Dear Future President,

11.4 million criminals living in the United States all have something in common. They are known as undocumented residents, and they came into our country illegally. Currently, they are taking jobs, not paying all the mandatory taxes, and contributing to many crimes. It is imperative that we monitor and restrict illegal entry into our country.

Undocumented immigrants are responsible for criminal activity, especially gangs. This is one of the numerous reasons that we should tighten borders, and watch the waves of people coming into our country below our noses. According to judicialwatch.org, “Criminal street gangs—mostly comprised of illegal immigrants—are responsible for the majority of violent crimes in the United States and are the primary distributors of most illicit drugs.” Obviously, if undocumented residents make up a large portion of gangs, that’s an issue. Not only is it a criminal act for these immigrants to come in without any papers, they are committing more violent crimes. Whether it’s murdering or kidnapping, we should not be letting these people get in so easily. Even if they are harmless, how do we know that? They don’t have papers so we know nothing about them. This is also according to judicialwatch.org, “It says that up to 80% of crime in the U.S. is committed by gangs and that gang membership in this country has grown to 1 million, an increase of 200,000 in the last few years.” If the majority of the members of these gangs are illegal immigrants, this just further proves we should be more strictly watching the borders, and making sure people don’t come in without the proper documents. More than half of the crimes are from gangs, and the gang membership is growing. So is the number of illegal immigrants. Once again, not all of these immigrants are bad people. However, coming in without papers make them criminals. So, these criminals that are genuinely bad people who may be a part of gangs, are committing even more crimes. How can we condone this? If we deported, and kept out the people without papers, the crime rate would hopefully decrease. Lastly, according to judicialwatch.org, “A government agency reveals that the nation’s most violent street gang has been energized by the barrage of illegal immigrant minors who have entered the U.S. through Mexico, confirming a Judicial Watch report last summer that gangs were actively recruiting members at shelters housing the new arrivals.” This proves the ocean of illegal immigrants flooding the US is harming us in many ways, including by encouraging gangs, and strengthening them. These groups of criminal gangs, offer the newly arrived undocumented residents a place with them in their gang. If the immigrants do join the gang, they will proceed to participate in criminal activity. To conclude this point, a lot of the undocumented residents coming into our country contribute to the crimes committed in our country, specifically by joining and participating in gangs.

To continue on a less violent note, Americans need all the jobs we can get. Unemployment is a huge issue to many people, and if we are going to be giving jobs, only lawful citizens should be getting these. If you are living in the country as a criminal (you came without papers) you don’t deserve a job, until you become a legal citizen/immigrant. The website https://www.numbersusa.com states that “ some 7.7 million illegal aliens were employed in U.S. jobs in 2008, based on estimates from the Pew Hispanic Center.” If these were criminals who escaped from jail, they would be arrested and sent back to jail. These are criminals, because they came into the United States illegally. They should be sent back to their country, or wait until they are accepted for some form of citizenship. If you are not a citizen, or you don’t have a green card, the job opportunities are not yours. The undocumented residents should not, and can not be working unless they are here lawfully. To continue, blogs.wsj.com confirms that, “Mr. Trump is right: A little under 93 million people in America do not have jobs. “ Those millions of jobs should be going to people who are here lawfully. Seeing that many people see unemployment as a huge issue, we could kill two birds with one stone. By focusing on illegal immigration, many job opportunities that the aliens were taking will go to citizens.We need to protect ourselves. Plus, poverty.ucdavis.edu reports “The official poverty rate is 13.5 percent, based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 estimates.” A lot of the times, poverty results from unemployment. So, I will reiterate what I have been saying. Illegal immigrants take some job opportunities, and US citizens need every job we can take.

Furthermore, undocumented residents don't always pay taxes, yet they generally get taxpayer benefits. There are some loopholes in the system, however these criminals don't qualify for a loophole considering they aren't here legally, and they shouldn't be paying taxes because they shouldn't be here. Despite this, they are here.This source, infowars.com, reports, “It is estimated that U.S. taxpayers spend $12,000,000,000 a year on primary and secondary school education for the children of illegal immigrants.” Keep in mind. We are a nation that is trillions of dollars in debt. We are spending billions upon billions of people who take our jobs, resources, and commit crimes in some cases. Accprdomg to abcnews.go.com “The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a conservative advocacy group that favors tighter immigration laws, argues that the answer is clear: illegal aliens cost U.S. taxpayers more than $100 billion each year.” How can we pay so much for criminals? Not only do US citizens pay so much money in taxes to give them these benefits, the same website reports, “Immigrants illegally in the U.S. collectively contribute nearly $12 billion each year to state and local tax coffers, according to a new report that challenges recent election cycle rhetoric.” If they are going to be in our country, at least have them pay more taxes. This is nothing in comparison to what other groups pay. However, it would be better for the economy if they were monitored more closely, so we could deport and keep them out. Clearly illegal immigrants are given much more than what they contribute.

While I feel strongly about illegal immigration, along with many people, some believe we should be more sympathetic. They may argue that it’s inhumane to deport the illegal immigrants because they have nowhere to go. Or if they do, it may be somewhere very corrupt and dangerous. Furthermore, there is a point that they have families. How could you rip apart a family? Well, that is a reasonable argument. However, be mindful these are criminals. They could’ve waited, like many others, to get a green card or citizenship. Just because they live somewhere corrupt doesn’t mean they have permission to come into our country. In addition, they have harmful affects to US citizens. Gangs primarily consists of illegal immigrants, as I previously explained. Therefore, they contribute greatly to the crime rate in the US. Plus, US citizens who are convicted of crimes are sent to jail. Their families aren’t sympathized with. They are torn apart. And those are to US citizens - people who are born here or are rightfully here. Illegal immigrants come in as criminals. Besides, their families can go with them. I understand and recognize the opposing view points, however I do still believe we should be firm on not letting illegal immigrants into the country.

To conclude, the mass quantities of undocumented residents must be controlled. By blocking their access into the country, and deporting those who are here illegally, many things will change for the better. It would decrease gang activity, unemployment, and paying for people who don’t legally deserve benefits. 

Sincerely, 

Maddy S.