when this topic is discussed. Yes, the Bible does say to love your neighbor as yourself and to help those in need, but it does not say to let people take advantage of you and do nothing in return. I have absolutely no problem whatsoever accepting someone who is willing to put forth the required effort to make this great country their home. If you are willing to swear allegiance to the flag and assimilate into our society peacefully, then by all means, come on in.
The following post is from Jenna ...
ReplyDeleteI think that the United States should increase border control to stop so many illegal immigrants to cross the border but I also agree completely with the dream act proposed by President Obama. The process that immigrants have to go through to become a citizen should be more straightforward and I agree with Emily that the number of green cards issued to countries should be proportional to that countries population.
The dream act is going to be put into place to help those immigrants who were brought to this country against their will. They shouldn’t be punished for someone else’s crimes and they shouldn’t be shipped back to a country where they won’t have anything. With the dream act they will have a chance to attain citizenship by attending high schools or colleges. Or joining the military for two years. A lot of people aren’t sure this act is such a good idea, but how else are immigrants supposed to ever get ahead if no one ever helps them.
Gaining citizenship legally in this country can take forever, which is why many choose the route of coming over illegally. If gaining citizenship was easier and took a shorter amount of time we would have less illegal immigrants in this country and we could cut back on border control which saves the country money.