About 320 million “aliens” currently reside in the United States (US Census). They are everywhere. Around the corners, driving, attending universities, working, and even roaming the halls of the White House. These “aliens” have made the United States States their homeland since the 18th century and have paradoxically created a “land of the free”. By the turn of the 21st century, immigration became a crucial issue in American politics. In 2001, the Unites States border patrol was reinforced and deportation rates increased by the year. In 2010, President Obama signed Differed Action for Childhood Arrivals, and in 2014, he signed another deportation waiver for American citizens’ parents. Immigration is the issue we all see and fail to accept: it is the issue that can be solved through amnesty potentially creating great economical input and adding to the cultural diversity the United States posses. Democrats fight for immigration stability and uphold the financial uplift an amnesty will create in the country. Republicans, on their side, counter argue the fiscal burden of supporting the new American citizens fearfully watching how their nation’s purity diminishes by the daily influence of many different cultures migrating.
Ed Butowsky, owner of a private investment and financial advisory firm for wealthy individuals, noticeable economics critic , and political extremist, recently spoke out against amnesty and its cost to the Unites States. Butowsky blames the 5 million immigrants who qualify for amnesty, under certain restrictions, for $70 billion of our current national deficit. He calculated a $24,000 individual immigrant cost with a minimal $10,000 contribution each. He argue that amnesty will not fix the problem of immigration because it is so much more expensive to have this population legalized in the country and having to pay a quote for them adding up to our already $18 trillion national debt (Ed Butowsky, “We cannot afford amnesty for illegal immigrants” ).
However, immigrants under amnesty will be tracked down. They will be taken into account during yearly revenue calculations and pay more taxes than what they already do. More of these immigrants will be able to build credit and buy houses adding to tax paying revenues and diminishing the current housing crisis. Illegal immigrants will be able to pay any amount of money they previously owe to the country because all their debts will show up when applying for legalization. Applicants will also pay processing fees if amnesty was to be granted. Those who qualify will pay for immigration processes, including fingerprints and paper work, lawyer services to safely file for benefits, and any other additional requirements to prove their legitimacy as a resident in the country. Now multiply that by three, four, five, or even six family members in just one household in the nation.
Immigration has a solution and we all know it. It is time to give illegal immigrants the opportunity to strive for a better life. Americans must leave aside the wrong connotations that the word “immigrant” or “alien” contain. They should not be afraid of others not looking or acting like thems because this country is a timeless melting pot. Nicholas Kristof, op-ed columnist for The New York Times, warns of the “illegal parasites” that will contribute, through a legalization, to “$45 billion over five years in payroll taxes”. He comments on the erratic perspectives of current American citizens that feel at threat by undocumented immigrants because they are an “echo of the anxiety” that arises from living among different people (Nicholas Kristof, “Immigration Enriches You and Me” ). The daily citizen is not scared of terrorism, or that their neighbor, who is not an “American”, might secretly plot a destructive genocide in major cities. They are scared, truly terrified, of that same neighbor assimilating to their lifestyle, bringing with new customs and traditions from their own countries, and putting at risk the “American purity” they wish to conserve.
Legalization of illegal immigrants is a matter of agreement. Politicians know that immigration cannot be controlled because it has never been controlled at all in U.S history. The pilgrims opened up the way to newcomers to the United States, other Europeans followed, Asians continued, and now Latin American populations have rushed to have a share of this marvelous country as well. This nation resembles an ice cold water bottle in the middle of the desert. When an immigrants feels distorted in their own country they look for options to survive. They seek this water bottle in isolation and dryness. The United States is the last resort any immigrant has. They just don’t wake up one day and plan their travel across oceans, violent countries, and dry lands to arrive in the U.S and rest under a fresh Florida palm.
Amnesty is the solution to the immigration problem. Like or not, immigration will continue to happen in the United States. The United States is the promising land many people dream of. This nation wanted to proudly and fiercefully spread their “White Supremacy” during the imperialist era and the same one that becomes so patriotic during war times. This the land where people help each other in need, fight for human rights around the globe, and land a helping hand during disasters. The United States is the home of the brave, but not so much the land of the free. Eleven millions undocumented people reside in the country trapped by erratic connotations and fighting against their own cultures influences in order to become part of a society that rejects them. Amnesty will not erased the pain immigrants undergo in their pursuit of a better life traveling to the United States, but it sure will help them feel safe in the nation they have grown roots in and form families.
