Dear President,

As you take over for the next 4-8 years of presidency, I want to address some issues I believe need some changing. The major issue that I believe should be addressed is immigration. According to Reference.com, over 484,072 immigrants enter the U.S each year, and according to migrationpolicy.org, there are an estimated number of 11.5 million immigrants residing in the U.S, including illegal immigrants. 11.5 million families, and individuals who worked through countless hours of paperwork, who spent continuous nights studying for their citizenship tests, and who have been working their hardest to establish a better, financially stable life for not only themselves, but for their families as well. Immigrants are the foundation of America, which is why I feel they shouldn’t be treated as a joke, but taken seriously.

Being the child of immigrant parents, I know first hand how tedious the process of citizenship can be. From traveling to a new country, then having to learn a completely new language and having to start your new life completely from scratch, it is one of the most difficult tasks anyone can take on. And although I believe that all immigrants should have the chance to create opportunities for themselves and deserve the right to escape any problems they’ve faced in their own countries, it in a way seems a bit unfair to not make the illegal immigrants go through the process like the rest of the immigrants who did. I don’t believe the the illegal immigrants should be deported, but should instead just complete the entire citizenship process. Deporting them only causes grief, especially if they have already created a life for them and their families. Even though they skipped the process, they still worked hard to make it that far, and we shouldn’t undermine their hard work to just because they entered the States illegally. But I just hope everyone takes into consideration that they didn’t enter illegally because they are lazy or criminals, but because maybe they didn’t have the funds to pay for the fees to get in or maybe there was an unfortunate flaw in their paperwork or maybe due to their situation they weren’t qualified for citizenship.

Regardless of their situations and reasonings, most immigrants that enter the U.S work incredibly hard to create a better life for themselves, which is why Mr/Madam President, I really do hope once you become president, that you’ll treat immigration and the immigrants themselves with respect and care.

From Santa Clara High school,

Nazareth Bereket