Persuasive Essay On Illegal Immigration

Over the years there has been much debate about how to handle immigration in the Unites States. In more recent times the debate has focused on one certain area of immigration policy, DACA. DACA is short for deferred Action for childhood arrivals. This particular immigration policy was first implemented into law on June 15, 2012 by President Obama. It allows undocumented people, that came into the United States at a young age, to stay in the county while being protected from deportation at least two years without the renewal of their application. People that are eligible for DACA must have come into the U.S younger than sixteen years old, currently be enrolled in school, and have not committed any felonies. The reason that DACA is extremely important to young illegal immigrants is because the program gives them the opportunity of a higher education, that they may not be able to obtain elsewhere. According to americanprogress.org “as of January 2015, close to 640,000
people had obtained DACA status out of 720,000 applicants.” The reason that DACA has recently been a strongly debated issue is because many people enrolled in the program fear what may happen to their protection from deportation and access to higher learning when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
While campaigning for President, Donald Trump expressed that when he got into office he would stop the DACA program and potentially deport all illegal immigrants.
On Donald Trump’s campaign website, donaldjtrump.com, he points out that he will “immediately terminate President Obama’s two illegal executive amnesties. All immigration laws will be enforced… anyone who enters the US illegally is subject to deportation.” Although, he contradicts himself during an interview, with Time magazine for person of the year, saying “We’re going to work something out that’s going to make people happy and proud.” While this statement may give some people the peace of mind that they will not be deported after all, but for a majority of people it only makes the outcome of their situation less predictable. The anticipation of waiting to find out if you or a loved one is being deported is what is causing fear in many people. Because the future of DACA is so uncertain many people have voiced their own opinions on the
matter.
What should happen to the program is that the people currently on DACA should be placed on a citizenship pathway program, while still being able to attend school and work. After everyone is phased out of DACA, the government needs to make an easier way for people to apply and be accepted into citizenship. Having a faster and easier way of becoming a citizen would create a smaller group of people that desire to come into the country illegally. We should be encouraging of “outsiders” becoming citizens because the United States was founded with the help of immigration. It is only with the proper immigration plans in place and a true desire to want to help others have a more successful future that, in trumps words, we can “make America great again.” There are many interesting points that are brought up during this heavy debate about immigration. Some people would argue to keep DACA because the young children that are being helped by DACA did not choose to illegally come into the Unites States, their parents did. Others argue to keep this immigration policy in place because giving immigrants an education can benefit the U.S, and out of all the arguments the most humane is that the United States is the only home that the young immigrants know of.
Although it is true that these young immigrants didn’t decide for themselves to illegally come into the United Sates, their parents still knew what the consequences were when they decided to bring their children. After all, the parents and the children came into the country illegally. The responsibility of going through the citizenship process in a legal manner now falls on the young immigrants whether they like it or not. It is unfair for the legal citizens of the United States to have to sit idly by and watch their government take care of people that aren’t even citizens of the country. The government should make it easier to grant citizenship to people so that when helping them it is seen in a more respectable way. There is nothing wrong with the government trying to help people reach a more successful future, but they should be putting the effort and resources in to actual citizens.
Giving immigrants education and access to create a better future for themselves may benefit the United States in the long run, but does the country really need it? It is true that the young immigrants can eventually become an asset to the country, but in all honesty the United States is not in a short supply of hard working and smart people. There is already enough competition when it comes to citizens competing to get jobs. The truth is, is that adding more people into the job market mix and potential competitors for college acceptances is not needed. When there are already U.S citizens that can’t find jobs or get into certain schools, why would the government give the same opportunity to illegal immigrants? The addition of illegal immigrants into the pool of competing citizens is not needed or wanted in some cases.
The US government is putting in a lot of resources into making the young immigrants become assets in the future. The immigrants that are currently enrolled in DACA are given access, in California, to apply for Cal-grants. This means that the immigrants that came into the country illegally are potentially taking away money, that is used to help people pay for their higher education, from citizens. The money that is given out through Cal-grants is tax payers dollars, which the illegal immigrants don’t contribute to. When Cal-grants go to illegal immigrants it forces citizens to have to pay for college through loans or out of pocket savings, which can place people in debt.
The fact that the United States may be considered the home to many of the young immigrants is very plausible. Taking people away potentially from the only home they have ever known is not only wrong but in some cases inhumane. That is the reason why the government should make the Unites States the official home of the immigrants in the DACA program. Putting the people in DACA on a pathway to citizenship is the first step to making the US the actually home to them. The next step has to be making it easier to become a citizen for all immigrants, not just the ones in the DACA program. It is okay for the United States to be home to immigrants as long as it is done legally.
A big reason that the DACA program should be phased out is because it encourages more illegal immigration. If immigrants know that they will be taken care of if they come into the United States at a young age, then it will promote them coming in illegally rather than trying to become citizens. The DACA program gives parents a big incentive to bring their kids into the country, because they know that if they do then their children will have the opportunity to create a better future for themselves. Giving kids a better chance at becoming successful is a good thing if and only if it is done legally. If becoming a citizen is easier in the future than it is today than immigrants will be more likely to come into the country in a legal manner. As of today there is a bigger incentive for people to come into the country illegally rather than in a legal fashion. The United States government cannot keep supporting more illegal immigrants without them trying to become legal citizens.
Many people have differing views and ideas on what to do with the DACA program. I believe that the program should be phased out when everyone in the program currently is on a pathway to citizenship and there is an easier way for other illegal immigrants, that are not in the program, to be granted their citizenship as well. This is the only far way that will make both sides of the debate happy.