Dear Future President,

Immigration has always been happening in the United States so I'm more than positive that you're aware of it, but in the last few years I think that it has gotten a little out of control. For example, in 2000 the number of immigrants in the U.S. was 8.6 million but rose to 11.1 in 2014. I feel as if police officials have turned to deportation as a way to control the immigrant situation but this really shouldn't be the way things get fixed. I agree that immigration needs to be controlled but there are better ways to do it. The laws of immigration should be modified or fixed to help not only the United States but also the immigrants.

Deportations separate families, in any country that is wrong. So why do we continue to do that here? I once knew a family very well, I'd known them since I was born they were such a kind happy family. They always smiled and had laid back personalities. Until one day everything went bad for them. I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) showed up at the father's job, originally looking for a certain man but ended up arresting 5 men who were in the country illegally, including the father/husband. It's 6 years later and his children have yet to see him. Deportation may help clean up the U.S. but it is splitting up families as well. If we wouldn't split up our own families why would we do it to immigrant families? Sure they may be here illegally but it is still so wrong to split up families.

Just in 2014 414,000 immigrants got deported out of the United States. Now imagine how many of those people had families, how many of those people were children and teens? If immigrant families are being split up by the parents being deported then no one is left behind to take care of the children and their house. Also, people may have come to this country because they had nothing left back home so when being deported they have nothing to go back to. We’re bitterly taking their only opportunity away.

I think immigration and deportation most greatly affects the children of immigrants. Because when parents are being deported they do not want to take their children back with them because they came to the United States for a better life for them and their children. In that case, parents may leave their children with relatives or family friends and sure that may be okay but children need their parents. Also when the parents leave what money do the children have to use for necessities, especially children that were already living in poverty. Pewreasearch.org states that 9.5 million children of immigrants live in poverty, it should never come to chilren living in poverty, no matter what race or gender.

This issue of immigration and deportation could be solved with new and improved visa laws. For example, a visa could be created for immigrant parents that have been deported but their children still live in the United States. The visa could allow the parents to come and see their children once every one to two months for possibly 2 weeks at a time. This would allow for the government to be satisfied that the parent is only allowed back every once and awhile but it allows the parents to see their children.

Sincerely,

Isabel G.

Sources:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en.html

http://www.pewresearch.org/

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/

http://www.businessinsider.com/