Dear Next President of the United States,

Congratulations on your win to the presidency. The American people have spoken and have clearly picked the best person for this very important role. As we embark on our next four years, I hope that many things are accomplished with you as our commander and chief. Although I hold many dear issues close to my heart, the southern border is currently the most pressing issue to the American homeland.

The southern border has been the heated topic for many years now, and is the image of immigration in our country today. However, I believe that the southern border has been very misunderstood, and hope that your administration is able to clean it up as an idea.

As with any immigrant, Latinos coming from Latin America are simply trying to create a better life for their children and themselves. 99% of them do not come as drug dealers or rapists, but rather hardworking people. Building a wall would only be a waste of federal funding. Drugs will continue to find their way across the border. The few Latino people that sell drugs across the border are simply trying to make ends meet. As with any sales person, where there is a market to be had, a product will start to be sold there. We must not even allow there to be a market at the border, educating young American teens and young adults (whom are the biggest targets) to reject drugs instead of buying into them. This will ultimate conquer the war on drugs, leading cartels to have no one to sell to anymore.

With no doubt, immigration reform is much needed. In our cities, towns, and country-sides, we must first change the rhetoric we are using among immigrants. The presumptions that immigrants to the United States are lazy, unmotivated people is an absolute lie and insult. After working with immigrants at the International Institute of Minnesota over the previous summer, I experienced first hand how motivated and excited people really are to be here. For example, John had just joined the class the previous week, and was struggling in pronunciation. Although he would stumble over words, he would continue on, committed to learning English. Towards the end of the class, the head teacher asked me to go out in the hallway and work one on one with John. He at first was a little hesitant. However, he quickly got to reading with his excited attitude. As he would read, I would have him stop and reread something if he struggled in a certain section with pronunciation. At the end of the reading, John was much more confident about his reading. Unlike how people portray immigrants to be, they wish and want to be here. They are excited and are eager to learn our customs and ways. Like the International Institute of Minnesota, we must continue to offer services to immigrants that allow them to be able to acclimate to modern day America.

This country was founded by immigrants, searching for a new home to escape religious persecution. Although immigrants today coming to the U.S. are coming for a whole host of different reasons, their purpose is to improve their quality of life. As America has always accepted immigrants, we must continue to be accepting and willing to allow them into our country today.

Sincerely Mark Racchini