Dear Future President,

Illegal immigration is one of the most controversial topics in the U.S. today. However, you being the president, are presumably very well aware of this. We currently have 11.7 million illegal immigrants in this country. Frankly, something needs to be done about it.

Illegal immigration is a big problem in our country today. According to Fox news, "Statistics show the estimated 11.7 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. account for 13.6 percent of all offenders sentenced for crimes committed in the U.S. Twelve percent of murder sentences, 20 percent of kidnapping sentences and 16 percent of drug trafficking sentences are meted out to illegal immigrants." This is certainly not a good thing. An info graphic on Behance.net made by Eric Thompson states that 29% of inmates in federal and state prisons are illegal immigrants, a cost of $1.6 billion annually. Not only do illegal immigrants bring a lot of crime to the U.S., but because they enter the U.S. unchecked, there is great potential for deadly diseases as well. So as can be seen, illegal immigration is a really big problem.

So we need to build a giant wall, deport all the illegals, and totally exclude ourselves from Mexico, right? Well yes and no. As shown by Eric Thompson's info graphic, Mexico only accounts for 62% of illegal immigrants in the U.S.. So while they are the biggest contributor, they aren't the only contributor. A wall between the U.S. and Mexico will only stop 62% of illegal immigration at best.

To fully understand illegal immigration, one needs to look at why people even do it in the first place. According to the documentary Immigrant A Short Documentary, many people who immigrate to the U.S., come "Not to steal. Not to harm my neighbor but to work". America has always been the land of opportunity, and it still is today. Just like during the industrial revolution, people want to come to the U.S. to get a better life, not cause trouble. However, over the years, legal immigration to the U.S. has gotten so complicated and difficult, that it is a lot easier for people to come here illegally rather than legally . However, when people come here illegally, they receive no background checks or medical exams, which leads to the problems facing our country today.

To truly resolve the problems of illegal immigration, we need to make it easier to get in and out of our country, not harder. That way people will come here legally instead of illegally. Just like on Ellis Island during the industrial revolution, we can have background tests, medical exams, and similar to make sure everyone entering our country will not be a threat. If someone doesn't pass a test, we should try to the best of our ability to help them and if all else fails, turn them away. However just because they immigrated here, doesn't mean they should get automatic citizenship. They should still have to work for that. This is the best way to tackle illegal immigration.

Sincerely,

Peter S