Amanda Leslie
America prides itself on being a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities, but what use is that pride if 11 million of the people living here are hiding in the shadows?
On Nov. 20, President Barack Obama announced his intentions to fix facets of America’s immigration system.
The four principles of his proposal are simple. His plan focuses on making the immigration system stronger, and making it easier for undocumented people to become legal citizens.
Obama’s plan includes measures to ensure that families are not separated through deportation, which will be an incredible benefit. Even if they are here illegally, it’s a terrible thing when families are broken apart.
Additionally, Obama wants to take action to make border security stronger, which would benefit border towns and cut down on crimes like human trafficking and drug smuggling.
And since America is a fairly money-geared society, research shows that the economy will benefit from action as well.
The Center for American Progress has demonstrated that with the temporary work permits, payroll tax revenues would increase by $6.08 billion in the first year. People tend to like more money, so this has to be a plus.
Furthermore, upwards of 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children, and according to the Partnership for a New American Economy, those companies employ 10 million people worldwide and bring in 4.2 trillion dollars yearly. Again, tell me why money and employment are bad things?
Another important thing to remember is that the majority of America is home to people who are essentially immigrants, or can trace their ancestry back to places other than here. Your grandparents came here from Russia? They were immigrants too, and wouldn’t you want the best for them?
People may find fault in the fact that Obama is letting numerous illegal immigrants become legal, but if they’re already living here and working here, why shouldn’t they be able to do it legally?
He isn’t just handing out citizenship like Oprah, (“YOU get citizenship, YOU get citizenship, EVERYBODY gets citizenship!”) they still have to earn it, and they still have to meet the qualifications.
Obama is simply making the process of immigration more organized and more streamlined. He wants to improve border security, stop employers from hiring undocumented people, and benefit the economy as a side effect of these actions.
Maybe it’s finally time for some of the 11 million people to step out of the shadows.
