Illegal Immigration Editorial

Immigrants seeking refuge from impoverished countries aren't given the chance to enter the United States legally in an easy, cheap, or effective way, leaving them to either enter illegally or face extreme poverty in their homeland. Policies regarding alien rights should be reformed to make legal immigration more accessible, instead of punishing those who seek a better life.

If alienization policies were changed, The US would experience a tremendous brain gain, because although immigrants are usually escaping countries of low literacy and high poverty rates, they bring to America a strong motivation for hard-work and success. If immigrants were allowed the same job and education opportunities as natural-born citizens, they could contribute more successfully to our economy than they already do.

Another important point is that illegal immigration would be less common, which would help ease overcrowding in jails and crime rates. If immigrants are treated like citizens instead of criminals, they will be less likely to commit unlawfal acts out of necessity for survival. Undocumented immigrant workers in the United States make up 5.1 percent of our total labor force, according to the Pew Research Center.

Countless industries rely solely on illegal immigrants who will work for under minimum wage and in unsafe conditions. For example, many fruit and vegetable picking farms as well as construction sites are manned by Mexican illegal immigrants in desperate need of a job. These jobs require long hours, difficult work conditions, and low pay. Making the alienization process easier would exploit these unfair businesses and allow immigrants to become educated in more advanced areas of work. Anti-immigration advocates argue that illegal immigrants are stealing American jobs, but what they don't realize is that the jobs aliens employ are undesired by US citizens. Even those in low income sectors in the US aren't forced to work the nearly as degrading jobs as those illegal immigrants must to survive. These fallacies are based on ignorant judgement and incomplete understanding for the entirety of this issue.

While measures such as minutemen patroling and a stronger enforcement of alienization laws have been put into place to regulate illegal immigration, no laws have been revised to make legal immigration easier and less incriminating. By putting forth reforms such as a smoother application and legalization process, immigrants will be able to enter legally. Specific examples include immigrants providing a short description of what skills/abilities they are bringing to the US, and how they individually can contribute to our economy and national identity. Instead of requiring immigrants to pay unrealistic fees and wait for years to get approved, naturalization should be a smooth process that will encourage immigrants to cross the border legally.