Dear Next President,

Immigration is a problem in America. We have a broken immigration system that needs repair. No immigrant should have to fear racism or deportation. This is why America’s immigration system needs to be reformed. It needs to be fixed and improved. What you should do about this problem is to hold the immigrants accountable for themselves. Find as many undocumented immigrants as you can and run a background check on them. If they pass then they are free to live in and contribute to our great country.

Some people think that building a big concrete wall would help, but it won’t, it will just tear America apart. We need to find a better solution. The border needs to be secured but a wall is not the answer. In a Presidential campaign, one candidate“ has stood firm on his commitment to build an impenetrable physical wall along the south border” and has stated that “Mexico will pay 100% of it.” ( Alice Stewart/ Opposing Viewpoints in Context) It would span 2,000 miles and cost about $10 million dollars. I don’t think this is the right course of action. If we build the wall and kick all the immigrants out, all that we stand for will be lost. We will show the world that we are not accepting or tolerant of anyone who is not exactly like we are.

That same Presidential candidate said that he was going to deport the estimated number of 11 million immigrants out of America. Now he is thinking of deporting only 2 million immigrants. What do you think would happen if we deported all the 11 million immigrants and never let any in ever again? First of all, it would be impossible to deport that many people. “For more than 200 years, our tradition of welcoming immigrants from around the world has given us tremendous advantage over other countries.” ( Noel Merino/CNN Wire). If all illegal aliens are deported, what happens to the ones who work hard? Is it fair to have them shipped back to their own country and leave their American born children behind? Tearing families apart is not the answer. America needs to make it easier for hard working immigrants to stay in this country with their families. Which illegals should be deported? Dangerous criminals should be deported. “Felons, not families. Criminals, not children. Gang members, not a mom who’s working hard to provide for her kids.” (Barack OBama/ White House Press Release).

Instead of deportation, the illegal immigrants that are here already could be given some time to register themselves. Maybe they would get finger-printed and the information could go into a national data-base so every person would be known. However, if an illegal immigrant commits a felony crime, then they would be deported right away. This supports the idea that the immigrants be held accountable and responsible for themselves. If they want to stay and enjoy the benefits of our country, then they will need to prove that they can stay. If language is a barrier, then we will need to give them the help they need do this.

Even though “our history and the facts show that immigrants are a net plus for our economy and our society” (Noel Merino/CNN Wire ), some people will not accept this. They will say that illegal aliens are taking away our jobs. They think that “real” Americans are suffering because immigrants are stealing our jobs. However, may illegals are doing low paying work that Americans don’t want to do, like cleaning houses and picking crops and tobacco. These same people are complaining that illegals are taking over our country. I think they forgot that America is a nation of immigrants.

In conclusion, the immigration system needs to be improved in a way that is fair. Fairness means justice, liberty and freedom for immigrants coming to this country.The Statue of Liberty was a present from a France in October 28, 1886. We took the gift and turned into a symbol of freedom so that whoever sees it knows that they are in the land of the free. America is the land of immigrants. Emma Lazarus wrote the poem that is on the base of the Statue of Liberty. It says, “Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” Immigrants deserve a chance to live the American dream. Please give them this chance by repairing our immigration system in a fair and humane way.

From, Marco DeBiasio and Martín Hernandez Vazquez with respect