Immigration Reform: Where Does Change Come From?

Citizens that are born in the U.S. are required to go to school to get an education so each and every citizen can have a great future. Why shouldn’t the kids of illegal immigrants not be able to go to school to have a good future? When the kids of illegal immigrants start U.S. schools, they feel like they’re equal to the kids that don’t have parents that are immigrants. When in school, they feel like they could actually live an American life and not be treated differently just because their guardians are immigrants. Kids of illegal immigrants should be able to go to school because most of the illegal immigrants enter the U.S. so their kids can have a better future than they (parents) do, schools can help the kids of illegal immigrants with their tuition, the United States has better schools than other places in the world.

The right to allow immigrants that are legal citizens of the United States shall be allowed to become President of the United States. This Amendment needs to be part of the Supreme Law of The Land, since the United States allow all people to have the same rights as others. The United States should do the same for immigrants when it comes to being a candidate for president. This would allow immigrants to run for president and will be a massive accomplishment in the United States.

Having food on the table, a roof over your head, and a job to make ends meet. It is a basic human right. We live in a global era where all people need one another to survive and succeed. Immigrants bring diversity to the United States, along with their cultures, and skills, which help make us stronger as a nation. Without diversity in our society, we would be self-centered, which means we need immigrants.

THESIS: The Federalist versus anti-federalist debate is still a major part of American law making. One example of this conflict can be seen in the modern day with the state versus federal government argument on immigration. The basic federalist and anti-federalist ideas can be seen on page 185 of the hush textbook.

“The American story is a story of immigration. I would be the last person who would say immigrants are not important to America.” — Phil Graham, circa 1960. This quote may be from the mid-20th century, but it keeps its significance with the everlasting controversy on immigration and immigration laws. However, this is not the only time that the United States has experienced immigration controversies.

Ship ‘um back For many years, the topic of illegal immigration has been a part of every presidential platform. The problem at hand is that illegal immigrants have an effect on our nation. The United States of America has many surnames, the land of the free, the home of the brave, and the melting pot, are only a few. When thinking of debates over immigration reform, one generally pictures two opposite sides of the political spectrum battling it out over what they think should happen. Everyone has a different idea on what to do about illegal immigration, and neither party is willing to compromise enough to form an effective plan of action.

According to Lee and Dong (2012), in April 2010, the Arizona State Legislature enacted the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (“S.B. 1070”), which establishes or amends state immigration offenses and defines local police officers’ immigration law enforcement authority where Section 1 of S.B. 1070 states that the Arizona legislature’s goal in enacting this statute was to deter illegal immigrants from entering the country and from engaging in economic activity (Retrieved from https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cert/11-182). Although the State of Arizona is frustrated with the problem with illegal aliens, it cannot take the matter over their own hands without going through the United States Supreme Court Decision to make it equal for all states not just one.

In what way has immigration evolved in America? Immigration is when a person leaves their country to go to a foreign one permanently. Reasons can be for religious purposes, seeking for a better life, economic opportunities or more. In the United States, immigration is a very broad topic which some disagree with. America has been greatly influenced by immigrants who come to live there.

This campaign season has cast a spotlight onto the unfavorable, and sometimes ugly aspect of immigration. While this topic is inherently political in nature, it can be agreed across all sides of the political spectrum that illegal immigration is a major issue and has been handled ineffectively within recent years. As immigration falls within the national sphere of our democracy, this in essence, leads to many inconsistencies between states regarding criminal charges brought against illegal immigrants. Also, by grouping the nation’s immigration policies under federal dictation, this inherently leads to many systematic flaws.

“We always hear about the rights of democracy, but the major responsibility of it is participation.” (Marsalis). Politics influences almost everything we do in our lives and how we do it. Therefore, political participation in the American government, a democracy, is the best way to be the change you want to see in your community and in your country. One small yet important and effective way to do this is by contacting your government and voicing your opinions, and when I wanted to raise the issue of immigration reform for the DACA recipients, I researched the issue, wrote a letter, and sent it.