Immigration Debate Essay

Submitted By Rodriguezedwin1
Words: 698
Pages: 3

“Every man has the right to decide his own future.” –Bob Marley. There is nearly 14 million illegal immigrants living in the shadows of the United States; and each year thousands of them are deported back to their countries with nothing but crushed dreams bearing down on them and their families. A path to citizenship should be given to immigrants so they can be reunited with their families, make a better future for themselves and to help in improving this country.
One reason immigrants should be given a path to citizenship is because each year thousands even millions of families are separated and face big obstacles to become reunited with each other and an estimated 5,100 children are left in foster homes because their parents were deported. An article from the Huffington Post’s “Latino Voices” states, “After parents are deported, the researchers found out that families remain separated for long periods with child welfare agencies and juvenile courts often moving to terminate the parental rights of deported immigrants.” Imagine parents being taken from their children and having them put up for adoption and they can’t do anything about it because ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) threw them into another country; this is what these immigrant families face and should be given a chance to become citizens and reunite with their families. Huffington Post’s “Latino Voices” also states, “researchers concluded that controversial federal programs such as secure communities, which allows federal authorities to scan fingerprints of those arrested by local police in order to detect undocumented immigrants.” This means that on top of the already tremendous number of families being separated, even more families will be separated with these federal programs in place. Every child has the right to be with their parent regardless of their immigration status. Another reasons why immigrants should be granted citizenship is because they came here to make a better life for themselves and achieve the “American dream”. Cummins, John S’s “Naturalization and Birthright Citizenship Should Be Encouraged” states, “Trough Naturalization the immigrant is transformed from an “alien” into an American; no longer the stranger, but now an esteemed family member free to assert all the rights and bear all the responsibilities of American citizenship.” Instead of pushing them away and crushing their dreams the U.S. should help them in any way shape or form. An immigration reform would help millions of undocumented immigrants come out of the shadows and start businesses, educate themselves and make a better future for themselves and for their families. Finally giving immigrants a path to citizenship will would have a tremendous impact on the US economy and could