Day 6 - Our Government's Plans for the Naturalization Process & My Personal Solution

Overall, President Obama plans to continue on a $1.1 billion dollar program begun by President Bush whose purpose is to review the immigration status of everybody who is currently in a local jail until 2013. Furthermore, any illegal immigrants caught on the American-Mexican border crossing illegally will be charged and sent to jail. Along the border, Obama also plans to install an $8 billion dollar fence including the latest technology using sensors and cameras that will assist Border Control in catching and arresting illegal immigrants. Last year, President Bush was successful in deporting almost 400,000 immigrants utilizing almost the same regulations.

However, rather than cracking down on the hard-working illegal immigrants who are already here, Obama will propose a bill that is intended to grant citizenship to them as long as they learn the English language, pay a fine, and then get in line for citizenship. Obama’s plans are mainly going to be directed towards illegal immigrants who repeatedly violate the law, have suspicious records, and those who are involved with smuggling and other risky behavior that puts America at risk for an increase in crime. The illegal immigrants who are suspected to be threatening the safety and well-being of our country will be targeted first, by 67 state/local agencies activated by the government to do so. As an attempt to appeal to both sides of the argument on illegal immigration as well as the majority of the Hispanic population who favor keeping illegal aliens here, Obama plans to deport all illegal criminals, ease the naturalization process for those who are currently in the US, and strengthen border control. The reason why our president has decided to almost grant amnesty to the people already here is because, “It’s a mistake to understand immigrants as a drain on the economy. Immigrants in fact are the engine of development in this country and always have been,” said Barack Obama.

From my understanding, The fact that immigrants have been greatly beneficial to our economy means that targeting those who are working and living without violating the law (other than actually coming to the US illegally) would just lose America thousands of jobs and decrease the amount of taxes (almost 6 billion dollars worth) of taxes that go to the IRS from these immigrants as well as completely terminating companies who have relied on the work of illegal immigrants over the years to operate. With this I completely agree with the government’s plans:

1. Deport all illegal immigrants that have been recorded as criminals/those who do not seem to have good moral standards.
2. Keep all working illegal immigrants in the US here without deportation, however register them for citizenship, collect fines, and assist them in learning English.
3. Strengthen border control from any further illegal immigrants escaping Mexico into America.

In order for this to actually happen, Congress needs to approve of Obama’s proposition to allow this to happen. This is a decision that will affect each and every single American – financially and business-wise for most. By basically granting amnesty to the people already here, more families will have the opportunity to live with much better conditions than trying to keep from being caught by the United States government and forced into deportation. Families will be kept together, the economy will not be harmed in any way, and more people will be free to try to live the American Dream.

Still, the government needs to reform the naturalization process for needy immigrants who have not crossed the border illegally. It is true that it is unfair for those who are already here to stay while those who are in their country of origins who have not crossed the border to wait, but it is also more logical to assist the greatest amount of people possible in being able to access free education, good health care, etc. as well. As for those who have to wait, the government should find a way in somehow making the naturalization process much shorter so that people do not have to literally wait up to 10 years to know if they are able to become citizens of this country or not. The amount of people filing for citizenship is at its thousands. To shorten the process, the United States government should have a zero-tolerance law on allowing anybody in the country whose records are nothing but good. For instance, anybody filing for citizenship with a disreputable history or criminal record should not under any circumstances be allowed to live in the US.

As for those who disagree with keeping illegal immigrants here, it would overall, be better for the country as a whole if these immigrants stayed anyway. It is true that immigration has caused a split in races among many parts of American society, however America has always been considered the melting pot for people around the world for the past 200 years. It is true that every single American person in this country is an immigrant. Therefore, how can you deny immigrants the right to come to the US when all Americans are immigrants themselves? Why would you deny others the same opportunities your ancestors where given? That is simply hypocritical and harsh.

That also goes along with the 30 Days documentary featured towards the bottom of the page. Frank, a minuteman, does not realize how much these people are entitled to earning a better life for themselves until he has to face their struggles as well. Americans who are strongly opposed to Obama’s plans simply because they do not want these immigrants in our country need to learn how to be more open-minded towards this society of people who are only looking for a better way of life.

For more information on Obama’s plans for illegal immigration in the United States, please refer to articles from both CNN and The Washington Post.