"Immigration Legislation Should Not Punish All Illegal Immigrants"

Many people are in agreement that there needs to be immigrant reforms. This article is attempting to show that not all immigration is bad, it can even help the United States. This author believes that the want for a immigration will continue and that if it is going to, then only "qualified" people will be allowed to immigrate. the question is who defines whether someone is qualified or not. If this method of qualification is going to be established, then I believe it is necessary for the qualifications to be written down. All people should have an equal chance at immigration. Stopping immigration would also cause problems for security, "Ground truth comes from all sources, and often from immigrant communities. If communication shuts down because immigrants are afraid to approach local law enforcement for fear of being deported, then we lose important information and we jeopardize the security of our nation." In a previous article that I read it said that terrorist are able to live in immigrant neighborhoods and go undetected. However if they are noticed someone could tell the cops, but they will not be willing to if they are afraid. The immigrants do not hurt the economy, they actually help it. I feel that a lot of the things that immigrants do to help America goes overlooked. As a result of that people tend to only see the negative aspects. It also says that the immigrants do not take the American jobs. I feel that is one of things that America needs to understand. People are in fear of losing their jobs and they need to realize that they do not need to fear the immigrants. I think that if that fear could be put aside then there will be less racism against the immigrants.Many job fields are dependent on immigrant labor, which means they play a large role in supporting the economy. With such a poor economic climate, I think the government should be doing everything in their power to help boost it.

With immigrant reform there will be the correct number visas given based on the United States economy. It will also assist in other aspects such as, "future immigration will be within the law, instead of underground, so that immigrants are less likely to be exploited, less likely to harm American wages and jobs, and are more likely to pay taxes." There is now a bill trying to get passed by the Senate that addresses a lot of the things many Americans are worried about. Such as being able to get jobs and ensuring good working conditions for temporary workers. I feel that it is very important to make sure that the citizens are the ones who get the first chance at employment. They are the legal citizens and they need a job just as badly as the immigrants do. The main point the article is making is that the immigrants are needed. If they are truly needed then I feel that there should be a way to help them become citizens, but only if it is done legally. The high volume of illegal immigrants does not help their situation of the citizens. The government needs to find a balance that makes everyone happy.


citation
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. "Immigration Legislation Should Not Punish All Illegal Immigrants." Contemporary Issues Companion: Illegal Immigration. Ed. Paul Hina. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 8 Feb. 2010 .