Samantha Wix
Our Lady of the Lake University
According to President Obama (2014), “If we are serious about economic growth, it is time to heed the call of business leaders, labor leaders, faith leaders, and law enforcement- and fix our broken immigration system. Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have acted. I know that members of both parties in the House want to do the same” (President Obama, 2014). The United States of American has long been the safe haven for those who seek to escape poverty, hunger, torture, and oppression in their home countries. According to the film, The Other Side of Immigration (2009), in 1970, the United States housed 750,000 immigrants and as of 2009, there are roughly 12.4 million (Germano, 2009). The amount of illegal immigration into the United States is only going to continue to grow. Unfortunately, many Americans view immigrants as being a negative impact to this country. I believe that this is because most Americans do not completely understand the reasons for illegal travels in to the United States. As stated above in the quote by President Obama, immigration reform is ideal for the United States. Mainly because we are the land of opportunities and the land of free, but also because it will boost our sinking economy and shrink our enormous budget deficit. In the book Enrique’s Journey, written by Sonia Nazario, readers are able to experience the life of a determined young man, Enrique, who travels from his home country of Honduras to the United States of America to meet his mother who left him at the age of four. The reasons are numerous when it comes to immigrants wanting to enter America. The most common example is to gain employment and to then send that money home to support their families. According to Sonia Nazario (2007), "The single mothers who are coming to this country, and the children who follow them, are changing the face of immigration to the United
References: Cancian, M. (2009). Changing Poverty, Changing Policies. Russel Sage Foundation Publications. Gamble, D. N., & Soska, T. M. (2013). Macro Practice Competenicies. Encyclopedia of Social Work Online. doi:10.1093 Germano, R. (Director). (2009). The Other Side of Immigration [Motion Picture]. International Fund for Agricultural Development. (2010). Retrieved from Rural Poverty Portal: http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/honduras Nazario, S. (2007). Enrique 's Journey. Random House Trade Paperbacks. Obama, B. (2014). State of the Union Address. Washington D.C., United States of America.