Justification for Illegal Immigration

"With liberty and justice for all," is the world-renown slogan for which people go to the USA to live. Nowadays, liberty doesn't seem to be for all, especially with the rising controversy of illegal immigrants. If our country's economy is booming with them, then why make laws to deport them back to where they came from? They take up the tedious, physically challenging jobs that white Americans do not want to do, such as agriculture, construction, landscaping, etc. If you had Americans filling those jobs, they would demand higher pay, as illegal immigrants work underpaid at these places, subsequently causing the prices of food and homes to go up. Deporting them is simply ridiculous.

People from Third-World Latin American countries struggle daily with money because simply, they do not get paid enough to cover their necessities such as food and clothing (which is very expensive). They deal with insecurity in the streets and corrupted governments that do not do anything to help get the country functioning, somewhere where nobody would want to raise their children. So they turn to America, apply for a tourist visa, take all their belongings on the plane, and stay until their visa expires. The alternative for the lower class which cannot be granted visa as they do not own property is to simply jump the border.

The reason they do not apply for a legal "permanent stay" visa, is because it would take forever, for example: you would have to wait up to 23 years in the Philippines if you wanted to legally move to America. In contrast, tourist visas are given out about 3 months to a year after application.

On May 1^st, 2006 when it was the day without immigrants, political figures across America speculated that illegal immigrants were taking the jobs of legal, white Americans since they are willing to work for lower wages. They do this because where they are coming from, what they make with that low wage monthly is what they would make in six months back at home. "The Pew Hispanic Center found no evidence that increases in immigration led to higher unemployment among Americans, said Rakesh Kochhar, who authored the study." As seen by the even of May First, illegal immigrants are a critical part of American industry since many agricultural industries were shut down, a handful of restaurants across the US had to close due to a worker shortage, and many Tyson food processing plants closed and lost millions in daily gains. Work at construction sites ceased as well, halting building on homes for a day, causing the building company's to loose a whole day of progress, which is a big toll.

Much of the opposition created by illegal immigrants are xenophobes who do not want to negotiate, but just send them back. In a rally against illegal immigration formed by bikers spreading their news from Denver to Washington, a man named Frosty Wooldridge stated, "If we do not put a stop to illegal immigration and limit legal immigration, we're turning America into a Third-World country." Ignorant people want to "purify" America, which is impossible since we are already the melting pot of the world. Illegal immigrants are just struggling for a better life, one that we take for granted in America because we have never known different. They have not killed anybody, stolen anything, and therefore do not deserve to be called felons.

Immigration reform could make it easier and quicker to get into America. "By passing comprehensive reform, we will uphold our laws, meet the needs of our economy and keep America what she has always been - an open door to the future, a blessed and promised land, one nation under God," Bush said Sunday, August 5^th. Granting amnesty would relieve illegal immigrants who had no other choice but to be illegal. They could relax and no longer fear ICE raids at their local ethnic supermarket and being deported.

The road to America is difficult and endless, and in the midst of desperation, people do anything to cross that border, or get on that plane or boat. Waiting time to legally get in is eternal, and almost always people take shortcuts because they simply do not want to spend another day living the hardships present in Third-World countries. Everyone deserves a chance, and letting illegal immigrants stay would brighten up so many lives, of children, elders, and hard-working people, giving them an optimistic future.