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Julio Nunez
Professor Celestino
ENG 1010
08 December 2019
Argumentative Essay
(A Reform on Immigration)
The United States has been built on immigrants since the birth of the nation. Immigrants
and immigration is nothing new to this nation of diverse culture. From european immigrants on
the east coast like the Irish, the Italians and the English among others that have built bridges,
streets and buildings, to the Asian communities out in the west coast building the railroads and
forming new communities in which we live in today. Immigrants have been the pilers to the
success of this Nation, but today they’re under attack by government officials and it is time to
find a solution, to call for an immigrantion reform that congress can get behind and support so
millions of undocumented workers, students, and families can come out of the shadows and have
a life without fear.
As a nation the drives home the slogan of “ The American Dream”, there needs to be a
higher understanding and more compassion for immigrants seeking out “The American Dream”.
Millions of these immigrants are undocumented college students currently seeking a path to a
better life for themselves and their families. In the article “Effects of Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals on Education” the writer Amy Hsin notes that, “Despite facing great barriers
to entry, an estimated 250,000 undocumented youth currently attend college in the United
States” (pg. 1498). This shows the commitment of thousands of immigrants have to becoming
successful in this nation where they are handicapped because they do not receive any type of
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help from the government. Programs like FAFSA or pell grants aren’t available to undocumented
non-U.S citizens. These students are child arrivals that were brought to this country by their
parents. We need to give these students, along with millions of others the opportunity to have a
fair chance. This is why it is important that there is push behind an Immigration Reform. A
concern someone may have with this is, “Why should I pay taxes to fund immigrant students
with college funds?”. If we look beyond the small picture meaning of this statement, the big
picture will show the economy's future when these student immigrants start their own businesses
and start working as legal workers.
Though it is illegal to cross the border without any type of legal documentation millions
of them are coming to give their families and future generations a better life. These immigrants
come here with the purpose to build a family and have a fruitful life. But some of these families
are facing separation at the hand of Homeland Security. Parents of children that are born here as
U.S Citizens are facing deportation because they are undocumented. Without any crime
intentions other than coming to the U.S to have a fair life and starting a family. The separation of
families can have long term mental health affects on the children. In the article “Historical,
Sociopolitical, and Mental Health Implications of Forcible Separations in Young Migrant Latin
American Children and Their Families” t he writers compare the trauma Native American
children under went when they were forced out of their homes to attend boarding schools in the
late 1880s and early 1900s. Noting that these are effects that separation can cause “studies have
found that the impacts of this forcible separation to boarding schools include higher incidence of
substance use disorders, depressive and anxiety related issues, suicidality, and severe
post-traumatic stress disorder when compared to Native American children who remained with
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their families and did not attend boarding schools”(12). Separating families is unethical and there
should be no place for this type of treatment. An immigration reform would stop the deportation
of parents and the stoppage of family separations that can have a tragic effect on a child's life.
For those in office, the ones in power that seek the brightest future for this nation need to
come to the realization of the benefits an Immigration reform can bring. Not only to those that
are undoctumented, but to the nation’s economy and having a more educated diversity that can
bring new ideas to predominantly white government. Economically it makes sense to come to the
conclusion that a comprehensive immigration reform. In the article written by Raúl
Hinojosa-Ojeda, THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION
REFORM, it states that “the annual generates an annual increase in U.S. GDP of at least 0.84
percent. This amounts to $1.5 trillion in additional GDP over 10 years.”(pg.177) This would be
an absolute asset for the United States economy. Not to mention the millions of dollars saved by
not having to waste resources on deportations that are not effective. It also mentions, “It also
boosts wages for both native-born and newly legalized immigrant workers.”(pg.177), this also
looks out for the benefits of those who are already citizens. An Immigration reform is essential
for the benefits of all parties involved.
Having a more diverse educated population that can lead not just everyday life, but in
positions of power can have a huge impact on millions of people with similar backgrounds where
they may be minorities as well. Having a diverse culture has shown that it brings success. In an
article by Shelly Zalis, “The Truth About Diversity -- And Why It Matters”, it talks about the
way that work groups that have diversities have a higher success rate than groups where people
are basically the same whether its gender or cultural background. “Diverse teams beat
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homogeneous teams every time when it came to performance”(pg.1). It is important to
acknowledge our country is currently being run by the majority white males. An immigrantion
reform can open doors to having more diversity. A counter argument that’s to say only native
U.S Citizens can be in office which is true for being president, but not for other positions like
governor. Beyond that a reform will allow millions of people to have the chance to vote who is
elected as President of the United States. Having diversity helps open up people's views and
minds to new experiences.
