Dear Future President,

Growing up I was told to honor and be proud of my heritage and my race. I did not know how important it was, but as the years have passed by the importance has become greater. One of the issues that has been talked about for a while is deportation of immigrants. I was born here, in the United States, but I come from a family of illegal immigrants; they did eventually get their green card and became a resident, but some families are not as fortunate. Many of the non-citizens have children, and when their parents or families get deported they are torn apart from them. This problem needs to be fixed because not only would it affect the child’s future but also their state of mind.

Every year, nearly 200,000 non-citizens —many with kids who are U.S. citizens— are deported and torn away from their families (familiesforfreedom.org). This results in more single parent households, psychological and financial hardship, or forcing their U.S. citizen children into deportation with them. These American children may have to start over in a country with a new language, fewer resources and an uncertain future. America’s immigration laws force American children to lose their parents, or their country. Mandatory deportation is a life sentence of exile. Such a severe 'one size fits all' punishment cannot be the basis of our immigration system"(ProCon.org). A way that you can fix this issue is by offering them amnesty or a chance to become a United States citizen before deportation. It is easier to deport those who are not willing to try and become a citizen than deporting every illegal citizen. Another way you can fix this issue is by fixing our broken immigration system by checking green cards and if they are already in the United States they should be able to prove that they are no harm and are willing to become a citizen. You should give those who really want to be a citizen a chance to become a citizen the right way.

Immigrants have come to the United States to escape poverty, violence and a corrupt government in hope for a better life, similar to the immigrants that first came to America. Your job, as the President, is to make America an even greater country, and one way you can do that is by fixing the immigration system. You can be one step closer to accomplishing that job because our diversity in this country is what makes us strong. Help save the futures of our children, and help the immigrants that are willing to put an effort to become a nation U.S. citizen.

Sincerely,

Katlyn