Graduation Speech: Undocumented Immigrants

What makes someone American isn’t just blood or birth but allegiance to our founding principles and faith in the idea that anyone--from anywhere--can write the next chapter of our story, quoted from our current president, Barack Obama. It is said that America is a land of immigrants, but why are they not allowed into the U.S today? America loses opportunities to become a better place, because our immigration reform constantly turns down citizenship applications, from people who want to make a difference in America. If these applications continue to be turned down, families will be torn, the economy will be broken and futures will never become a reality.

Do you know what it’s like to want to start fresh? To pretend like what happened yesterday could be forgotten tomorrow? That is what the 11 million immigrants who currently live in America wanted, and what those who haven’t made it here yet only dream of. In order to give everyone the same opportunities to start a new life, we first need to be accepting of every person, documented or not. Undocumented residents should get a path to citizenship because families will be torn apart without it, because immigrants help improve the economy, and because this is a country of immigrants.

Undocumented immigrants live with fear of deportation every day of their lives. Those with control of state institutions who do not consider undocumented immigrants as worthy American residents in our society, take advantage of their power by instilling fear of deportation. The restrictive federal and state laws towards migration in the U.S. has become a way to keep undocumented immigrants and their families living in the shadows. Arrocha (2013) claims that the paradox of the U.S. migration seems be that our free democratic republicanism is viewed as the land of freedom, equality, and justice. Yet, these undocumented immigrants aren’t treated equally or given the freedom to live in our society without intimidation. In states like Arizona, the program SB 1070 allowed state officials to profile individuals who presumed to be residing in the state without legal documents. Needless to say, this was a tool used to regulate migration and also a way to differentiate legal residents from illegal residents, which resulted as an inhumane and degrading way to treat these individuals. For that reason, it has become unreachable for immigrants to assimilate into our American society because they are characterized as either aliens, criminals, or

In the current political environment, the question “What does it mean to be an American” is one that really caused me to think and reflect deeply. And while some are vowing to “Make America Great Again”, I think there are already a number of things that already make America great and make me proud to be an American. Early on, our founding fathers suggested through the Constitution that at its core, what it meant to be American was simply “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” That’s a fairly simplistic notion and the focus of my essay explores whether this literal interpretation can still apply in today’s more complex society or whether being an American requires more than that.

    At the end of the day, we want to put the end to illegal immigration. However, we won’t be able to until we carefully consider the reasons and make sure our legislation solve the problems to do so. As far as I can tell, this is our best bet to a safe, secure

Beadle, Amanda Peterson. "Top 10 Reasons Why The U.S. Needs Comprehensive Immigration Reform." ThinkProgress. © 2016 - Center for American Progress, 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.

How would you feel if you and your family were denied the opportunity to a better life or had to wait years for one? The immigrants goal is to strive for a better future for themselves and their family. Coming here will help them achieve that goal. You may be thinking why cant they have a good future where they live? In some cases, the country they live in could be poor, not have many schools, is not safe, etc. America has more technology, schools, medicine, job opportunities, etc. Some may say how this may lead to letting in terrorists or how they will be taking away our jobs. That is a reasonable answer although, the United States itself was built and enhanced by immigrants who fled their country to find a better life for themselves, their families, and future generations. We as American citizen should allow these immigrants to become one of us. What if it were you? Wouldn’t you want to help these immigrants? Therefore, congress should lessen qualifications, the period

America is one the greatest experiments in freedom and liberty history has ever known. We are a nation that was built on the minds and ideals of immigrants. Our Founding Fathers created America so that everyone could have a chance at "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". Those are aspects of my country, I would never change because they are what make us unique. The glow of America casts a ripple of hope upon those who struggle. Those who live among poverty and violence look to America and see a wonderful country filled with opportunity. However, in recent months, America has become a laughingstock, a joke. Donald Trump, as well as many conservative Republicans would like to would like to build a wall separating America from Mexico, limit a woman’s choices, and deny current citizens basic psychological and physical assistance. We should work towards building human connections, not walls. Our future president will have the power to implement an immigration policy and make decisions that will effect the immigrants who currently reside within our borders. As a woman, I believe that my rights should not be determined by some man in Washington DC. Instead, everyone should be entitled to their own opinion. Abortions and contraceptives are not procedures or medications that women usually advertise and frankly, it is none of government’s business what women choose to do with their own bodies. They are not the property of men or the

