15 November 2016

Dear Future President:

Our country has become one of many different cultures, backgrounds, and races, which is something to be proud of; it is a testament to our inclusive society. The United States welcomes everyone who is looking to start a new life or to simply gain American citizenship for the love of our nation. The problem with this freedom, however, results in an abuse of this privilege to the extent of crime. Roughly 11 million people have immigrated into our country illegally and are taking advantage of our laws and our governing system, and something has to be done to end this unjust manifestation. These illegal aliens need to be deported because they are harming our country’s economy and undermining the respect for our laws.

Adding an extra 11 million undocumented people in the US sounds beneficial for helping with productivity, but in reality, all they are doing is damaging the economy. They are taking jobs away from 20 million hard-working American citizens because they are willing to work for less pay. Americans are having to compete with these criminals for scarce jobs just to keep food on the table for their families. With more aliens being employed, the quality of the work decreases, because the majority of them cannot speak English. More than 50 percent of undocumented aliens have less than a high school education, compared to the eight percent of Americans who have the same level of education. These people are costing us more money and space than we can afford. The cost to educate illegal immigrants is about $13 billion per year, and that money is coming from US taxpayers. Just the price for imprisoning these undocumented people is roughly $1.6 billion every year. Even if money wasn’t an issue, there simply is not enough space in our schools or prisons, due to an overabundance of immigrants. Since schools are at their capacity, the quality of education decreases from a lack of focus of individual students from their teachers. These criminals are hurting our economy in more ways than we realize, and there needs to be a stop to this. Our nation cannot afford to be damaged any more than it already is.

Some may say that deportation splits up families that have produced over the years, but making an exception to that rule undermines the way our people are governed. Just because they have families does not mean that they are above the law. What does the government do with thieves, murderers, and rapists? They are sent to jail or even given the death penalty. That doesn’t split up families? If they choose to come into our country and break our laws, then they have to be ready to abide by our rules and accept our punishments when they are necessary. Considering the circumstances, however, the government has been kind enough to create the family-unity rule. This makes the separation much shorter, while the undocumented members leave to gain citizenship. This shows that this country does have sympathy toward families and realizes the importance of the situation. Deportation is far less painful than time in prison or death, for that matter. Some of these immigrants are dangerous, too. Growing tremendously over the years, criminal aliens make up one-fourth of the population in prisons. Amnesty, nonetheless, hurts the United States. By giving them a path to citizenship, it rewards people for breaking our laws, showing that the US is not serious about enforcing them. If they are not enforced, then more and more people will start breaking them, leading to an anarchy. Not only does amnesty disrespect the rules, but it disrespects the worth and significance of what it is to be an American citizen.

America is in a crisis. We need strong leadership that will bring these numbers down so that our residents can feel safe, can maintain their jobs, and can live in a nation that is for the people. As a concerned US citizen I want what is right for all legal residents. We live in a country where all men should be treated equally. If certain people are not being punished for their crimes, then how can we live in a just and fair society?

Sincerely,

Gabby D.

Bibliography

"Illegal Immigrants." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=false&displayGroupName=Reference&currPage=&scanId=&query=&prodId=OVIC&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&mode=view&catId=&limiter=&display-query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE%7CPC3010999108&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&commentary=&source=Bookmark&u=lafa43079&jsid=351a71ddf3ea04a823920e8e5ebaf4d6. Accessed 10 Nov. 2016.

"Mass Legalization for Unauthorized Immigrants Is a Bad Idea." Immigration Reform, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=false&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&currPage=&scanId=&query=&prodId=OVIC&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&mode=view&catId=&limiter=&display-query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010962207&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&commentary=&source=Bookmark&u=lafa43079&jsid=998af36660eb96e06046900ca7c2eb73. Accessed 11 Nov. 2016.