Josh

#703 Illegal Immigration One of the hottest political topics being discussed right now is illegal immigration. Most legal immigrants and citizens say allowing illegals to remain is unfair. However, if illegal immigrants were required to leave, many of them would go back to poverty and persecution. So, should all illegal immigrants in the US be required to return to their homelands and then apply for legal status if they choose? A main reason for illegal immigrants to stay is persecution. Many flee from their homelands to find a safe place to stay, as most of them have had to escape war and diseases. Therefore, illegal immigrants who are coming here for protection should be permitted to stay. Another reason to consider is that many were brought to America when they were children. Coming wasnt their choice, and most of them are now part of the American society. If they are asked to return to their home country, they may not fit in and may face many hardships. These people should be allowed to stay because they dont have another home. The final exception for illegal immigrants staying is for those who match President Obamas immigration rule. He signed a rule recently that stated that illegal immigrants may stay in this country if they have lived in the US for at least 5 years, have no criminal record, serve in the military, or have a good school record. They may stay in the country for 2 years, and can work on citizenship papers for a smaller cost of $380 if they choose. Those immigrants should be allowed to stay because they make a good contribution to our economy and country. A negative for illegal immigrants staying in the country is that they take jobs away from citizens and legal immigrants. The current US unemployment rate is close to 9%, and that rate

could be lower if illegal immigrants did not take jobs like construction and cleaning. Therefore, illegal immigrants that are employed a job that a citizen wants, should be required to resign. Secondly, illegal immigrants do not have to pay taxes, even though they use resources like roads and public libraries, whereas legal citizens have to pay taxes to fund these resources. They do not have a social security number, so the government cannot track them down. Most of them are a drain on tax paying citizens, so they should have to leave. Lastly, illegal immigrants should leave because it is unfair to those who paid to come here legally, followed the law, and pay taxes. Illegal immigrants have broken the law by coming here illegally. Therefore, they should have to make up for it. In conclusion, I believe that, on balance, most illegal immigrants should be sent back to their homelands. They have broken the law, keep fellow Americans from getting a job, do not pay taxes to benefit the government, and are a disappointment to legal immigrants that paid the full fees. However, those who came here as children, have grown up in the American system, and went to school here should be considered for legal status. Therefore, the government should make the immigration policy to send back most illegal immigrants, and allow those who came as children and those contributing positively so society should be allowed to stay.