Dear Future President,

As soon as you step into the Oval Office as the official President of the United States, you will be slammed with tons of problems that need to be solved. Prioritizing this to-do list is extremely difficult; therefore I will inform you on the situation that should be at the top of your list: the immigration of refugees into the U.S.

Millions of refugees flood to the United States in search of a better life, away from their oppressive, autocratic nations that drove them to poverty and violence. Unfair treatment of civilians occurs every day in these violent countries, especially Syria, where the civil war transformed this prosperous country into a bloodbath. Men, women, and children are beaten and tortured by their own military who is supposed to be protecting them. As this suffering increases, we see an escalation in the number of refugees entering the United States.

It is commendable that our nation is allowing these immigrants into our home. However, there are many downfalls. While the flocks of immigrants enter the U.S., many believe that terrorists and other radicals may slip through the system, thus endangering the lives of many. Many call into question if the risk is too big. Will our nation collapse because we are letting in criminals who want to destroy our home? Not only is safety an issue, but also the availability of jobs. Numerous refugees do not have the skills required to complete jobs. Thus, the government allows them to use up our resources without giving back to the country and allowing the cycle of taking and providing to run smoothly.

It is vital that you address this issue when you become president and try to find a way in which both the citizens and the immigrants benefit. One way to ensure this would be to clearly identify who is qualified to come into the country. Some qualifications could include meeting the definition of a “refugee”, having no criminal record, and posing no threat to the United States. By doing this, the requirements to enter will become more stringent and allow as many refugees as possible who are in desperate need for help to receive it. Also, the government should ensure that these immigrants are not just taking up space and are actually working hard to be successful in this country. With the rising debt, our nation cannot afford any economic drops, and should instead, thrive with a bigger labor force.

I believe that it is very possible that all of these modifications can be accomplished once you step into office. The controversy of what to do with the increase of immigrants is going nowhere, so it is fundamental that the president takes the initiative and does something about this dilemma. Recent studies show that the Obama administration proposed to significantly increase the number of refugees the United States accepts each year: from 70,000 in FY 2015 to 85,000 in FY 2016 and 100,000 in FY 2017. They also are looking to scale up the number of Syrian refugees admitted to at least 10,000 for the current fiscal year, which began October 1. Hopefully, using new regulations when refugees request to live in our country, the crisis will be eliminated.

It is important that as a free, democratic nation, not only should we look out for our citizens, but also assist these people in suffering to find a better life. They don’t call it the ‘American dream’ for nothing.

Sincerely,

Eliana D’Oca