Immigrants

CBP Entry Photo

Immigrants are a fundamental part of our country, everyone came from somewhere else in the world with the exception of Native Americans. Immigrants have been coming to America since the beginning of our great nation, the U.S. now admits more immigrants than any other country. Immigration has become a key issue in American politics recently. Before explaining more about immigration in America it is very important to distinguish the difference between an immigrant and an illegal alien. An immigrant is a person who lawfully requested to visit or reside in the United States. An illegal alien is someone who entered the United States without permission from the United States government or someone who failed to leave the country after the government had requested their departure.

Immigrants are citizens of other countries who obtain visas or green cards from the United States Government to reside or visit the United States. These immigrants are eventually allowed to become U.S. citizens if they are eligible to do so. Immigrants come from all over the world with different backgrounds and experiences. According to the Department of Homeland Security, as of 2015, 13.25 million lawful permanent residents reside in the United States. In 2017, 26,568 individuals were granted asylum. Many immigrants come to the United States because of the amazing economic opportunity and our unique system of government, laws, and culture. I was an immigrant from 2011-2014, I resided in the People’s Republic of China. I received my residency permit in 2011 and renewed it on a yearly basis with the Chinese government. I had to follow Chinese laws and regulations while in their country and I would expect the same from anyone residing in or visiting the U.S.

There are many different groups within the immigrant community, since people of all nationalities immigrate to the United States, communities from every country reside here. Every group is different in the sense that they are from different backgrounds and different cultures. In 2017, DHS reported that 258,371 people were naturalized from North America, 255,306 were naturalized from Asia. The country with the most naturalizations in 2017 was Mexico with 118,559 people becoming U.S. citizens. Immigrants are what built America up to where it is today. The increase in the workforce and production over the years have lead to the U.S. having the largest economy on the planet. Mexican citizens also account for the most lawful permanent residents in the U.S. with 3.26 million Mexican citizens residing here legally. It can be a challenge sometimes to immigrate legally to the U.S. because there are so many people who want to come here compared to the number of spaces available. I think there is a growing perception that immigrants are being threatened with deportation or legal action, this perception is not correct as only illegal aliens are subject to legal action by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as the Customs and Border Protection Agency. As the current Presidential Administration has put an emphasis on enforcing our country’s laws, many immigrants worry about deportation or their legal status The Trump Administration has made it clear that they are not looking to deport legal residents or visitors, they would like to enforce federal immigration laws in regards to illegal aliens and false asylum claims.

ICE Raid Photo

Immigrants today go through a process with the U.S. Government today that would be equivalent to going through Ellis Island in 1892. The process for obtaining a visa is harder today than it was in 1892 but almost any government process is longer than before. The process can present challenges to entering the U.S. either to reside or visit, even though it can be difficult it’s not impossible. The most common reasons for being denied entry to the United States are not filling out the correct paperwork or giving false information, having a previous criminal conviction, having a drug violation, and previously violating U.S. immigration law.  A popular stereotype is that immigrants are mostly low skill workers, this is partially true in that only 12 percent of immigrants are admitted based on skill but this doesn’t mean that there aren’t more immigrants who came as low skill workers and became U.S. citizens. The Trump Administration has proposed reforming the immigration system to admit immigrants based on their merit and skill which could help the United States economy. The new system is aimed at enhancing border security while protecting immigrants and helping the United States as well. More green cards would be issued to higher skilled workers, this means the U.S. gets more immigrants that can help American companies expand and increase production. This new plan from the White House could potentially change the stereotype of immigrants being low skill workers.

Immigration Citizenship Brochure

What can we do to support immigrants and help the United States at the same time? Showing our support to the Department of Homeland Security and working with local law enforcement can go a long way to helping the immigrant community. DHS is here to protect American citizens and make sure that legal immigrants are safe. This is why cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is beneficial to everyone. Another way we can help is contacting our local, state, and federal lawmakers to try and push for a more comprehensive immigration enforcement policy that protects legal residents and American citizens. In order for Customs and Border Protection to effectively do their jobs they need proper funding, the President has worked closely with CBP to work out how much funding they need. Together they have requested $12.5 billion for Fiscal Year 2020 to fund operations by CBP. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has requested $8.7 billion for operations. Pushing our representatives to support funding these organizations will go a long way towards helping Americans and Immigrants. The President has also requested $4.5 billion for humanitarian aid at the Southern Border, the funds would be used to help process and house asylum seekers. If Congress approves this funding it would help thousands of asylum seekers who would like to enter our country.

Overall, the best way to help the immigrant community is to support law enforcement agencies who are there to help and to petition our representatives to support the requests that the agencies have made as well as creating laws that protect legal immigrants. Laws that currently need to be amended or created regard asylum, illegal entry, and sanctuary policies. America will always welcome citizens of other countries as long as those citizens come here legally, America was built this way. The United States Government also has a duty to protect its citizens and legal residents and comprehensive border security is essential to keeping our country safe.