Immigration has been an issue for a long time in this country, but is has also, at points in our history, had enormous benefits for our nation. This article talks about how the Obama administration is going to alter its deportation policy. Who is it going to protect? Does this make sense to you? What do you think our immigration policy should be like? (Consider--should there be limits to who is allowed in? Who is deported? What about children who come to this country at a young age or who are born here to illegal immigrant parents?)
Please be aware when you write that although you may believe that illegal immigration is wrong, it is also a fact that in our city and state there are many people who have immigrated here, some legally and some without papers. So please, state your opinions, but be respectful in your tone and understand that there may be a great variety of ideas and feelings on this topic, based on our own experiences, interactions, and backgrounds.
This is the last current event I will post; I'm looking forward to seeing all of you on Thursday & Friday. Good luck finishing up your assignment!
The Obama administration made a huge leap here. For the 16 years I’ve been living all I’ve ever heard about is immigration problems. In my mind our government just said we give up on trying to get you out so just stay and we will act like we’ve never seen you. Our government just decided to protect the rights of people that aren’t even citizens of our country, and to me I just don’t understand that. In the past immigration has helped our nation and still is. In all honesty my opinion is I’d rather keep everyone out unless they were legitimately born here. That way we know that person is a registered citizen and there is no question about it. I just think we created more trouble than we had trying to sort this out before.
ReplyDeleteOur current immigration policy, even with the recent change, is hypocritical and violates the very ideals that our nation is built upon. The majority of Americans are descended from European immigrants, yet we have one of the most strict immigration policies in the world. Why should I be entitled to all the amenities America has to offer? I have not paid a single tax dollar (except sales of course) and yet I am not in danger of being deported. What makes me better than someone born in Mexico or Haiti or any other nation? Our current immigration policies leave one questioning the notion that everyone is created equal. While I understand the dangers that exist with increased immigration—terrorism, drugs, and disease—I also understand that many people who come to the United States are trying to flee these conditions. By attempting to protect ourselves we have neglected and allowed for the continued abuse of thousands. Moreover our government picks and chooses who is deserving of access to the United States based on income and education levels. The fact that wealthier individuals can buy their way into the country leaves the people that really need to escape their nations stuck in dismal conditions. Even worse, we have sent children and young adults back to volatile environments because they do not possess a piece of paper. How can you expect a five-year old smuggled into a country to know that they need papers? How can they be held accountable for their parents’ actions? It is good, and necessary, that we deport criminals but what about the people whose only crime is that they want a better life for themselves and their children? Perhaps I am simply under the mistaken impression that this is what the American dream used to be all about.
ReplyDeleteI believe this is the first firm step President Barack Obama has taken since his arrival at the White House. I always thought the deportation law was useless and unfair. Because illegal immigrants who had been here in United States for years and were earning enough to support their family should be at least given a work permit without carrying a lengthy cases. As it was useless to carry Mr.Guerra case for five years, waste of time and waste of money. But the question that occurs is that will he abide to his promise because till now he has only made promises but never fulfilled them. As he promised to keep the national unemployment rate beneath 8% by signing the stimulus bill but instead to rose to 9.1%.
ReplyDeleteImmigration has been a huge problem for this country in past years, and many have let innocent people be sent back to a country where they must live in unhealthy and dangerous conditions. This movement makes me proud to be a democrat, it was incredibly brave of Obama to make such a leap in today's society. He knew that it would make him less popular among many voters, but what he was concerned with was all of those children, and parents being sent back to the very place they left for the safety of their family. I'm not sure how long this movement will hold up, but I do believe that it was the right thing to do. Everyone deserves a safe place to get an education, or to raise a family.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s good and means progress that legislation was made and acted upon concerning immigration, but I still think that the main problem that needs solving is how to stop illegal entry of immigrants into this country. I am all for looking for success and getting your family out for a bad situation which is why I think our government needs to work and make legal entry and citizenship much more accessible. The only specific part about this bill I really like is how it rewards illegal immigrants without a crime record. I think that’s exactly the motivation other immigrants need to stay out of trouble and have a positive effect in our society.
