Path to US Citizenship for Illegals?

Illegal immigration has become an dangerous situation in the US. It is estimated that there are 13 million illegals. These figures are only going to get worse as children of illegals become U.S. citizens and put a further drain on social security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other entitlement programs. Many solutions have been proposed on how to limit the growth rate of illegals and what has to be done about the millions of illegals who are already in the country. Solutions include deportation, building a U.S.-Mexico border fence and increasing the levels of legal immigration.

FOR

As described on the Statue of Liberty, the foundation of the US is immigration. Illegals are forced to be in the shadows of society without any window to citizenship. Legalizing them will generate additional tax revenues from both US employers and the foreign national employees as jobs come into the open. Illegals fear to be a part of the American Justice system because of possible deportation. Another important factor is creating an inhumane situation as its breaks up families that have built a life in the US. The US economy will get a boost as foreign nationals can fill jobs that most Americans don’t want, and that too at a much lower cost to businesses. All the resources used the Homeland Security focusing on illegals can now be directed towards tracking and finding terrorists. At present, the legal immigration path to citizenship involves high costs, time-consuming, inefficient, and limited. Therefore many take the illegal route. There are endless opportunities to be wealthy, educated, and successful in the US.

AGAINST

Paving a path to citizenship would mean rewarding foreign nationals for breaking the law. It would surely not go well the people who have taken the legal route in their quest for citizenship. Not to mention leading to a flood of illegals from everywhere who will try to get in before the law comes into effect. Legalizing will add millions of foreign nationals to the welfare rolls, who use government resources such as health care, social security, and education while paying little or no taxes at all further pushing the government deficits close to bankruptcy. The US is called the great “melting pot” because earlier immigrants adopted the American culture and learned the English language. Now many schools teach in both English and Spanish and millions of jobs go to people who can’t speak English. So American Culture will be deeply disturbed. Jobs from American citizens would be taken by foreign nationals and it would also result in lowering the wages of remaining jobs. Politically, it will result in a significant influx of voters who will surely support the president & lawmakers that gave them citizenship. Not to forget overpopulation and crowding of American cities. Another explosive fact is that terrorists and drug dealers will exploit any amnesty policies. Rather than creating a path to citizenship legal immigration limits can be increased and worker visa programs reformed.