Dear Future President,

I am a junior in high school and I am writing this letter to you to bring to your attention to various aspects of immigration. We are a country made up of immigrants, most Americans have European heritage. So the government should not be so quick to make harsh immigration regulations and laws. The president needs to see all of its people’s perspectives before making changes that will heavily impact their citizens’ lives for better or worse.

Many people in the past, including many of our ancestors, came to America in pursuit of the American dream. For example, from 1845 to 1849 there was a potato famine in Ireland. As Britannica, a general knowledge encyclopedia states, “Ireland’s population of almost 8.4 million in 1844 had fallen to 6.6 million by 1851.” Since the Irish government did not effectively solve this problem, Irish people immigrated to America, to a land that would provide them and their families with a better life. As in the past, many other countries still face many challenges, like lack of jobs or high crime rates, that cause immigrants to want to leave their native country. Consequently, we should not make coming to America extremely difficult for people seeking to live in the wonderful country that is America.

In addition, American children are negatively impacted by strict immigration laws. The academic journal by the Urban Institute, a research facility in Washington D.C. funded by government contracts, states that approximately “5.5 million” American children have undocumented parents. Because of this they “live with the fear that their parents might be arrested, detained, or deported.” The government should not work against the happiness of its young citizens. The separation of these children from their parents “[poses] serious risks to children’s immediate safety, economic security, well-being, and longer- term development.” The government’s job is to work for the well-being of all of its citizens, not put them in danger or lower their quality of life.

Therefore, in response to immigration, the U.S. should have a more strongly guarded border to decrease the amount of illegal immigrants that come into our country. But we should not be put off by the bad things that a few of many immigrants have done, not unfairly clump a whole ethnic group together. We should work to stop illegal immigrants from entering our country, but not excessively limit the amount of legal immigrants that can enter and share in the same opportunities that our ancestors had.

Sincerely,

Sarah L.