ReplyDeleteThe new immigration policy will protect some illegal immigrants with special emphasis on longtime residents with clean police records that came here illegally as children, those that are close family of military service members, and those who are parents or spouses of American citizens. This makes a lot of sense to me because as mentioned in the article, quickly green lighting these people who are unlikely to cause harm gives them more time to focus on the people who might. I think our immigration policy should be much more relaxed—the people coming here are usually desperate for work and just trying to provide for their families and it seems unethical to deny them that because they don't have a birth certificate or a passport when they came from a third world country. People should be searched on their arrival and they should be given a social security number or something of the equivalent (if they don't already have one) so they can be tracked if they do something wrong. However, for the most part, they should be able to come here with far less constraints than we have now.
ReplyDeleteErin H.
From what I understand I believe that this law protects those immigrants who came here illegally but have not harmed our country. To me this law makes sense because the people who come need protection and normally have a good reason to come. Those who break the law and commit crimes should be deported because they bring only harm to the people. This may sound selfish but I think the people who did things the right way deserve first preference. I also believe that illegal immigrants should have to do something for the society for a certain period of time after being legalized. This will benefit them by making the people accept them. They will not show anger to them. I have heard many people complain about how illegal immigrants are stealing jobs and don’t pay taxes. I am in complete disagreement with this statement because those people need the job just as much as legal citizens do and they deserve to live just as much as legal citizens. I think if a child is born to illegal parents, it should make no difference. If the parents are eligible to get admitted into the country then the child stays. If they cannot be admitted than the child must leave along with the parents. I also believe that when deporting somebody they should give the deportees some money so that they can live comfortably outside of the country as well
ReplyDeleteLet me just put this out there: there have been points in the past 40 years when there were more Irish illegal immigrants living in northern cities such as Boston and New York than there were in IRELAND. Yet somehow that is seldom brought up and though they were treated badly, soon they were prospering. Yes, two-thirds of all illegal immigrants are from Latin American countries, but that leaves about 4 million illegal immigrants from non-spanish speaking countries. There are millions of white European illegal immigrants who come to America to live their lives. And really, if you're not a Native American, you are an illegal immigrant. Oh, but I was born here, you say. Yes, yet you argue that children born in the U. S. to illegal immigrants don't deserve to become automatic citizens. Most immigrants come to the U.S. to pursue the American Dream yet we deny them of the opportunities we claim to promote. Many immigrants apply to become citizens, and complete the process. The majority of people who become citizens at birth in the U.S. would not be able to pass the citizenship test, and that is a blatant fact. Another thing: politicians who promote big businesses advocate for regulation and investigations into businesses that employ illegal immigrants, yet when it comes to environmental issues that could be detrimental to millions of people's health, fighting against it is dubbed "stunting economic growth" and "socialist." The truth is that we are ludicrous hypocrites. As I said before: if you are not a Native American, you are an illegal immigrant. Legal entry into the U. S. from the south needs to be more accessible. Illegal immigrants DO contribute to our economy; some claim that they take away jobs from legal Americans, but in reality a lot of them are working on bean farms picking beans all day, which is not a job anyone I know would volunteer to do, and they're getting paid far lower than minimum wage for their grueling work. I'm so glad that the President has finally really followed up on his promise and is helping illegal immigrants who want to get an education, which every human has a right to, and contribute to society.
ReplyDeleteThis policy makes perfect sense to me. It protects people who have illegally moved here and lived here for a long time as long as they have not committed any crimes. If people illegally move here they are not hurting anyone so I do not see it as a serious crime. Generally illegal immigrants come here and make money with a job so they contribute to society. If they have stayed here without a criminal record for a long time there is a lower chance that they will commit crimes in the future. If they commit a crime here after coming here illegally I think it is fair to deport them because their crime is bad for others and society as a whole.
ReplyDelete