A Nation Of Immigrants
For decades, illegal immigration has been a serious issue for the United States. Today, the solution for illegal immigration is continuously discussed by political leaders and citizens of America with approximately twelve million illegal immigrants residing in these United States. Amnesty is seen as a possible solution to this crisis. Many politicians and citizens view illegal immigrants as people who enrich the nation and are beneficial to the economy, and they believe that amnesty is the right solution to this problem. Other citizens view illegal immigrants as criminals or parasites to the United States while arguing that amnesty is a plan that is way too expensive to carry out. Due to the amount of benefits immigrants can have on America’s economy and the amount of money it would take for mass deportation, amnesty is the best possible solution for the immigration issue. American citizens and political leaders would now see how these new citizens of the country can benefit the economy and the many businesses of the United States.
America has provided many opportunities for those illegal immigrants who have lived in less fortunate places. These opportunities are what drives people to come into the country. Illegal immigrants come into the United States to work and to provide a better life for themselves and their families. Their hard work and their strive for a better life have led to plenty of numerous benefits to the economy, and especially for many businesses. Over five years, if work permits are given to these immigrants, they will contribute about $45 billion in payroll taxes to the American economy (Kristof 2). This is more beneficial when looking at the fact that immigrants are working the low-wage jobs that American citizens do not want to do. For over a decade, immigrants have also contributed $100 billion to Social Security without any intention of collecting benefits (Kristof 2). Immigrants are proved essential for an American economy that is already in debt. American businesses will grow and more jobs would have to be created, benefiting every person in the United States.
People opposed to illegal immigration view immigrants more as a problem than a benefit. They believe immigrants are criminals and argue that amnesty is just unaffordable. America currently has a national debt of $18 trillion, and as a country, the U.S. spends $600 billion more than it earns (Butowsky 1). With the cost of each illegal immigrant being about $14,000, the nation will be way more in debt if amnesty took place (Butowsky 1). Citizens remain concerned with the way America is spending their money and adding to the national debt.
Amnesty is definitely a costly solution, but having all the immigrants deported will also cost the country a lot of money. It would be extremely difficult to round up the millions of immigrants and deport them, and this would cost billions. Deportation is not a solution at all because there is nothing stopping those immigrants from attempting to enter the country once again. The many economic benefits immigrants bring can help the ongoing problem with the debt of America. The nation would be forced to create more jobs because of the cost of amnesty which will benefit the economy in the long-run. American businesses will thrive and that will encourage American citizens to spend money on their country’s businesses as opposed to spending on other foreign businesses. Unlike mass deportation, amnesty is an actual solution to combat the illegal immigration issue.
America is a nation built and founded by immigrants. People, no matter where they are from, work extremely hard to live a better life for themselves and their families. America should be proud that so many people would like to come into their country. The immigration dilemma has been an ongoing issue that has divided the nation. Instead of having heated debates, political parties and politicians need to address the issue together and provide a solution that is beneficial to citizens of the United States, like amnesty. Failure to act will continue to divide the country even more while continuing to accumulate to the rising debt. It is unfortunate that American citizens are contributing to the breaking up of families instead of attempting to assist their fellow human beings. For once, the United States must unite to fix the broken immigration policy and to bring forth a solution that will benefit the nation as whole.
