In America these days immigration can be a touchy issue. Many people are against our current immigration policy while others say it is not strict enough and that we should round up every illegal immigrant and deport them back to their own country, but I propose that we as a nation should consider many things about these immigrants, such as where they come from (and I say that more on an economic or standard of living kind of level and not necessarily by nationality or ethnicity) and not stereotype them into one group and also give them better options to immigrate to the United States. I say this because many people think that all immigrants are destroying America. I recently spoke to a person about our immigration policies and this person had some harsh feelings towards the immigrants, especially those of the Latin American countries. This person said that those immigrants come into our country illegally and are stealing jobs that Americans could have, thus making our economy and unemployment rating worse. But one thing that also seemed to irk this person was the fact that these people do not speak English. While I agree that it is not right that those immigrants come into our country illegally and that they should at least put forth the effort into learning the national language, I started to wonder about why they do it. Do they have some type of vendetta against our country and have some secret plot to take our country down from the inside by stealing our jobs and destroying our country? Is their sole purpose to annoy the Americans by speaking Spanish next to them in the grocery store and make them think they are talking about them? I highly doubt that. I believe that they do it because we are too strict on our immigration laws thus leaving them no choice but to cross our borders illegally because these people come from extremely poor areas and are looking for better opportunities for their family. To that person with whom I had that conversation and to those who may share the same views I say there may be some things you should at least consider.
I recently had the great opportunity to serve a mission for my church in the South-American country of Peru. I still remember very clearly my first impressions of my bus ride from the airport to my new home in the capital of Lima. As I looked through the window and I looked at the streets and houses I thought to myself, “Wow, this place looks like a war zone”. I saw unfinished buildings where families lived, sheet metal roofs and doors, and people lying in the streets with no place to live. During my two years there I came to love those people and better understand them and their circumstances. Many people who lived there had no running water or electricity, they lived in mud-brick houses, and had to work twelve hours a day, seven days a week just to make sure their family was fed. Not everyone had equal opportunities either, such as the rich being the only ones able to play for their cities soccer team. We as Americans take our country and the privileges that we have for granted. Have you ever thought about how great a luxury it is to have a hot shower every day or heating and air-conditioning in your home? Not one house that I ever stepped foot in Peru had heating or air-conditioning and most people did not have hot showers. My point being is that before we start thinking about those illegal immigrants, we should think about where they come from and how lucky we are to live where we do. Did those people choose to be born where they were born? Did they choose to live in those poor conditions? But do they have the right to seek better opportunities for their families? Is that not what made our country great was having people immigrate to our country from all over the world?
Obviously, when immigrants come into our country illegally it can cause problems in the economy, the health care system, and even the education system. For this there is no argument. But couldn’t we do something for them so that they can better their own countries? When I was in Peru I met a person who’s dream was to study in the United States and earn her degree, learn English, and then go back to Peru to use the knowledge that she gained to help people in her own country, but sadly she had applied and been rejected multiple times for a student visa. The reason she wanted to study in the United States is because the universities and education system in general in Peru is very poor. This young woman had hoped to earn her degree in engineering and gain a knowledge in city planning so she could help those many parts of Peru that did not have running water or electricity. But she had been denied. I propose that we make it easier for those of different countries to obtain student visas so that they can be able to go back to their countries and make them stronger, thus providing better lifestyles for their families. Also, if one of them would like to stay and become a citizen of the United States, we could make it easier for those immigrants that have earned degrees here to gain citizenship. For example, let’s say an immigrant gains his degree and has been a resident for four or five years and wishes to start his career here. Shouldn’t we be all for having better educated people in our country to further the progress as a country? If we do this, those who are illegal may start applying for those student visas so that they could become legal residents while still furthering their education and if they become legal residents, that could stop putting such a drain on our health care system, educational system, and economy.
Clearly there is not one single answer that could solve all of our immigration problems because we still have problems such as national security, but I think that if we spoiled Americans had more compassion on other human beings seeking a better life, we could thus better our country, its economy, and our relations with other countries. Immigration will forever be a problem, but we can lessen that problem if we can gain a better understanding of those people and improve our distribution of visas (especially student visas) and better yet, we can improve the quality of life to more countries and more people thus making the world a better place.
No comments:
Post a Comment