Immigration is a very broad topic, taking into consideration all of the emotional aspects it also provokes for the group of minorities that fall into this category in the United States. Although America is the home of a range of diversity, many still wish that their hopes of completing their “American dream” does not end soon. The Deferred Act for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is shortly coming to a complete end. This privilege of having the act gives many the opportunity to be considered a citizen and have most of the benefits that this act offers. But there are still immigrants, like Jose Antonio Vargas, out there who “even though I think of myself as an American and consider America my country, my country doesn’t think of me as one of its own.”

The American Dream has been questioned on its legitimacy in whether it is fact or fiction. Writers have pondered this idea in many forms in their writing, poems, songs, and essays. The American Dream seems to be a complex phenomenon that cannot be explained yet so many long to achieve it. It proves to be true to some, but breaks promises in others. It has the power to give hope or take it away. The American Dream is in fact true many would argue, but for the hopeless, it was only a Dream, a Dream that no longer exists today.

The importance of citizenship is to give immigrants an “electoral representation” (Sapunar 6) and receive “the benefits” (Sapunar 6) that the recipients of legalization status that pay taxes like any other “American citizen” (Sapunar 6) would. The “Immigration system” (Sapunar 6) is outdated and faulty that it has an “absence of a pathway to citizenship” (Sapunar 6). Margaret Moran states that LULAC “adopted” a National Policy Platform 2011-2012” that opposes “any legislation” that threatens the Latino community such as the “rights of immigrants,” and that “criminalizes them and those” who provide them “assistance.”

* Reagan spoke of freedom in America as the shining example to the world of ideal society where people live in unity and welcome others with open arms. Clinton spoke of freedom in America based on the accomplishments of those who came before us. Advances in different areas such a medicine, technology and spread of democracy to other countries.

One of the greatest controversies in modern day is illegal immigrants. There are an approximate 11.4 undocumented immigrants that live in our country today. Now with your new action in place, I think it’s a good thing. Mainly because it allows lasting illegal immigrants to stay here, it allows jobs to go to documented americans, and gives children hope for a better future ahead.

[We] have no rights here in the United States. I don’t have a right to anything. I know I’m nobody important” (Orner 212). This is the main argument of my journal – the rights immigrants don’t have, but need, in the United States. The American Civil Liberties Union says “there are 41 million immigrants in the United States,” and that “the United States spends $1.84 billion detaining immigrants” (Immigrants’ Rights). With this money, we could be fostering and helping said immigrants thrive in our country. Instead, we are selfish and unforgiving as a people. In recent news, an immigrant-rights group called “United We Stay” has proposed a new “Bill of Rights” for illegals. They ask for “health care, in-state tuition rates for college and a guarantee of citizenship in the long term” (Dinan). All they ask for is the same rights Americans have. If they are living and working in America, I believe they deserve the exact same rights.

“It was a cold December morning waking up finding my dad watching the news, I sat down and witness how far Mexico has fallen. Officials have uncovered weapons, drugs, and secret tunnels. I could listen to my dad cursing because this has brought the fall of a once beautiful used to be country and now it only looks like the place where criminals can roam around free. The reason we came to the U.S. was because of the mischiefs of many people finding a way to survive trying to make money on whatever they could find that was all you could think of over there. I thought to myself at that moment bless be the people in the Southern border that have risked their lives to protect the U.S. from the people that would like to destroy and ruin this beautiful country.”