Dear Future President,

In this election there are numerous opportunities where both children and adults are being exposed to the hateful language and horrific comments concerning illegal immigrants. These same illegal immigrants have been accused of bringing drugs, rape, and crime into our country which supposedly is accepting towards people from all backgrounds, and provides equal opportunity for all. There have been several situations in which illegal immigrants are denied certain opportunities to prosper, or the chance to receive benefits such as healthcare solely because they aren’t “qualified”. How do we make them qualified? How do we make the chance of deportation and imprisonment of innocent people decrease?

With a complex problem like this one, there isn’t solely one solution and it isn’t quite easy to resolve. An economic and a humanitarian crisis such as the deportation of illegal immigrants requires listening to their voice and what they have to contribute. Several innocent families have been separated due to laws such as the three to ten year bar policies. We have to recognize how these laws are impacting families for the worse, and how we should treat them equally- not as “aliens” or outsiders. Immigrants come here due to the lack of a future in their countries. As stated on NBC News, they risk their lives crossing the borders, where many die of dehydration and lack of nutrition. They come to a country where they don’t understand the language or customs. Most importantly, they come here knowing it can be a long time without seeing their mothers and fathers, and knowing they have to start from scratch. They are exposed to long days of hard and laborious work, with little reward in return. It’s vital that as American citizens we try to put ourselves in their shoes, bring ourselves in their positions, and witness how demanding it is to live in a country where laws can restrict you from prospering.

As an illegal immigrant you can be denied several opportunities, such as affordable health care, and the ability to apply for certain jobs.  Ultimately, we need to create laws that allow immigrants more options for work, and the ability to purchase affordable health care. So far, we have made progress in allowing immigrants who've the country before their 16th birthday to receive a work permit by creating a policy called DACA. However, our borders still remain a severe issue. As mentioned on Detention Watch Network, 200 immigration centers in our country detain a grand total of 441,000 immigrants, many of whom have attempted to cross this border. At these immigration centers, people are denied access to adequate health care, legal council, and family contact. We should refocus the millions of dollars we are contributing to the detainment of illegal immigrants, but rather let them make the decision to return to their countries, and use this money to create new solutions into making illegal immigrants who already reside here or are employed here into legal citizens.

As President you have to be able to acknowledge what is and isn’t working in our immigration policy, and how we should refocus our money into making it easier for them to become citizens. There has to be an effective solution in order to pave the way to citizenship for 12 million illegal immigrants who are deserving of it. We have to rethink several things, such as why we are detaining mothers and children simply seeking a better life. I hope that as President, you will take this letter into consideration and create a better future for millions of people who seek more opportunities.

Sincerely,

                    Allie McCllenan