Dear Future President,

Please take the following into account as you execute new laws and policies in your term.

One issue that has been disputed and debated over in the past 4 years as well as during this election, is how to deal with illegal immigration and immigration policies. It is important that as one of the superpowers of the modern world, economically and politically, that the U.S lend a hand to those who come from far less fortunate countries. It is understandable that people would be uninterested in allowing illegal immigrants to stay when other immigrants patiently waiting to be given a green card. Also, many Americans think of the immigrants who come illegally as primarily criminals, who a parts of gangs and bring with them drugs and crime.

However, study upon study has shown that the majority of illegal immigrants are actually less prone to commit crime than the average American, because they are so concerned about being able to make a living and support their family that they wouldn’t dare step outside of the law once they are in the country (Philip Bump, washingtonpost.com). One study done by the Washington Post says that 18% of illegal immigrants (16 highest percent) commit crimes compared to the 25% of native born (the highest percent) who commit crime (Philip Bump, washingtonpost.com). This shows that immigrants are actually less likely to commit crimes and therefore less likely to cause problems in society.

Another aspect of the immigration debate is that the illegal immigrants are stealing American jobs, and taking away opportunities that otherwise would have been available to American citizens. However, this is not true, as the jobs illegal immigrants are taking are the ones that Americans don’t want. Think of it this way, why would someone already struggling in life break the law to come into another country? The answer is that the illegal immigrants come over for a new life and new opportunity as better paying wages; most don’t have the skills or education to take a higher paying or white collar job. Americans on the other hand are forced to get an education, and are drilled from as soon as they know what a salary is until they get a job that $30,000 a year is a very low salary, whereas an immigrant from Mexico might have been earning anything from $3,600 a year to $24,000, the latter being for an airline pilot (World Salaries, worldsalaries.org). So a 60 hour a week job paying minimum wage in the U.S at $7.25 an hour compared to the standard $4.35 a day in Mexico would be a huge upgrade (Christopher Wood, BusinessInsider.com).

Although deporting illegal immigrants as a response to their unlawful immigration is an ineffective and unethical reaction, we should not welcome them in full with open arms. It is important that we help provide them with an opportunity for legal residence in the U.S and eventually citizenship, and that we do several background checks and other forms of precautions to make sure that the few criminals amongst these groups do not go unnoticed. One way to make sure likely criminals are not getting into our country would be to put an ankle monitor on them and do occasional drug tests for their first few months.

Overall, I think we as a prominent and powerful country must morally and practically deal with illegal immigrants fleeing a far less fortunate background and environment than the majority of Americans.

Sincerely,

Javier