Jose M. Peralta
American Military University
Introduction
Inscribed on a bronze plaque of the Statue of Liberty is the poem The New Colossus by Ezra Lazarus. In the poem the poet states “…Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” (Lazarus, n.d.) But since the events of September 11, 2001, immigration reform has stood in the forefront of United States political and social topics.
As the federal government, state governments and Hispanic advocacy groups for and against illegal immigrants battle over immigration reform, illegal immigrants, specifically Hispanics in this study, are entering the US through unsecured borders. Many come with good intentions, but the ones that come and do harm and injustice are giving all illegal immigrants a bad name. Murderers, drug pushers, and possibly terrorists may have crossed the borders unknown to those who are there to protect the country.
Reinforcing the borders, establishing clear immigration and deportation policies and doing something with those who are already illegally here but are law abiding citizens is the aim for the new immigration policy. Eric Garland (2007) stated “The United States, as a cultural laboratory, could lead the world in learning to manage immigration and meet the challenge of integrating many nationalities.” Instead of bickering on what should be done, congressional and senate leaders need to get the job done and come up with a comprehensive, flexible and workable reform to immigration.
Statement of the Problem
On September 11, 2001, the world watched in horror as the United States of America was attacked by Al Qaeda and the World Trade Center in New York City fell to the ground. This day lives in infamy for the savagery of the attacks on innocent citizens, but it also raised a