One of the biggest concerns is the fact that more immigrants without visas will keep
entering the United States illegally at will. Though this is true, it is hard to not help those who
are already in the United States. Specifically those going to school, working and being a proper
blue collar citizen. A way to do this is to have those that are already in the country for a certain
period of time be awarded the chance of citizenship. Stopping people from immigrating is
impossible it is something that has been part of our human culture. Something that can be done is
securing the border more effectively. This does not only stop people from entering illegally, but
this is also stopping any type of contraband that can bring harm to the people of the state. This
can be seen as an efficient way of dealing with people entering illegally, but the thing is
thousands of people that are in the United States under an undocumented status are those who
have entered with a tavelers visa or a work visa.
In an article written by Edward Aldem, “ Immigration and Border Control” he gave the
example of how immigrants with visa can overstay their work permits. He takes it to the extreme
by talking about the hijackers of the planes in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “The second big shock
was 9/11. AU 19 of the hijackers entered the United States on legal visas, despite red flags that
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should have excluded several. At the time of the attacks, five had overstayed or otherwise
violated the terms of their visas (Eldridge et al. 2004)” (pg111). This shows that it is hard and
nearly impossible to not have illegal immigrants enter the United States, especially if the
government are the ones not making sure that visa stays are being honored. So why not reward
those who can qualify for an opportunity at citizenship? Security within our own nation should
be the priority. Being able to account for those in this country legally and illegally should be the
focus and this can be done by registering immigrants as citizens through an immigration reform.
It is wrong to blame immigrants for an unhealthy economy, they are a big contribution to
the nation's economy and have little to no effect on the native worker. In an article written by
Kirk Johnson and Tim Kane, “The Real Problem with Immigration... and the Real Solution” they
show us evidence of this by detailing that “Social Security payroll taxes paid by improperly
identified (undocumented) workers have led to a $463 billion funding surplus”(pg1). that is a
large chunk of federal funds being added to our economy by non citizens. There is always the
concept that immigrants do the jobs that the native worker doesn’t want to do. This is reflected in
unemployment average. Johnson and Kane stated that “Immigrant unemployment rates are lower
than the national average in the U.S.”(pg1). Immigrants are here to work and put their foot
forward to better the lives of those around them, like family and friends, but they also make the
lives of native citizens better and take the blue collar jobs of the world. There needs to be a
conscious effort to understand that immigrants are the building block of this nation and we need
to include them to have a healthy economy. The evidence is there and it is obvious there needs to
be a change.
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In the long run the United States government and people need to come to an
understanding and agreement that a immigration reform is needed and beneficial to the entire
country. It will grant millions the opportunity to live with their families without fear. It will give
immigrant students the right to continue their education with the correct support of the
government. The economy will flourish both state and federal. It will better the lives of native
workers by boosting the wages being given to them by employers. There will be more security in
the country which can propel the government to having healthier and ethical laws at the border.
As a nation we need to be more understanding and vulnerable to the trails that immigrants face.
We need to blanket them come together to one true nation under god. That can prosper and
succeed.
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Citations
Alden, Edward. “Immigration and Border Control.” CATO Journal, vol. 32, no. 1, Winter 2012,
pp. 107–124. EBSCOhost,
[Link]/[Link]?direct=true&db=asn&AN=70924526&site=ehost-live.
Hinojosa-Ojeda, Raúl. “The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” CATO
Journal, vol. 32, no. 1, Winter 2012, pp. 175–199. EBSCOhost,
[Link]/[Link]?direct=true&db=asn&AN=70924530&site=ehost-live.
Hsin, Amy, and Francesc Ortega. “The Effects of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals on the
Educational Outcomes of Undocumented Students.” Demography, vol. 55, no. 4, Aug.
2018, pp. 1487–1506. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s13524-018-0691-6.
Johnson, Kirk. “The Real Problem with Immigration... and the Real Solution.” The Heritage
Foundation,
[Link]/immigration/report/the-real-problem-immigration-and-the-real-solution.
Noroña, Carmen Rosa, et al. “Historical, Sociopolitical, and Mental Health Implications of
Forcible Separations in Young Migrant Latin American Children and Their Families.”
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ZERO TO THREE, vol. 39, no. 1, Sept. 2018, pp. 8–20. EBSCOhost,
[Link]/[Link]?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1192312&site=eds-live.
Zalis, Shelley. “The Truth About Diversity -- And Why It Matters.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 6
Dec. 2017,
[Link]/sites/shelleyzalis/2017/11/30/the-truth-about-diversity-and-why-it-matt
ers/#59f5dc8e66e7.
