Immigration Policy in the USA Essay Example

I think there are parts of immigration that need to be changed, like making it easier for immigrants to enter or become citizens. I think that it should be easier to become a US citizen, in the sense that it costs $725 to apply to become a US citizen. These application fees are nonrefundable, meaning even if they don’t become citizens they still lose a large sum of money to the US, and that can lead to people trying to illegally enter. There’s also the fact that people who enter the country illegally and have a child, the parents will have to make a decision if their children get deported as well, or stay and become an orphan/become a child of a legal guardian. This is a horrible concept to think of, and even more heartbreaking for the many children that have been affected, and this should be stopped. These are some ways I think we could improve America's policies about immigrants.

Let's start off with some problems with the requirements to become a US citizen. You have to, “Be at least 18 years old when they apply, have a lawful permanent resident for the past three or five years, living continuously in the United States, be able to read, write, and speak basic English, demonstrate good moral character, know the US history and government, demonstrate a loyalty to the principles of the US Constitution, and be willing to take the Oath of Allegiance.”, stated in the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website. To start off, why do these people have to understand the history of the US? While this may be slightly beneficial, these people will most likely learn more important information just by living and working in our country, like customs and traditions. Secondly, why do these immigrants have to be able to read, write, and speak basic english. English is a very hard language to learn, and it would be more beneficial to allow them in with a basic understanding, and then provide them with or guide them towards an English tutor. This would allow more immigrants to be able to enter, and for them to be taught proper English in America.

Another problem with immigration in the US is the separation and stress of deportation and ICE raids on illegal immigrants, and how the children of these immigrants are affected.. While there are procedures for these types of cases, like sending the child with the parents, or assigning the kid to a legal guardian. But neither of these is truly right, especially for the children, they did nothing wrong and are essentially either taken from their parents, or go to a new place where they and their parents may be discriminated against. I believe that in the case where illegal immigrants have made a stable living in the US, have a child, and are legally fit as a parent, that they should be allowed to stay in the country, but have to go through the legal process of becoming a US citizen. This allows for many things to come to light; the parents are now legally living in the country, the children get to stay in their country with the parents, and the government no longer has to go through the grueling process of deporting and separating families. The American Immigration Council website supports that deportation and ICE raids are very detrimental to the children of the illegal immigrants. Allowing these children to become contributing members of society will allow our country and our economy to improve, by removing the stress and fear the parents and children have about our country.

Now it's time to face the facts about immigration. There will always be people wanting to enter the US, whether they be legally or illegally, and that’s not a bad thing. Immigrants, legal and illegal, make up a large, very important, part of the US workforce. According to multiple websites like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and American Immigration Council, in 2019 immigrants made up around 17 percent of the US workforce. This is nearly ⅕ of the entire US workforce. In reality, without all these people, our economic infrastructure would most likely collapse in on itself. "If all immigrants were just to disappear from the US workforce tomorrow, that would have a tremendous negative impact on the economy," said Daniel Costa, the director of immigration law and policy research at the Economic Policy Institute said in an abcNEWS article. We need to come to terms with the fact that without the immigrants in the country, and those trying to get in, our country wouldn’t be what it is today, a very diverse place, where everyone can make a life for themselves if they work hard enough.

Within the US there are many problems with immigration. Some examples of these are the requirements to become a citizen legally, how detrimental ICE raids and deportation of families is on these people who have made a new life for themself, and that our great country couldn’t be what it is today without the legal and illegal immigrants. My solutions such as changing the requirements, making it easier to enter the US, as well as stopping the deportation of illegal immigrants with kids, but rather giving them the chance to become legal citizens. Finally, facing the facts that without immigrants, we would never be able to support the amazing country we have today. There are many different ways to improve upon immigration policies, and I have only just scraped the tip of the iceberg with what could be done. I wanted to raise some ideas and questions for others, so I ask you now, what do you think could be done to improve immigration.