John Harvey
Matt Adams
English 1302 Monday-Wednesday: 8:00-9:00 pm
24 November 2014
United States of America and immigrants America is home to many immigrants from all over the world. However, majority of undocumented immigrants are uneducated and lack the standard skills needed. Therefore based on this knowledge, the U.S should open up its border to allow for more skilled and educated immigrants to benefit the country and its hard working citizens. Immigrants founded the United States and this “melting pot” of ethnicities makes us unique in this world. Carrying on the legacy of our founding fathers, immigration is always going to be present. In this modern economy however, immigration is crucial due to the world stage and the presence that the U.S has to impose and immigration laws are set so that we are protected physically, financially and ethnically. The impact of undocumented immigrants is enormous due to the fact that their contribution to the country is not tangible. While everyone else pay their taxes, they do not and that ultimately affects everyone. There is also the concern of terrorist threat to this country since if we can’t account for the population that can leave us with a massive security breach which can make us vulnerable to attacks. There are multiple resources and aid available for such population to attain their citizenship and produce effective change in this country by participating and contributing. One way that an illegal immigrant can contribute to this country is by military service. Since this country had been at war for the last decade, there is a need for service members and by enlisting, there’s proof that you do want to belong to this society and culture. That also has its perks, as it will allow the immigrant expedited service to attain citizenship and be a productive member of society. Even though there is a risk for someone to infiltrate our military just to obtain their papers. The majority of the group is hardworking honest citizens that want to better their lives. The risk and the benefit should be weighed to evaluate the outcome of this method. It is believed if someone wants to defend the U.S even if they are not citizens, which can pass as a character statement. Another aspect of immigration is the reform of immigration laws. The process to obtain citizenship is tedious. Streamlining this process should provide the incentive to all the illegal immigrants to achieve citizenship without fear of retribution. There are laws nowadays that are doing that “as long as the immigrant pay their back taxes and go through the proper legal pathway to obtain their citizenship”. (William Galston, Immigration policy issue, and controversies, Alabama Law Passes 2013, 5; 3, 16.) That also can present with security flaws as that can make the USA as an easier target. One solution to that would be to strengthen our borders and ensure that the

immigrants are processed as efficiently as possible. That can eventually lead to having higher skilled and higher educated citizens which will in turn boost up the economy, and strengthen the USA’s position in the world market. Even though “we are a first world country, unfortunately we rank pretty low on the education ranking”. (Avlon John. “Obama’s 2013 State of the Union, and the immigration reform moment. “Daily Beast, February 13, 2013). There are majority of immigrants who earn their degree and get a quality education in the USA only to go back to their home country even if they want to stay in the USA, and contribute here. That problem should be addressed so that students can stay in the USA, and better this country. There are many immigrants throughout our history that has proven their worth to this country with countless advancements in science and technology. One prime example is albert Einstein, who eventually lead to nuclear power. The list is endless but the most notable are: Nikolai Tesla, Joseph Pulitzer, etc. Another famous